Carrying liquids on international flights

ANAC’s Resolution No. 515, of May 8, 2019, establishes restrictions on the transport of liquids in hand luggage on international flights or on those that are boarded in an international boarding area. See below the rules applicable to liquids:

• all liquids, including gels, pastes, creams, aerosols and similar, must be carried in bottles with a capacity of up to 100 ml each;
• liquids in bottles with a volume of more than 100 ml may not be transported, even if the bottle is partially full;
• all bottles must be placed in a transparent plastic container (which can be closed and has a maximum capacity of 1 liter) and must be arranged loosely inside the closed container. 

The plastic container must be presented for visual inspection at the passenger boarding inspection point, and only one plastic container per passenger is allowed.

Remember that these restrictions also apply to passengers who, despite taking a domestic flight, board an airline intended for international boarding. In the event of a connection in other countries, the airline must inform the passenger whether the package can be retained.

Attention! Any items considered totally prohibited or dangerous, such as flammable, toxic or contaminated items, are prohibited.

There are some exceptions to the volume restriction mentioned above. These are:

• Liquid medicinal items: as long as they have the appropriate medical prescription, physical or digital, they can be carried in the quantity required for use during the total flight period (including any stopovers) and must be presented at the time of the security inspection;

According to SIA Ordinance No. 1155, of May 18, 2015, the passenger may request in advance from the Civil Aviation Protection Agent (APAC), responsible for controlling the flow of passengers, that the inspection of medicines be carried out using a different procedure, without the use of X-ray equipment and metal detectors. In this case, the passenger must hand over the medicines to APAC separately from the other items in their hand luggage.

To prevent the medicines from being contaminated, the passenger may be asked to present, handle and repackage the medicines themselves during the inspection.

• Baby food (in liquid or paste form) and liquids for special diets can be carried in the amount necessary for use during the entire flight (including any stopovers) and must be presented at the time of the security check;
• Liquids purchased in free shops or on board aircraft may exceed the 100 ml limit mentioned above, provided that they are placed in standardized sealed plastic containers and with the purchase receipt displayed, from the date of the start of the flight, for boarding or connecting passengers. 

Specific rules on the transportation of alcoholic beverages

Alcoholic beverages may be subject to additional restrictions on domestic and international flights due to the possibility that they are flammable.

The Brazilian Civil Aviation Regulation (RBAC) No. 175 prohibits, in any case and in any quantity, the transportation of drinks with an alcohol content of more than 70%, regardless of whether they have been purchased in free shops or are carried in hand luggage or checked baggage.

Drinks with an alcohol content of between 24% and 70% are allowed if they are stored in retail packaging. Each package must contain a maximum of 1 liter, not exceeding a total of 5 packages per passenger. This limit applies to alcoholic beverages carried in both checked and hand luggage.

It should be noted that in the case of international travel, the more restrictive rule limiting the transport of liquids in hand luggage to containers of up to 100 ml must be observed. In the case of drinks purchased in free shops or on airplanes, the 100 ml limit does not apply.

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