EU Liquid Regulations

If you are travelling by air it is important to familiarise yourself with EU regulations and how they affect travel.

The following information sets out what these regulations mean whether you are travelling for business or leisure purposes, what you need to bear in mind if you have children travelling with you or if you have special dietary or medical requirements.  In addition we have anticipated some questions that might arise from the introduction of the new regulations and have supplied clear answers to those questions.

Only containers of 100mls or less of liquids, gels, pastes, lotions and cosmetics may be brought through the passenger security screening points at all EU airports.  In addition, these items MUST be presented at the passenger security screening point in a transparent re-sealable bag of no more than one litre capacity 20cm x 20cm one bag per person.

 

The new rules apply to liquids such as water and other beverages, aerosol cans and toiletries such as toothpaste, shaving cream, hair gel, lip gloss and creams.

There are two exceptions to the rules:

  • Baby food needed during the flight.
  • Medicines needed during the flight.

So, the following rules apply in hand luggage:

  1. You can only take liquids, gels, pastes, lotions and cosmetics in containers of no more than 100 millilitres in size through the passenger security point at all EU airports.
  2. These containers must be carried in a tranparent, re-sealable plastic bag and presented separately to the security screening officers.
  3. There is a limit of one transparent plastic bag per person.
  4. The volume of the transparent plastic bag may not be greater than one litre, 20cm x 20cm.
  5. The transparent plastic bag must be re-sealable.

When passing through the passenger security point, you must place the transparent re-sealable bag containing  liquids, and other substances covered by the regulations, separately, in the tray for X-ray screening.

Coats, jackets and large electrical appliances such as laptops must also be placed in the tray provided for security screening.

We strongly recommend that if you must carry some liquids or other substances covered by the regulations in your hand luggage, you pack them in the required transparent re-sealable bag....BEFORE YOU SET OUT ON YOUR JOURNEY.  These bags are available at most local supermarkets.