Airport liquid rules in 2026: 100ml and 2-litre limits
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The safest way to pack liquids for a flight in 2026 is still to use containers of 100ml or less inside one clear, resealable bag. Some airports now allow containers up to 2 litres, but that permission belongs to a particular security checkpoint. It does not automatically cover your connection, return flight, airline, or destination.
Check every airport where you may pass through security. If one airport is unclear, pack to the 100ml rule for the whole route. That is less convenient than taking full-size toiletries through Heathrow, but it is much cheaper than losing them on the way home.
This guide was checked on August 4, 2026. Airport approvals are changing quickly, so use the linked airport page for the final check before departure.
The rule to remember before you pack
Use this order:
- List your departure airport, every connection, and the airport for the return flight.
- Ask whether you will pass through security at each one. A self-transfer often means collecting bags and starting again.
- Open the official security page for every checkpoint.
- If every checkpoint clearly permits larger containers, follow the smallest stated limit.
- If any checkpoint still uses 100ml, or you cannot confirm its rule, use 100ml containers throughout the journey.
The scanner in front of you matters more than the airline logo on the boarding pass. An airline can set cabin-bag size, weight, and dangerous-goods restrictions, but airport security controls what passes through its checkpoint. Security staff can also refuse an item that is normally permitted when they cannot screen it safely.
Airport liquid limits checked for 2026
This is a selected route-planning table, not a complete world directory. Each row links to the airport or regulator that owns the rule.
| Airport or system | Current cabin-liquid rule | What stays in the bag | The detail most likely to catch you out |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow | Containers up to 2 litres in Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5 | Liquids and large electronics | Metal and insulated bottles must be empty. Heathrow also warns that return airports may still use 100ml. |
| London Gatwick | Individual containers under 2 litres | Liquids and toiletries | Metal and double-walled containers must be empty. Open drinks that cannot be resealed are not accepted. |
| Edinburgh | Individual containers up to 2 litres, with multiple containers allowed | Liquids and large electronics | Metallic and double-walled containers must be empty. Check the return airport separately. |
| Birmingham | Containers no larger than 2 litres, with no published limit on the number | Liquids and electronics | Insulated bottles must be empty. Birmingham tells passengers not to put liquids in plastic bags. |
| Manchester | Each container must be under 100ml | Liquids under 100ml | The capacity must be printed on refillable containers. Handwritten labels and stickers are not accepted. |
| London Stansted | Each container must be under 100ml | Liquids under 100ml | A part-full container larger than 100ml is still too large. Printed capacity is required on refillable bottles. |
| London Luton | Each container must be under 100ml or 100g | Liquids under the limit | A plastic bag is no longer required for screening, but the 100ml container limit remains. |
| Dublin | Containers up to 2 litres, with no published limit on the number | Liquids and electronics | The 2-litre rule also applies if you are screened during a connection or self-transfer at Dublin. Your return airport can differ. |
| Zurich | Local departures: up to 2 litres. Transfer screening: 100ml in a 1-litre bag | Depends on the checkpoint | Starting a trip in Zurich and transferring there are treated differently. Double-walled containers must be empty for local departure. |
| Frankfurt | Terminal 3: up to 2 litres. Other checkpoints can still require 100ml | Terminal 3 allows liquids and electronics to remain packed | Frankfurt recommends the general 100ml rule when you cannot know which checkpoint you will use. Transfer and some gate checks can be stricter. |
| Munich | CT lane: up to 2 litres. Conventional lane: 100ml in a 1-litre bag | CT lanes keep liquids and electronics packed | Not every checkpoint has CT equipment, and passengers may be directed to a conventional lane. Pack to 100ml unless your full route is certain. |
| Amsterdam Schiphol | Containers up to 100ml in one transparent 1-litre bag | Follow staff instructions | Refillable containers need a clear capacity marking. Empty drink bottles can pass and be refilled after security. |
| Spanish airports operated by Aena | Containers no larger than 100ml in one transparent 1-litre bag | The liquids bag goes separately in the tray | The rule covers major airports including Madrid, Barcelona and Malaga. One bag is allowed per passenger, including children. |
| United States TSA checkpoints | 3.4oz or 100ml per container in one quart-size bag | TSA PreCheck instructions can differ for removal, not container size | Medically necessary liquids and baby supplies have separate screening exceptions. A possible future change is not a current rule. |
| Canadian CATSA checkpoints | Containers up to 100ml in one clear, closed, resealable 1-litre bag | Follow checkpoint instructions | Canada's official checklist was modified on April 20, 2026 and still states the 100ml limit. |
New CT scanners do not always mean a 2-litre allowance. Manchester, Stansted and Luton let passengers keep small liquids inside the bag, but their published container limit is still 100ml. Munich has both kinds of lane. Zurich uses a different rule for transfer passengers. The only reliable shortcut is to check the exact checkpoint.
What counts as a liquid at airport security
The category is wider than drinks. The UK government list and European Commission guidance include:
- Water, soft drinks, soup, syrup, honey and jam
- Creams, lotions, oils, sunscreen and liquid makeup
- Mascara, lip gloss and contact-lens solution
- Toothpaste and other pastes
- Hair gel, shower gel and similar gels
- Shaving foam, deodorant spray, hairspray and other aerosols
- Foods that mix liquid and solid ingredients
Container capacity is the deciding measurement at a 100ml checkpoint. A 500ml bottle with one mouthful left is still a 500ml container. Security staff do not calculate what remains inside.
Rules for unusual items can differ. The UK does not permit frozen liquids in hand luggage, while the US TSA can allow a frozen item when it is completely solid at screening. Search the airport or regulator's permitted-items tool instead of applying a rule from another country.
How transfers and return flights change the answer
A 2-litre outbound allowance is useful only until the next security check. There are three common ways a second check appears:
- Your connecting route requires passengers to clear security again.
- You booked separate tickets and must self-transfer.
- The airport or destination uses an extra gate-side check for a particular flight.
Zurich shows why the itinerary matters. A passenger beginning the journey there can use containers up to 2 litres, while a transfer passenger who is screened there remains subject to the 100ml and 1-litre-bag rule. Frankfurt also keeps 100ml at transfer checkpoints and selected gates even though Terminal 3 has a larger allowance.
Do not assume that staying airside guarantees there will be no second check. Review the airport's connection instructions and the flight's destination requirements. If you cannot confirm the path, use 100ml containers.
What about a self-transfer?
A self-transfer commonly requires you to enter the arrival country, collect checked luggage, move to another terminal or airport, check in again, and pass through security. Treat the connection airport as a new departure. The liquid allowance at your first airport does not carry over.
Can duty-free liquids survive a connection?
They can, but the seal matters. UK and EU guidance allows duty-free liquids in a security tamper-evident bag when the item and visible receipt remain sealed. Do not open the bag before the final security check. Tell the retailer about the connection before paying.
That is not an unconditional guarantee. A different country, transfer point, or gate-side screening process can apply its own rule. When a high-value bottle matters, check the transfer airport and destination before buying it.
Medicines, baby milk and special diets
Do not squeeze essential liquids into a generic toiletries rule without checking the exemption.
At UK airports, the government says containers up to 2 litres can pass when they are for essential medical purposes, a special dietary requirement, baby food, or baby milk. Proof may be required for medicine. The EU baseline also exempts medicine, special dietary liquids and baby food needed during the trip, subject to screening.
The TSA permits medically necessary liquids, medications and creams above 3.4oz or 100ml in reasonable quantities. Formula, breast milk, toddler drinks and baby food can also exceed the normal limit, but travelers should declare them for separate screening. Rules on cooling packs and frozen items need their own check.
Keep prescriptions, medical letters and original labels where the official guidance asks for them. Allow extra screening time and tell the officer before the bag enters the scanner. Pack only what is reasonably needed in the cabin, then use checked baggage for nonessential quantities when the product can travel safely there.
A low-risk packing plan for a mixed-airport trip
For a route with both 2-litre and 100ml airports:
- Put ordinary toiletries in containers no larger than 100ml.
- Keep the printed capacity visible on refillable containers.
- Carry one clear, resealable 1-litre bag even if the first airport does not need it.
- Pack full-size products in checked baggage only when the product itself is allowed there.
- Take an empty reusable bottle and refill it after security where permitted.
- Keep medicine and baby supplies separate and easy to declare.
- Save the official airport pages and connection instructions offline.
- Check again shortly before the outbound and return flights.
Do not decant an unknown substance into an unmarked bottle. Manchester and Stansted explicitly reject handwritten measurements or stickers on refillable travel containers. A properly marked travel set avoids an argument that neither side can settle at the conveyor belt.
Common questions about airport liquids
Which airports have removed the 100ml liquid rule?
Heathrow, Gatwick, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Dublin currently publish a limit of up to 2 litres per container. Zurich allows that amount for local departures, and Frankfurt Terminal 3 does too. This is not a complete list, and several airports use mixed rules by terminal, lane, or transfer status. Check the table and official airport link rather than relying on the phrase "CT scanner."
Does the 2-litre rule apply in every terminal?
Only when the airport says it does. Heathrow confirms all four passenger terminals. Frankfurt distinguishes Terminal 3 from checkpoints that still use 100ml. Zurich distinguishes local departures from transfer screening. The airport's terminal-level wording is the useful answer.
Can full-size liquids be confiscated on the return flight?
Yes. A full-size bottle accepted at Heathrow can be refused by a 100ml return airport. The outbound rule gives no exemption on the way back. Pack to the strictest airport or leave room to place the item in checked baggage when that is permitted.
Do airport liquid rules come from the airline or airport?
The airport security checkpoint applies the cabin-liquid rule. The airline still controls cabin-bag dimensions, weight and dangerous goods, and some destinations trigger extra screening. Check both when carrying anything unusual, but start with the airport security page.
Can liquids stay inside the bag at a 100ml airport?
Sometimes. Manchester, Stansted and Luton currently let compliant small containers stay inside the cabin bag even though the 100ml limit remains. Schiphol and Aena still publish a transparent-bag process. Follow the preparation signs at the actual lane.
Must metal and insulated bottles be empty at a 2-litre airport?
Often, yes. Heathrow, Gatwick, Edinburgh and Birmingham all publish an empty-container rule for metal, insulated or double-walled bottles. A 2-litre liquids policy does not make every kind of container screenable.
Is a half-full 500ml bottle allowed under the 100ml rule?
No. The maximum capacity printed on the container must be 100ml or less. The amount remaining inside does not change the container size.
Are toothpaste, sunscreen, mascara and peanut butter liquids?
Treat toothpaste, sunscreen and mascara as liquids for security. Schiphol also lists peanut butter, mayonnaise and mustard as pastes. The practical test is consistency, not whether the product is sold beside drinks.
Can medicine or baby milk exceed 100ml?
Usually under a specific exemption, but screening and documentation requirements vary. Declare the item, carry supporting proof when advised, and read the regulator's current medical or family guidance before travel.
Can I take a duty-free bottle through another security check?
It may pass when it remains sealed in an approved tamper-evident bag with the receipt visible. Do not open it during the connection. Confirm the transfer airport and destination rules before buying because a sealed bag does not override every local or gate-side restriction.
Keep the trip details available offline
Airport rules are only one part of the carry-on check. The power bank flight guide covers the separate battery limits that changed in 2026. The Europe travel checklist adds documents, medicines, adapters and offline backups, while the EU Entry/Exit System guide covers border checks for eligible routes.
Download the airline app, boarding passes, connection map and official security pages before leaving reliable Wi-Fi. A Roaming eSIM can provide travel data for live terminal changes, rebooking and directions where the selected plan has coverage. It cannot change a security rule, and it should not be the only place you keep a boarding pass or medical document. Use the travel data calculator if you need to estimate data for a multi-country route.
Source check and scope
The airport rows were checked against current airport pages, GOV.UK, the European Commission, the US Transportation Security Administration and the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority on August 4, 2026. The page uses a conservative recommendation whenever terminals or screening lanes can differ.
This guide does not replace a security officer's decision or cover every prohibited item. Aerosols, alcohol, sharp objects, batteries, dangerous goods and checked-baggage quantities have additional rules. Open the official airport and airline pages for the exact product before you pack it.
