Liquids in hand luggage at UK airports

There is no single UK rule on liquids in hand luggage: it depends on your airport. Heathrow, Gatwick and Edinburgh let you carry containers of up to 2 litres, while Stansted and Luton still refuse any container over 100ml, even if it is only part full. Medicines and baby milk are the usual exceptions.

Each rule below was read on the airport's own page, or on GOV.UK, on 3 November 2026. We could not read the official liquids pages of Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow or Manchester that day, so this guide gives no rule for them. Airports change these rules one at a time, so check your departure airport's page in the week you fly.

The GOV.UK liquids page is the national baseline: at most airports you cannot take liquids in containers larger than 100ml through security, and some airports allow up to 2 litres. The sections below say what each airport's page says, what counts as a liquid, and which exceptions apply.

The GOV.UK page on liquids says that at most airports you cannot take liquids in containers larger than 100ml through security. The limit applies to the container, not to what is left in it, so a large bottle that is only part full is still refused. GOV.UK adds that some airports allow containers of up to 2 litres, which is why the rule differs from one airport to the next.

What counts as a liquid is wider than a drink. Gatwick says its rules apply to food items, cosmetics and toiletries, and anything that can be poured, spread or squeezed, and that ice and frozen liquids count too. Solid items such as bar soap and shampoo bars are not treated as liquids there. GOV.UK also says you cannot carry frozen liquids in your hand luggage.

The clear plastic bag is the other point that varies. GOV.UK says it matters only if the airport asks you to use one: the liquids then go in a single transparent, resealable bag holding no more than a litre, about 20cm by 20cm, one bag per person. It says you do not have to do this at all airports. Stansted's page asks for a clear bag only for duty free purchases, Luton asks you to keep liquids inside your bag with no separate bag, and Heathrow says you do not need to take liquids out for screening.

GOV.UK's liquids page gives no overall size limit for the bag itself, so check that with your airline.

Airports that allow 2 litres

Heathrow says you can carry liquids in containers of up to 2 litres through security at Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5, that they stay in your cabin bag and that you do not need to remove them for screening. Gatwick says liquids are allowed in containers of 2 litres or less, and that a container larger than that is refused even if it is only part full. Its page does not say whether liquids must come out of your bag, so follow the instructions at the security lane. Edinburgh says on its page, updated on 29 January 2026, that you can carry containers of up to two litres and keep them in your bag.

Airports that still use 100ml

The Stansted security page, marked as last updated in September 2026, says liquids in containers larger than 100ml cannot go through security even if the container is only part full, and that larger liquids can travel in hold luggage. The Luton liquid limits page says all liquid containers in hand luggage must be under 100ml or 100g each, creams, pastes, lotions and gels included, and asks you to keep them inside your bag.

Airports we could not read

We could not read the official liquids pages of Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow or Manchester on 3 November 2026. The Birmingham, Bristol and Glasgow pages refused our request, and we did not find a Manchester page at an address that opened. We therefore state no rule for these four. Check the airport's own page before you pack, because the airports apply the change separately and a rule quoted in a news story or a travel blog may be out of date.

Our guide to UK airports covers drop-off charges and rail links for the airports it lists.

Only if it is empty. Heathrow's page says to empty a reusable metal or insulated bottle before you reach security and to refill it afterwards. Edinburgh says metallic or double-walled containers, such as thermos flasks and metal water bottles, must be empty at the checkpoint, and that you can refill them for free after security. Gatwick says metal and double-walled containers are excluded from its 2-litre allowance, and that an empty bottle can go through and be refilled once you are past security.

So at the airports that allow 2 litres, a full flask is the one container the allowance does not cover. Empty it at home or before the checkpoint, and fill it again airside.

Yes, with conditions. GOV.UK says containers of up to 2 litres are allowed when they are for essential medical purposes, for special dietary requirements, or hold baby food or baby milk. The airports differ on the proof they ask for and on who must be travelling.

Pack medicines in your cabin bag with the prescription or letter to hand. Do not assume that an over-the-counter bottle gets the same treatment as a prescribed one: Luton's page treats it as a normal liquid, so the 100ml and 100g limit applies.

Yes, if they are sealed. The GOV.UK liquids page says airport and in-flight purchases are allowed when they were sealed in a security bag at the point of sale, with the receipt sealed inside and visible, and that you must not open the bag until you reach your final destination. Stansted's page adds that the receipt must show a purchase made within 24 hours, and Gatwick describes the bag as clear, sealed and tamper proof, with the receipt inside.

Not necessarily. GOV.UK tells you to check the rules at your departure airport and at any connecting airport, and notes that some airports allow larger containers. Heathrow's page says many airports outside Heathrow still use a 100ml limit and to check before a return flight. It also says liquids in containers over 100ml cannot be taken on flights to Australia.

This guide covers UK airports only. We have not read the rules of any airport abroad, so a 2-litre bottle that passed security here tells you nothing about the airport you leave from on the way back. Look for that airport's own security page, or the page of the country's security authority, before you travel.

Start with your airport's page, then your airline's. The baggage rules guide and the travel tips for UK travellers cover the rest of the trip.

• Your airport's page
  Read it in the week you fly: the rules change airport by airport.
• Flasks and reusable bottles
  Empty them before the checkpoint and refill airside.
• Medicines
  In your cabin bag, with the prescription or doctor's letter.
• Baby milk and food
  Where the airport asks for the baby to be with you, they must be.
• Duty free
  Keep the bag sealed, with the receipt inside and visible.
• The return leg
  Check the airport you leave from abroad, not this one.

• Is the 100ml liquids rule still in force at UK airports?

  It depends on the airport. GOV.UK says that at most airports containers over 100ml are not allowed through security and that some allow up to 2 litres. On 3 November 2026 the pages we read said 2 litres at Heathrow, Gatwick and Edinburgh, and 100ml at Stansted and Luton.

• Do I still need a clear plastic bag for my liquids?

  Only if the airport asks. GOV.UK says you do not have to use one at all airports. Heathrow says you do not need to take liquids out for screening, and Luton says a separate plastic bag is no longer required. Where a bag is asked for, it holds no more than a litre and measures about 20cm by 20cm, one per person.

• Can I take a 500ml bottle of water through security?

  Not full at Stansted or Luton, whose pages refuse containers over 100ml. At Heathrow, Gatwick and Edinburgh a container of up to 2 litres is allowed. Gatwick says an empty bottle can go through and be refilled after security.

• Can I take a vacuum flask through security?

  Only empty. Heathrow and Edinburgh say metal or insulated bottles and thermos flasks must be empty at security, and Gatwick excludes metal and double-walled containers from its 2-litre allowance. You can refill the flask after security.

• Can I take medicine over 100ml in hand luggage?

  Yes, if it is for essential medical purposes. GOV.UK allows containers of up to 2 litres. Stansted asks for a medical note or prescription, Luton for proof such as a prescription or GP confirmation, and Heathrow asks for a prescription or doctor’s letter if you need more than 2 litres. Luton treats over-the-counter liquid medicine as a normal liquid.

• Can I take baby milk and baby food through security?

  Yes. GOV.UK allows containers of up to 2 litres. Stansted allows them when you travel with a baby under 36 months who is with you, Luton only when an infant is in your party, and Edinburgh asks for baby milk in a container of no more than 2 litres.

• Can I take duty free liquids on board?

  Yes, if they were sealed in a security bag at the point of sale with the receipt inside and visible. GOV.UK says not to open the bag until you reach your final destination. Stansted adds that the receipt must show a purchase made within 24 hours.

• Do the same rules apply on my flight home from abroad?

  Not necessarily. GOV.UK tells you to check the departure airport and any connecting airport, and Heathrow says many airports outside Heathrow still use a 100ml limit. We have not read the rules of any airport abroad, so check that airport’s own page.