Do TSA Liquid Toiletries Have To Be In A Clear Plastic Bag?

Last Updated on September 26, 2022

Key Takeaways

  • The TSA regulations do not require the quart-sized bag to be clear although it is often advised to speed up the security screening process
  • The TSA regulations do not require the quart-sized bag to be plastic
  • The TSA quart-sized bag does need to be able to close, it must be resealable
  • You’ll make your own life easier if you use a clear bag to pack your carry-on toiletries

When you are bringing liquids in your carry-on hand luggage the size of the bottles or tubes you can bring is restricted to “travel-size” containers.

Travel-size for the TSA means a maximum of 3.4 ounces (100 ml).

All of these carry-on luggage liquids must be packed in a bag that has a capacity of a quarter of a gallon (946 ml) and you are only allowed one bag per traveler.

Liquids in containers larger than 3.4 oz must be packed in checked luggage unless they are medically necessary, or you bought them after the airport security checkpoint.

Many people these days are against using plastic products, especially single-use disposable plastics.

You also might be packing at the last minute for a trip and simply not have a plastic quart bag handy.

Yet it’s not always clear if you must use a clear plastic ziploc bag or whether an opaque bag made from another material would be acceptable to the TSA agents that operate airport security.

Here’s what I found out.

The Official TSA Guidelines

The official Transportation Security Administration guidelines don’t actually mention that the quart-size bag must be transparent.

They also don’t specify what material the toiletries bag must be made from.

But if you read around the topic you will see the phrase “clear plastic ziploc quart-size bag” mentioned frequently, even in other places on the TSA website.

Do Liquids Have To Be In A Clear Bag?

To clarify this issue I checked out what the TSA were saying about it on Twitter.

Brandi had already asked the question:

The TSA replied, “You may use any brand or style of bag for transporting your items in your carry-on bag as long as it’s quart-sized and resealable.”

And the so-called ”TSA Approved” bags are not endorsed by the TSA.

Shams also asked a similar question:

This time the TSA answered, “Liquids bags are not required to be clear. Our regulations don’t require or endorse any specific brand of bag for passengers to transport their liquids, gels and aerosols nor are we affiliated with travel bags deemed ‘TSA approved’.”

Do Toiletries Have To Be In A Plastic Bag?

Nick asked about using this mesh bag as a toiletries bag with the TSA:

Toiletries have to be packed in a quart-size bag but the bag does not need to be made from plastic. It could be a mesh fabric bag or made from any material.

Notice that the TSA says the ”approximate” dimensions of a quart size bag are 6” x 9”.

There are many dimensions of bags that work out to be have the capacity of a quart. Elsewhere I wrote a full post about this and created a quart-size bag calculator. If you have a different sized bag you can use that to check if it is under the size limit.

So why does the TSA video mention using a ”clear bag”? And why does almost every website talk about clear plastic bags?

Think of it like this….

The TSA advice is to use a clear plastic bag like a ziploc but the actually TSA regulations don’t require liquids bags to be clear or to be plastic.

Does this mean that you won’t irritate an individual TSA agent with your opaque cloth toiletries bag?

I wouldn’t guarantee it. Most travelers do use a clear bag and usually it’s made from plastic.

If you buck the trend you might get scolded at airport security for making their job more difficult. They might also single your toiletries out for a long period of additional screening.

So not using a clear bag might mean it takes you longer than average to get through airport security. It’s in your best interest to use a transparent bag for your liquid toiletries.

But per the letter of the regulations you are not breaking any rules, you are permitted to use an opaque toiletries bag.

Does The Quart-Size Bag Need To Close?

If you do decide your not going to use regular ziploc bag make sure that the bag you use is under the size limit and is resealable.

It’s important that your liquid bag is able to close properly.

Here’s the TSA repeating this rule for Dereck:

So TSA liquids don’t have to be in a clear bag, they don’t need to be in a plastic bag. they do need to be in a bag that is approximately one quart in capacity and that bag needs to be able to be sealed.

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