U.S. airports

TSA checkpoint, 2026

Rules change. This is the current traveler picture, not a substitute for the officer in front of you. Confirm at tsa.gov/travel the morning you fly.

Shoes stay on

In July 2025 the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security ended the routine shoes-off rule at TSA checkpoints. You keep your shoes on unless an officer pulls you for extra screening. TSA PreCheck already worked that way; the change is the standard lane. If the scanner alarms, follow the officer — the old bin is not gone, it is no longer the default.

Liquids: 3-1-1 is still the law

Carry-on liquids, gels, aerosols, creams, and pastes: containers of 3.4 ounces (100 ml) or less, all of them in one quart-size clear bag, one bag per passenger. That did not go away with the shoes. Some CT-scanner lanes let you leave the bag in the carry-on; others still want it out. Signage and the officer win. Medications, infant formula, and breast milk can exceed 3.4 oz — declare them.

ID

REAL ID–compliant licenses have been required at TSA checkpoints since May 2025. A U.S. passport still works. Showing up with neither can mean extra identity checks and delay. See territory entry if you are flying to Puerto Rico or the USVI — that is still domestic screening for U.S. citizens.

Laptops and belts

PreCheck: laptops, belts, and light jackets usually stay put. Standard lanes vary by airport and by whether the lane has a CT bag scanner. If the sign says take it out, take it out.

What did not change

• No jokes, no unattended bags, no firearms in carry-on.
• Random extra screening still happens. Shoes-on is not immunity.
• TSA PreCheck is still the faster line if you fly enough to bother.

Source of truth: TSA security screening and What can I bring?