ESTAESTA GuideTravel authorisation for the USA

ESTA INFORMATION

TSA Liquids Rule: What Can Go in Your Hand Luggage?

The short version: liquids only in containers of up to 100 ml (3.4 oz), together in one quart-sized bag (about 1 litre).Anything larger goes in checked baggage. There are exceptions for medicines and baby food. These rules apply at security screening run by the US agency TSA — for example before domestic flights or when you connect.

The 3-1-1 rule: 100 ml per container, one bag

  • You may carry one quart-sized bag (about 1 litre) of liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes
  • Each container may hold no more than 3.4 ounces (100 ml)
  • Containers over 100 ml go in your checked baggage
Tip: what counts is the size of the container, not how much is left in it. A half-empty 200 ml tube therefore belongs in your checked baggage.

Exceptions: medicines and baby food

  • Medically necessary liquids are allowed in reasonable quantities for your trip, even over 100 ml — but you must declare them to the TSA officer at the checkpoint
  • Infant formula, breast milk, toddler drinks and baby food are allowed over 100 ml and do not need to go in the bag; declare them at the start of screening

For more on entering with medicines (prescription, original packaging, customs declaration), see Taking medicines to the USA; for travelling with children, see Travelling to the USA with children.

Duty-free purchases when connecting in the USA

If, for example, you fly from Sydney, Auckland, Dublin or Singapore to the USA and change planes there, you have to go through TSA screening again before your connecting flight. Duty-free liquids over 100 ml may stay in your hand luggage if all of the following conditions are met:

  • Bought abroad, and you are travelling to the USA with a connecting flight
  • Packed by the retailer in a transparent, sealed, tamper-evident bag that is intact
  • You have the original receipt, and the purchase was made within 48 hours
TSA recommendation:pack all liquids over 100 ml in your checked baggage — even if they are in a sealed bag.

ID on US domestic flights: your passport is enough

A foreign passportis on the list of identification the TSA accepts from adults aged 18 and over. As a visitor, you therefore do not need a US REAL ID — just carry your passport on domestic flights too.

Related information

USA travel guide

All practical topics at a glance

Transit through the USA

Connecting flights with ESTA

Taking medicines

Prescription, original packaging, declaration

Sources and currency of information

Last reviewed: 12 October 2026. This website is an independent information service and is not an official website of the US Government.