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Can You Buy and Use a Huawei Phone in the US?

Checked against the makers' own pages · Last reviewed October 15, 2026

Does Huawei sell phones in the US?

No. Huawei's country and region list has a North America heading with only Canada (English and French) under it. Typing Huawei's US address, consumer.huawei.com/us/, takes you to Huawei's global site.

So there is no Huawei store in the US to buy from. US buyers who want one buy from overseas sellers (see "Where people get them" below), and the FCC rules in the next section apply to that. [1][8]

What the FCC rules say

The rules that matter most for Huawei phones in the US come from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which runs the equipment authorization program for radio devices sold in the US.

1. Covered List (2021). The FCC's Covered List of equipment judged an "unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States" has included "telecommunications equipment produced by Huawei Technologies Company" since March 12, 2021.
2. No new FCC approvals. Under 47 CFR 2.903, "all equipment on the Covered List ... is prohibited from obtaining an equipment authorization." The rule says this also applies to equipment that would otherwise be exempt from authorization. The FCC says the 2021 Covered List equipment "has not received authorization since November 11, 2022."
3. Import and marketing ban (July 16, 2026). The FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology prohibited "the continued importation and marketing of any covered equipment added to the Covered List in 2024 or earlier," including such equipment that the FCC authorized before its November 2022 rules (FCC notice, 91 FR 41023). The notice treats some entries more narrowly: those that are covered only when used for public safety, government facilities and similar purposes. The Huawei entry on the Covered List has no such use limit.
4. Online marketplaces (Oct. 13, 2026). A newer FCC rule "clarifies that its marketing rules reach any entity (including online marketplaces) that markets unauthorized equipment" (91 FR 57798). It also requires online marketplaces to display a device's FCC ID at the point of sale, starting March 1, 2027 or June 1, 2027 depending on the marketplace. Listings of used devices and listings by sellers that aren't "high-volume third-party sellers" are excluded from the FCC ID display rule.

If you already own one. The FCC says the ban "does not affect the continued use or operation of previously authorized covered equipment; consumers may continue to use any device or equipment that they currently possess, if the equipment was legally purchased and maintains an existing equipment authorization." The notice doesn't address phones that never had an FCC authorization. [2][3][4][5]

Can you import a Huawei phone for your own use?

The FCC's July 2026 notice says its import and marketing ban does not apply "for importation under the conditions listed in Sec. 2.1204(a)(3)-(11) of the Commission's rules."

47 CFR 2.1204 is the FCC's list of import conditions. Condition (a)(7) reads: "Three or fewer radio frequency devices are being imported for the individual's personal use and are not intended for sale." Its list of permitted device categories includes "transmitters operating under rules which require a station license as subscribers," operated under the authority of an FCC operator license; the rule doesn't mention phones by name. The rule also says the person receiving the goods "must be able to document compliance with the selected import condition."

Two more points from the rule text:

• Condition (a)(1), the condition for devices with an FCC equipment authorization, now covers only an authorization "that has not been limited" under the FCC's procedure in section 2.939(e). That is the procedure the July 2026 notice used.
• Neither the FCC rule nor the July 2026 notice names Huawei phones when it describes the personal-use exception. We found no FCC or CBP page that applies it to a Huawei phone.

Customs rules apply too. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says that "when you buy goods from foreign sources, you become the importer," responsible for making sure the goods comply with import rules. Before you order, read our guide to importing a phone to the US, and ask the FCC if you are unsure how the rules apply to you. [4][6][9]

The Commerce Department Entity List

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. has been on the Commerce Department's Entity List since a rule effective May 16, 2019 (84 FR 22961). The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) imposed "a license requirement for all items subject to the EAR" (the Export Administration Regulations) with a license review policy of "presumption of denial." Huawei is still on the current Entity List.

The Entity List is an export control: the rule limits exports, reexports and transfers of US-regulated items to Huawei and its listed affiliates. The rule text doesn't address US consumers buying a Huawei phone. The FCC rules above are the ones that deal with Huawei phones coming into the US. [10][11]

Will a global Huawei phone work on US networks?

Huawei's global models (the editions sold outside China) publish full band lists. Here are the current ones from Huawei's own spec pages, checked against the LTE bands the US carriers publish:

How the last column works: T-Mobile lists LTE bands 4, 5 and 66 plus Extended Range bands 12 and 71; AT&T lists 2, 4/66, 5, 12/17/29 and 30; Verizon says its 4G LTE network "uses Band 13." Our rule asks for a mid band plus the carrier's low band (details in phone bands and US carriers). None of these phones lists LTE band 71, one of T-Mobile's two Extended Range bands; all of them have the other one, band 12.

A band fit is not a promise that a phone will work. Huawei doesn't sell these phones in the US, and a matching band list doesn't show whether a carrier will carry your calls over its 4G network (VoLTE, voice over 4G). Run the phone's IMEI through the carrier's checker before you rely on it. China-only models such as the Mate 90 and Mate XT 2 run HarmonyOS; see their pages for what Huawei publishes. [1][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]

No Google: EMUI, HarmonyOS and AppGallery

Huawei says that because of Google's licensing, phones from the Mate 30 series onward don't come with GMS (Google Mobile Services: the Play Store, Google sign-in and Google's push messaging) or Google apps preinstalled, and it suggests the web versions of Google's apps instead. Whether Google apps can be used depends on Google's licensing, not on Huawei's own services, Huawei adds.

• Global editions run EMUI (EMUI 15.0 or 16.0 on the models above), which is based on Android. Apps come from Huawei's AppGallery. Huawei says its HMS Core "can run on the Android Open Source Project (Android system) and supports Android apps," but that "certain Android apps require support from GMS Core and may not be able to run on HMS Core."
• China editions run HarmonyOS, Huawei's own system: Huawei's China spec pages list HarmonyOS 5.0 for the nova 14 Pro, HarmonyOS 5.1 for the Pura 80 Ultra and HarmonyOS 6.0 for the Mate 80 Pro. Apps come from the HarmonyOS AppGallery. Huawei's support page says apps served by Zhuoyitong or Chujingyi can be installed from the store, and that whether a downloaded Android package installs depends on what Zhuoyitong supports. Huawei calls both Zhuoyitong and Chujingyi third-party apps.

Apps that need Google Play services, such as some banking apps, may not run. See banking apps on a phone without Google and China-edition phones. [7][12][17][21][22][23][24][25][26]

Warranty and support

Huawei's global hardware warranty provisions say: "You acknowledge that the warranty for your device is only valid in the country / region where it was purchased." Huawei says it authorizes service centers country by country and lists them on each country's Huawei site. Its country list has no US site. So a Huawei phone bought abroad is covered only in the country where it was bought. [1][27]

Where people get them, and the catch

Online exporters list Huawei phones for US buyers. One example: Giztop, a third-party seller, listed the Pura 80 Ultra "as low as" $1,999, in stock, on Oct. 15, 2026. Its listing says the phone "is Chinese edition, comes with Huawei Mobile Service(HMS), doesn't support Google Mobile Service, no Google Play store." Giztop's shipping page lists DHL/UPS delivery to the United States in 5-7 days. We have not checked that seller.

Two catches:

• The FCC's marketing rules reach anyone who markets unauthorized equipment, including online marketplaces (see the FCC rules above). A listing doesn't tell you whether a sale is allowed.
• Giztop's shipping page says: "We declare your package at a lower price to help you avoid importing customs tax." CBP says "Giving misleading or inaccurate information about the nature of the item and its value is illegal" and that the importer, meaning you, "could face legal action and fines."

[5][9][28][29]

Questions people ask