At La Aurora International Airport, liquids in hand luggage must be in individual containers of 100 millilitres, preferably packed in a clear resealable plastic bag. DGAC also bans lighters, nail files, scissors and manicure tweezers from the cabin bag.
In short:
- Liquids: individual containers of 100 ml, preferably in a clear plastic bag that opens and closes (DGAC, March 2025).
- Banned in hand luggage: knives, scissors, nail files, knitting needles, manicure tweezers, fireworks, fuels, lighters and aerosols (DGAC).
- Shoes stay on since 1 August 2026, except for random selection, a scanner alert or bulky footwear (DGAC via AGN).
- Different from the US: TSA allows nail clippers and scissors with blades under 4 inches from the pivot, and the FAA allows one ordinary lighter. DGAC bans scissors, nail files, nippers and lighters.
- Your airline’s own rules apply on top of DGAC’s, says the agency.
The rules below are the ones Guatemala’s Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC) publishes for the screening checkpoint at La Aurora (GUA). The rules here come from DGAC statements relayed by AGN, the government news agency, and from DGAC’s own posts on X as @DGAC_CIV. Where a US rule is given for contrast, it comes from TSA or the FAA.
What DGAC allows and bans in hand luggage
DGAC’s Maleta de Mano Check campaign, reported by AGN on 30 March 2025, sorts items into permitted and prohibited lists. AGN describes the campaign images as illustrative and says DGAC posts new ones on its official social accounts from time to time.
| Item | La Aurora (DGAC) | US departure (TSA / FAA) |
|---|---|---|
| Liquids, creams, drinks, shampoo, perfume | Allowed in individual containers of 100 ml, preferably in a clear bag that opens and closes | Allowed in containers of 3.4 oz (100 ml) or less, in a quart-sized bag |
| Aerosols | Listed among prohibited flammable substances | Allowed in the same quart-sized bag as liquids |
| Lighters | Prohibited | One butane or absorbed-liquid lighter per passenger, in carry-on or on the person (FAA); torch lighters banned |
| Scissors | Prohibited | Allowed if blades are under 4 inches from the pivot point |
| Nail files, nail nippers | Prohibited (limas, nippers) | Nail clippers allowed |
| Manicure tweezers, knitting needles | Prohibited | Not compared on this page |
| Knives, blades (navajas, cuchillos) | Prohibited | Not compared on this page |
| Fireworks, fuels | Prohibited | Not compared on this page |
| Cameras, phones, laptops, hair straighteners, hair dryers | Allowed | Not compared on this page |
DGAC’s text adds a line that matters at the gate: “También es importante tomar en cuenta las condiciones y objetos permitidos por cada aerolínea”. In other words, each airline’s own conditions also apply. For power banks and spare lithium batteries, which are airline and dangerous-goods questions rather than screening ones, see the power banks and lithium batteries guide.
The lighter is the item that catches people out
The FAA states that “Absorbed liquid and butane lighters are limited to one lighter per passenger in carry-on or on one’s person”. A passenger who flew in from the US with a lighter in a pocket therefore broke no rule. DGAC’s prohibited list for flights out of La Aurora puts encendedores next to fireworks and fuels, with no one-lighter allowance. The same goes for an aerosol can in the toiletry bag: TSA’s quart bag covers aerosols, but DGAC lists aerosoles as a prohibited flammable.
Grooming kits
DGAC’s list of sharp or cutting objects names tijeras (scissors), limas (nail files) and pinzas para manicura (manicure tweezers). Its 26 March 2025 post on X said to leave limas and nippers out of hand luggage. TSA lists nail clippers as allowed in carry-on, and allows scissors on one condition: “they must be less than 4 inches from the pivot point”. A manicure set that passed a US checkpoint can be confiscated at La Aurora. Put it in the checked bag.
Shoes stay on, since 1 August 2026
AGN reported on 29 July 2026 that, from 1 August, passengers at La Aurora would no longer have to take their shoes off at security. DGAC said only a share of passengers would still remove footwear, in three cases:
- when the passenger is selected at random under the security protocols;
- when the detection equipment raises an alert;
- when the footwear is bulky enough to prevent a proper check.
The authorities estimated the change saves up to one minute 30 seconds per traveller. They recommended comfortable, light footwear. Staff of ANSAC, the national civil aviation security administration, presented the new procedure to the National Civil Aviation Facilitation Commission, and AGN reported this on 1 August 2026.
The scanners at the departures checkpoint
AGN reported on 8 January 2026 that four new hand-luggage scanners (model 6040, made by VMI) were working on the airport’s second level. A fifth unit for hold baggage was in the basement. The software identifies objects by colour and shape. When it detects a prohibited item, it circles it on the operator’s screen and sends an alert. A second security officer then searches the bag by hand to confiscate the item. The airport’s spokesperson, Pablo Castillo, said these scanners cover departing passengers only, not arrivals, and that more would be bought.
That sequence is the practical reason to clear the banned items out before the queue. A lighter or nail file flagged on screen means a second officer searches the bag by hand.
Duty-free liquids on a connection through the US
The rules change if you connect in the US. TSA allows duty-free liquids over 100 ml in a carry-on on inbound international flights with a US connection only when all of these apply:
- the liquids were bought internationally and you are travelling to the US with a connecting flight;
- the retailer packed them in a transparent, secure, tamper-evident bag that shows no sign of tampering;
- you have the original receipt, and the purchase was made within 48 hours.
Items that alarm or cannot be screened are not allowed in the carry-on. TSA states that liquids over 100 ml not in such a bag “must be packed in checked baggage”, and it recommends checking in duty-free liquids anyway. For what US Customs lets you bring home from Guatemala, see what you can take back to the USA.
What DGAC’s published list does not cover
The DGAC campaign text relayed by AGN does not mention exemptions for prescription medicine, baby milk or baby food. It also does not say whether laptops or the liquids bag must come out of the carry-on, and it gives no total size for the liquids bag. On the US side, TSA lists medications and infant and child nourishments as exemptions from its liquids limit. DGAC does not publish an equivalent exemption in the campaign. Ask your airline before you fly, and carry the prescription. The prescription medication guide covers entry rules for medicines.
Pepper spray, tasers and knives raise questions under Guatemalan law beyond the screening checkpoint, covered in pepper spray, tasers and knives in Guatemala. For terminals, check-in and parking, see the La Aurora airport guide. For closures and how to check if flights are running, see is Guatemala City airport open today.
Sources
- AGN, La DGAC lanza campaña sobre objetos no permitidos en el equipaje de mano, 30 March 2025 — https://agn.gt/la-dgac-lanza-campana-sobre-objetos-no-permitidos-en-el-equipaje-de-mano/ (retrieved 9 November 2026). Includes DGAC post @DGAC_CIV of 26 March 2025.
- AGN, Viajeros ya no deberán quitarse los zapatos en revisión de seguridad del AILA, 29 July 2026 — https://agn.gt/viajeros-ya-no-deberan-quitarse-los-zapatos-en-revision-de-seguridad-del-aila/ (retrieved 9 November 2026).
- AGN, Presentan nuevo procedimiento de inspección para pasajeros en el Aeropuerto Internacional La Aurora, 1 August 2026 — https://agn.gt/presentan-nuevo-procedimiento-de-inspeccion-para-pasajeros-en-el-aeropuerto-internacional-la-aurora/ (retrieved 9 November 2026).
- AGN, Así funcionan los nuevos escáneres de seguridad con inteligencia artificial instalados en el aeropuerto La Aurora, 8 January 2026 — https://agn.gt/asi-funcionan-los-nuevos-escaneres-de-seguridad-con-inteligencia-artificial-instalados-en-el-aeropuerto-la-aurora/ (retrieved 9 November 2026).
- TSA, Liquids, Aerosols, and Gels Rule — https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/liquids-aerosols-gels-rule (retrieved 9 November 2026).
- TSA, What Can I Bring: Nail Clippers — https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/nail-clippers ; Scissors — https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/scissors (retrieved 9 November 2026).
- FAA, PackSafe: Lighters, last updated 13 April 2026 — https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/packsafe/lighters (retrieved 9 November 2026).
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the liquid rules at Guatemala City airport?
DGAC, Guatemala’s civil aviation authority, allows liquids and foods in individual containers of 100 millilitres in hand luggage, including shampoo, perfume, creams and drinks. It says they should preferably be packed in a clear plastic bag that opens and closes. The rule was published in DGAC’s Maleta de Mano Check campaign, relayed by the state news agency AGN on 30 March 2025.
Can I take a lighter in my carry-on when flying out of Guatemala?
No. DGAC’s Maleta de Mano Check campaign lists lighters (encendedores) with fireworks, fuels and aerosols as explosive and flammable substances that are not allowed in hand luggage. This is the opposite of the US rule: the FAA allows one butane or absorbed-liquid lighter per passenger in carry-on or on the person.
Can I bring nail clippers or tweezers through security at La Aurora?
DGAC’s list of prohibited sharp or cutting objects includes knives, scissors, nail files (limas), knitting needles and manicure tweezers (pinzas para manicura). A DGAC post on 26 March 2025 also told passengers not to pack limas or nippers in hand luggage. TSA in the US allows nail clippers in carry-on, but a manicure kit with files, nippers or scissors that cleared US screening on the way in can be confiscated at La Aurora on the way out.
Do I have to take my shoes off at La Aurora security?
Not as a rule. From 1 August 2026 DGAC stopped requiring passengers to remove their shoes at La Aurora. Shoes still come off when a passenger is selected at random under security protocols, when the detection equipment raises an alert, or when the footwear is bulky enough to prevent a proper check.
Can I carry duty-free rum bought in Guatemala onto a connecting flight in the US?
TSA allows duty-free liquids over 100 ml in carry-on on inbound international flights with a US connection only if they were bought internationally, are sealed by the retailer in a transparent tamper-evident bag, show no sign of tampering, and come with the original receipt for a purchase made within 48 hours. Otherwise they must go in checked baggage. TSA recommends checking them in either way.
