Restricted baggage items
For your safety, and in compliance with international regulations, we place some restrictions on the items you can carry in your hand or cabin baggage.
To prevent delays to you and other passengers, we ask that items that may cause injury or do not comply with security or safety guidelines for carriage in your cabin baggage, be placed in your checked-in baggage. These items should be appropriately packed for carriage as checked baggage, in accordance with the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Dangerous Goods regulations and relevant local regulations.
Dangerous goods
Dangerous Goods are classified as items or substances that could pose health or safety hazards to customers. The transport of these goods is regulated by international civil aviation regulations, and they are generally not allowed in either cabin baggage or checked baggage, with some exceptions.
See the table below to determine what items are classified as Dangerous Goods, what is permitted in baggage and what you need to declare at the airport.
Not permitted in hand baggage
| Category | Example items |
|---|---|
| Guns, firearms and other devices that discharge projectiles, including toys, antiques and replicas. | Pistols, components of firearms, compressed air and CO2 guns, pellet guns, signal flares. |
| Stunning devices. | Stun guns, pepper spray, mace, animal repellents. |
| Objects with sharp points or edges. | Knives, axes, ice picks, razor blades, scissors, martial art equipment. |
| Workers Tools | Crowbars, drills, screw-drivers, saws, nail guns, blowtorches. |
| Blunt Instruments | Baseball bats, clubs, batons, hockey sticks. |
| Explosives and incendiary devices (including replicas) | Fireworks, ammunition, fuel. |
*See 'Permitted with conditions' for more information on carrying medical equipment and toiletries, sporting ammuniation, and safety ammunition.
Not permitted in checked baggage
| Category | Example items |
|---|---|
| Corrosives | Mercury, acids, alkalies and wet cell batteries. Infectious substances such as bacteria, viruses. Poisons such as insecticides, weed killers, arsenic and cyanides. Radioactive Material. |
| Oxidising Materials & Organic Peroxides | Bleaches and fiber glass repair kits. |
| Compressed Gases* (deeply refrigerated, flammable, non flammable and poisonous) | Butane, oxygen*, propane and aqualung cylinders. |
| Flammable Liquids and Solids | Lighter or heavier fuels, paint and all matches*. |
| Explosives | Fireworks, flares, ammunition*, Christmas crackers and firearms. |
- Medical and toilet articles in small quantities may be carried.
- Sporting ammunition - up to 5kg may be carried in checked baggage if they are properly boxed. Contact your local Qatar Airways office for prior approval.
- Safety matches may be carried on the person.
Lithium batteries
Whether a lithium battery can be carried by air or not depends on its configuration and either watt-hour (Wh) rating (for rechargeable) or lithium content (LC) (for non-rechargeable).
Use the following table to determine if your battery is acceptable:
| Watt-Hour rating (Wh) or (Li content) | Configuration | Hand baggage |
Checked baggage | Operator Approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
≤ 100 Wh (2G) |
In equipment | Yes | Yes | No |
| ≤ 100 Wh (2G) | Spares | Yes (no limit) | No | No |
| > 100 to ≤ 160 Wh | In equipment | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| > 100 to ≤ 160 Wh | Spares | Yes (Max 2) | No | No |
| > 160 Wh | Must be presented and carried as Cargo in accordance with the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. | Must be presented and carried as Cargo in accordance with the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. | Must be presented and carried as Cargo in accordance with the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. | Must be presented and carried as Cargo in accordance with the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. |
- To convert amp-hours (Ah) to watt-hours (Wh), multiply (Ah) by voltage.
- Spare batteries may not be placed in checked baggage.The terminals of all spare batteries should be protected from short circuit by enclosing them in their original retail packaging; taping over the terminals; or using separate plastic bags for each battery.
- Batteries contained in equipment such as laptop computers, cameras or mobile phones, must be switched off and measures taken to ensure that they cannot be accidentally activated when placed in checked baggage.
Special baggage items
- Chemicals: Household cleaners, mercury, paint, and any other type of chemicals
- Gas: Aerosol cans, gas cylinders
- Heavy work: Including electrical tools and equipment used for drilling, expeditions and mining as well as autombile parts
- Medical: Dental apparatus, diagnostic specimens, frozen embryos
- Special interest (sport, hobbies): Ammunition, musical instruments, and equipment used for camping, photography, and diving
- Other : Frozen food, household goods
Does your trip include a British Airways flight?
Find out more