Free check · Last checked 12 October 2026

Can I sell this in the US? The rules, by product and country.

The short answer

Usually yes, once the product has its FCC authorisation and someone answers for it in the US. Most products with a radio need Certification (an FCC ID); most electronics without one can use a Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity, whose responsible party must be in the US.

The exceptions turn on the product and where it is made. New models of drones, consumer routers, utility-interactive power inverters and mobile robots produced abroad cannot be authorised without a Conditional Approval from the Department of War or DHS. Goods from Cuba, Iran and North Korea, and goods with inputs from Xinjiang, are barred at import. Check yours below.

General information, not legal advice. Checked against the primary sources listed at the foot of this page on 12 October 2026. Rules change; confirm against the source before you rely on it.

The FCC route

  • Certification. An FCC-recognised certification body grants an FCC ID on test data from an accredited, FCC-recognised lab. Most products with a radio transmitter go this way. The grantee can be the maker abroad, but every applicant must name a US agent for service of process (47 CFR 2.911(d)(7), since 6 February 2023).
  • Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity (SDoC). A self-declaration for most digital devices without a radio. The responsible party must be located in the United States: the manufacturer, assembler or importer (47 CFR 2.909(b)).
  • Labs and the Covered List. SDoC tests may not be run at a lab owned, controlled or directed by a “prohibited entity”, and the FCC will not recognise a lab or certification body in which one holds 10 percent or more (FCC 25-27, since 8 September 2025). Covered List producers cannot use SDoC or an exemption, and from 13 October 2026 a device whose logic-bearing component comes from a Covered List producer can be barred too (FCC 26-50).

The Covered List categories

Since December 2025 the FCC has added whole categories of equipment produced abroad, not only named companies. A category entry stops new authorisations; models already authorised can still be imported, sold and used. Each has a Conditional Approval route, decided by the Department of War or DHS and tied to a plan to produce in the United States.

  • Drones and drone critical components, since 22 December 2025. Exceptions for the Blue UAS Cleared List and Buy American domestic end products until 1 January 2028, and for qualifying toy drones. Apply to drones@fcc.gov.
  • Consumer routers, since 23 March 2026: residential, customer-installed routers and gateways. “Produced” means any major stage, design included. Approvals last up to 18 months. Apply to conditional-approvals@fcc.gov.
  • Utility-interactive power inverters, since 28 July 2026, narrowed on 20 August 2026 to UL 1741 inverters with remote communication or control. Inverters eligible for the section 45X credit are not treated as foreign-produced.
  • Advanced robotic devices, since 28 July 2026: mobile ground robots such as AMRs, AGVs, humanoids and quadrupeds above 4.4 lb with network connectivity and autonomy or command-and-control software. Approvals from the Department of War only.

Every change to these entries, and each new approval, is on the ban tracker.

Selling to the US government

Section 889 bars agencies from buying equipment that uses telecom or video surveillance equipment produced by Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision or Dahua as a substantial or essential component, and from contracting with companies that use it. Agencies and primes ask for the representation in FAR 52.204-24, -25 and -26 (52.240-90 and -91 under the FAR overhaul’s deviation text). For drones, the American Security Drone Act adds FAR 52.240-1. See the Section 889 guide.

Rules that turn on the country

  • Embargoes. Goods from Cuba, Iran and North Korea may not be imported; nor goods from the Crimea region or the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine.
  • Russia. No general ban, but listed Russian-origin goods are barred, among them fuels, seafood, alcoholic beverages, diamonds, gold, aluminium, copper and nickel.
  • Xinjiang. Goods made wholly or partly in Xinjiang, or by a company on the UFLPA Entity List, are presumed made with forced labour and barred at import, wherever they were finished.
  • Duties. Not covered here, except that drones and listed drone components carry Section 232 duties since 3 September 2026, whatever the country.

Bringing units in before you sell

An unauthorised radio device can still be imported in limited numbers: up to 4,000 units for testing and evaluation, up to 400 for a trade show (neither for sale), and, once a certification application is filed, up to 12,000 units of stock (47 CFR 2.1204). A company with no US presence can be importer of record only with a resident agent in the port’s state and a bond from a resident surety (19 CFR 141.18).

Questions people ask

Does my product need FCC approval to be sold in the US?
Almost every electronic product does. Most products with a radio transmitter need Certification, which gives them an FCC ID; most digital devices without a radio can use a Supplier's Declaration of Conformity; a few kinds of equipment are exempt. A product with no electronics needs none.
Who is the US responsible party for FCC purposes?
For Certification it is the grantee, which can be a maker abroad, but every applicant must name a US agent for service of process. For a Supplier's Declaration of Conformity the responsible party must be located in the United States: the manufacturer, assembler or importer.
Can I still sell drones made outside the US?
Models already authorised can still be imported and sold. A new foreign-produced drone model cannot be authorised since 22 December 2025 unless it is on the Blue UAS Cleared List or is a Buy American domestic end product (both until 1 January 2028), is a qualifying toy drone, or holds a Conditional Approval from the Department of War or DHS.
Are solar inverters banned in the US?
Inverters already authorised are not affected. Since 28 July 2026, as narrowed on 20 August 2026, new models of utility-interactive inverters (UL 1741) with remote communication or control that are produced abroad need a Conditional Approval to be authorised. Inverters eligible for the section 45X credit are not treated as foreign-produced.
What is a Conditional Approval?
The route around a Covered List category entry. The maker applies by email to the FCC, which forwards the request to the Department of War and, for most categories, DHS; they decide. Approvals are tied to a plan to produce in the United States (for routers, with quarterly updates), and the FCC lists those granted on the Covered List page.
Can I import demo units before my FCC approval?
Yes, within limits: up to 4,000 units for testing and evaluation and up to 400 for a trade show, neither for sale, and up to 12,000 units of stock once a certification application has been filed (47 CFR 2.1204).

Primary sources

General information, not legal advice. BSJ Ventures publishes methods; it never publishes clients, cases or verdicts, and it claims no relationship with any agency or maker named here.

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