Frankfurt Airport Liquid Rules

The short answer: at most Frankfurt Airport security checkpoints you may now carry up to 2 litres of liquids in your hand baggage, and they can stay inside the bag. The familiar 100 ml limit has not disappeared everywhere — it still applies at a handful of checkpoints, including the transfer checkpoints, which is the part that catches connecting passengers out.

Can you take more than 100 ml of liquid through security at Frankfurt Airport?

Yes — at every checkpoint fitted with a CT scanner. Fraport, the airport operator, states that passengers departing through these lanes may carry up to 2 litres of liquids in hand baggage, that no transparent plastic bag is required, and that the liquids may stay inside the bag during screening. CT scanners produce a 3D image of the bag's contents, so the operator no longer needs to see each container separately.

Which checkpoints at FRA have the new scanners?

According to the operator, all checkpoints in Terminal 3 and most checkpoints in Terminal 1 use CT technology. The exceptions, where the older rules stand, are:

• the checkpoints at gates C1, C2, C4 and C6 in Terminal 1
• certain special-purpose checkpoints in Terminal 1
• the transfer checkpoints used by connecting passengers

Do the liquids have to come out of your hand baggage?

At a CT lane, no. At the remaining conventional lanes the old routine applies: containers of no more than 100 ml each, packed together in a single transparent, resealable bag with a total capacity of up to 1 litre, presented separately in the tray.

What about laptops, tablets and cameras?

At the CT checkpoints electronic devices can also stay inside your hand luggage. At the conventional lanes, take them out and place them in a tray on their own. Coats, belts and anything in your pockets come off in both cases.

Does the 2-litre rule apply if you are connecting at Frankfurt?

This is the one to remember. Frankfurt is a hub, and passengers arriving from outside the Schengen area are re-screened at a transfer checkpoint before boarding their onward flight. Those checkpoints are on the operator's list of lanes that still use the 100 ml limit. So a bottle of water bought at your departure airport, or a duty-free purchase made without a sealed bag, can still be taken off you at FRA even though a passenger starting their journey in Terminal 3 could carry two litres through. If you have a connection here, pack as if the 100 ml rule applies.

Can you carry duty-free liquids bought at another airport?

Yes, if they are packed the way the rules require: inside a transparent bag sealed by the shop at the point of sale (an ICAO-compliant STEB) with the receipt visible inside. Do not open the bag before you reach Frankfurt — once the seal is broken the exemption is gone, and at a transfer checkpoint the contents go back under the 100 ml limit.

What counts as a liquid?

More than most people expect. Alongside drinks and cosmetics, security treats gels, pastes, creams, aerosols and anything of a similar consistency as liquids — toothpaste, yoghurt, soft cheese, honey, jam, lip balm, hair gel, sun cream and mascara all count.

What about medicines and baby food?

EU security rules make an allowance for medicines and baby food needed during the journey, above the standard limit. Carry them where you can reach them, tell the officer before your bag goes into the machine, and expect them to be screened separately. Bring a prescription or a doctor's note for anything unusual — it costs nothing and it settles the question quickly.

Can you take an empty water bottle through?

An empty bottle passes any checkpoint, CT or not — it is the contents that are regulated, not the container. Empty it before you join the queue and fill it once you are through, which also avoids paying airside prices for water.

Which rule will apply to your flight?

Work it out before you pack:

• Starting your journey in Terminal 3 — 2 litres, bag stays closed.
• Starting in Terminal 1 and not sent to a C-gate checkpoint — 2 litres in practice, but pack so that the 100 ml rule would not hurt.
• Connecting through Frankfurt from outside the Schengen area — assume 100 ml.
• Not sure which terminal you leave from? Our Frankfurt Airport terminals guide maps airlines to terminals and gates.

Rules at individual checkpoints can change at short notice, and the officer at the lane has the final say. Check the operator's own security page shortly before you travel — it is linked in the sources under this article. Once you are through, our lounge guide and layover guide cover what to do with the time you saved.