So if my Mini 3 does not arrive before I leave for vacation, and I buy one in Europe instead, what are the warranty implications since I live in the USA?

i don't think you want to buy a drone in europe since it may not be exactly the type of drone you want to fly here in america.  if you need warranty assistance, dji may not be able to ship a "european" drone to your american address.  my opinion and i don't know enough about it to comment more.

The Saint Posted at 5-21 09:25
i don't think you want to buy a drone in europe since it may not be exactly the type of drone you want to fly here in america.  if you need warranty assistance, dji may not be able to ship a "european" drone to your american address.  my opinion and i don't know enough about it to comment more.

there are no hardware differences between the CE and US version....the differences are in the transmission controller allows in different countries according to predefined paramaters. And question of OP was not to ship it from Europe to the states but buy it when in Europe.

Basically implications you are you’ll have warranty while in Europe and you cannot buy dji care refresh in the states as it is only available in the country you bought the drone in. If you want to risk it and it won’t arrive before the vacation you can definitely buy it in Europe. I’ve had the mini and mini 2 and haven’t even changed a single propeller so far and never needed warranty. But perhaps by Murphy’s law the one time you don’t have the warranty ... happens ...

You will still have a warranty, but you will always have to return it to the region you purchased it in. And you will have to pay cost of shipping and return shipping.

If push comes to shove 'here', and you needed it, the only thing that might carry weight is a written answer from DJI.
I would ask them via email and be quite precise in what you are asking and make sure the responses answer your questions clearly and unequivocally.

√ DJI does not provide global warranty, customers can obtain warranty service only at a designated DJI repair center in the region where he/she purchased the product. However, depending on part availability, customers can obtain cross-regional repair service at an additional charge.
√ For customers in North America, please note: DJI products purchased after August 1st, 2016 are covered under warranty only if they are purchased from DJI authorized dealers.
√ If a customer in Region A wants to send in their products to a designated DJI repair center in the Region B, the customer will need to get the consent of DJI and bear customs duties, taxes, customs clearance, and other costs incurred.

Thank you for the feedback everyone.