Bring or Buy a Drone in China: 2026 UOM Registration, Prices, and No-Fly Zones

Bring your own DJI from home unless you plan to fly inside China for more than two months. Under CAAC's 2026 rules, every drone — regardless of weight — needs real-name registration through the UOM (Unmanned Aircraft Operation Management) app before takeoff. The app links your passport ID, the drone's serial number, and your intended use; without that link the drone is software-locked and will not lift off. Foreign visitors register through the app's English flow using a passport plus an address (a hotel works), but a Chinese mobile number streamlines SMS verification. Buying locally on JD.com saves around 15% versus US or EU prices — a DJI Mini 4 Pro standard kit runs around ¥4,500 — and the Chinese-region firmware avoids one type of geo-fence headache. The downside: re-exporting the drone home triggers your home country's import duty, and resale value drops outside China. Flight ceiling is capped at 120 meters by default. Major cities like Beijing within the Sixth Ring, central Shanghai, and Guangzhou are no-fly zones almost end-to-end. Yanjin and other rural valleys often have weak GPS lock plus signal interference between cliffs. Unregistered flights risk equipment confiscation and fines up to ¥10,000. Download the UOM app and complete registration before your flight; activation in-country can take days if support emails are slow.