Flying with Medication and Medical Devices
Published by FlyingWith5 min readSources checked
Airline and government rules change. Check your airline's current rules before you travel.
FlyingWith editorial team
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Keep all medication in your carry-on with extra for delays. In Canada and the U.S., medically necessary liquids over 100 ml are allowed, but you must present or declare them at screening.
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Medication is one of the few things you can't easily replace on the road. The good news is that security rules in Canada and the United States make room for what you medically need, including liquids over the usual limit. The practical part is packing so screening is quick and a delay or lost bag doesn't leave you without a dose.
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Part of: Flying with Medical Equipment, Flying with a Disability, Flying with Mobility Needs, Flying with Allergies
What changes by airline
- Whether you can use a device such as a CPAP or portable oxygen concentrator on board, and what notice is needed
General advice: applies wherever you fly
Keep it where you can reach it
Keep all your medication, and whatever you need to take it, in your carry-on, never only in checked baggage. Canada's official air passenger guidance recommends this for the reason you'd expect: delays and lost bags happen.
Pack enough for the whole trip plus a few extra days in case of delays, and carry a written list of your medications with their generic names and doses. Generic names are what a pharmacist abroad will recognize.
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General advice: applies wherever you fly
Before you leave home
Checklist
- Keep liquid medication in its original container with the pharmacy label. CATSA recommends it, and it speeds up screening anywhere.
- Ask your pharmacy or doctor for a printed list of your prescriptions, especially for controlled or injectable medication.
- If you're crossing time zones, plan your dose times with your doctor or pharmacist before you go.
- Check the rules of the country you're visiting. Some medications that are legal at home are restricted elsewhere, and entry rules are set by that country, not by airport security.
- Ask your airline in advance about any device you'll need to use on board, such as a portable oxygen concentrator or CPAP. Using a device in flight is an airline policy question, separate from getting it through security.
Official rules: Canada (CATSA)
Security screening in Canada
You can bring prescription and essential non-prescription liquid, gel and aerosol medications in your carry-on in quantities larger than 100 ml. You'll be asked to present all of them to the screening officer for inspection, so keep them together and easy to take out.
Solid medications such as tablets have no volume limit. Syringes and needles are allowed when they're with the medication that requires them, with needle guards in place. Ice or gel packs are exempt when they're needed to keep medication cold.
Distilled water for a CPAP machine is exempt from the liquid restrictions. Batteries in mobility and medical devices are allowed without a watt-hour limit, and you may bring one spare battery of up to 300 Wh.
Official rules: United States (TSA)
Security screening in the United States
TSA allows medically necessary liquids, gels and aerosols in reasonable quantities above 3.4 oz (100 ml), but you must declare them to officers at the checkpoint. Take them out of your carry-on and put them in a separate bin; they may be tested or opened for extra screening if the equipment can't clear them.
Pills and other solid medications go through screening too. Clearly labelling your medication isn't described as mandatory, but TSA says it helps screening.
You won't be asked to remove a medical device attached to your body, such as an insulin pump. CPAP, BiPAP and APAP machines, with their masks and tubing, can stay in their carrying case for X-ray screening.
General advice: applies wherever you fly
At the checkpoint
Checklist
- Tell the screening officer you're carrying medication or medical devices before your bags go through.
- Put liquid medication and related supplies in a separate bin, apart from your other liquids.
- If you'd prefer a device or medication not be handled a certain way, say so and ask what alternatives are available.
- Repack everything in one place right after screening so nothing gets left behind.
General advice: applies wherever you fly
If your medication is lost or runs out
Go to a local pharmacy first with your medication list (generic names) and your prescription, if you have it. For anything urgent, go to a clinic or emergency department rather than waiting.
Travel insurance with medical coverage can matter here too: check before you leave what your policy or card covers abroad.
Official sources
Rules and amounts change. Before you rely on anything marked as an official rule, check the source. These are the official pages we used.
- Medication and Medical Items · Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA)
- Medical needs, medication and allergies · Canadian Transportation Agency
- Disabilities and Medical Conditions · Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
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