🪫 Can you bring Dry-cell / spare lithium batteries on a plane?
Alkaline: either / lithium: cabin only
As of 2026-08-21
The rule in detail
Alkaline and manganese cells (AA, AAA) and NiMH rechargeables may travel in the cabin or in checked baggage. Spare lithium batteries — camera packs, 18650 cells, lithium coin cells — may only be carried in the cabin and are prohibited in the hold. Whatever the chemistry, keep them in their original packaging or individual pouches so the terminals cannot touch, and tape over any exposed contacts.
Why the rule is written this way
It is classified as Allowed with conditions — check the rules because capacity, shape and quantity decide whether it passes, so the same object can be confiscated on one trip and not the next.
Measure it yourself before you leave, and if it is borderline ask the airline and keep the answer in writing. At the checkpoint the final call is the security officer’s.
The rules this verdict comes from
The verdict above follows from 2 Korean rules listed below, named in the original Korean because that is how they are indexed at the national law database. These are the rules themselves, not an airline summary — when screening staff disagree, this is the text that decides. Rules are amended; anything changed after the review date above follows the original.
What actually happens at the airport
- Check-in desk — this is the point of no return for your suitcase. Anything that may only travel in the cabin cannot be retrieved after this step.
- Security screening — if the X-ray flags a shape, the bag is opened. Most problem items are caught here.
- Extra check at the gate — on some routes there is one more inspection.
Confiscated items are rarely returned. If you are unsure, confirm the specification before you leave home.
Short-circuit protection is a condition, not advice — a bag of loose cells with bare contacts gets taken
Other items in the same class
The items below are also classified as Allowed with conditions — check the rules. Quantity and volume limits differ per item, so check each rule separately.
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| 🧴 Liquids / gels / cosmetics | Cabin: 100ml or less / checked: no limit |
| ⚠️ Cordless hair straightener (built-in battery) | No (confiscated in Japan) |
| 🍾 Alcohol (wine, whisky, spirits) | Checked only (5L limit for 24–70% ABV) |
| 🪒 Razors / razor blades | Razor: cabin OK / loose blades: checked only |
| ⛽ Butane canisters / camping fuel | Banned (flammable gas, cabin and checked) |
| 🔪 Scissors / utility knives | Blades under 6cm only (no utility knives) |
| 👁️ Contact lenses / lens solution | Lenses: no limit / solution: 100ml max |
| 🌸 Perfume | Cabin: 100ml max / checked: 2L per person |
| 💅 Nail polish / remover | Cabin: 100ml max / remover counts too |
| 🔥 Hand warmer / heat pack | Chemical: either / electric: cabin only |
| 🐾 Pet / carrier | Advance booking required (cabin under 7kg) |
| 🎸 Musical instrument | Small: cabin / large: buy a seat |
| 🥤 Water / soft drinks | Not through security (buy it airside) |
| 🛴 E-scooter / self-balancing board | Banned (battery too large, cabin and checked) |
| 💵 Cash / valuables | Keep it on you (declare over USD 10,000) |
Travel guides that cover this rule
1 travel guide on this site covers this rule as well. What usually goes wrong is not the rule itself but what surrounds it — where the form is filed, whether the destination bans the item outright, what to do first at the airport.
Frequently asked questions
- Dry-cell / spare lithium batteries — can I take it in the cabin?
- Alkaline: either / lithium: cabin only. Alkaline and manganese cells (AA, AAA) and NiMH rechargeables may travel in the cabin or in checked baggage. Spare lithium batteries — camera packs, 18650 cells, lithium coin cells — may only be carried in the cabin and are prohibited in the hold. Whatever the chemistry, keep them in their original packaging or individual pouches so the terminals cannot touch, and tape over any exposed contacts.
- Dry-cell / spare lithium batteries — can I put it in checked baggage?
- It depends — Alkaline: either / lithium: cabin only. Volume, quantity, shape or a declaration can change the answer, so settle that before you check the bag.
- Is there anything else to watch out for with Dry-cell / spare lithium batteries?
- Short-circuit protection is a condition, not advice — a bag of loose cells with bare contacts gets taken