Yes, with no catch: you can bring shoes on a plane in your carry-on or your checked bag. Neither TSA nor any US airline caps how many pairs you pack. The bigger change is at the checkpoint itself, since most travelers no longer have to take their shoes off at all.
That is a real shift from the rule everyone grew up with. The Department of Homeland Security announcement ending the shoes off policy applies at standard lanes, not just TSA PreCheck. An officer can still ask you to remove a shoe if something needs a closer look.
The carry-on rule for shoes
TSA’s own guidance on belts, clothes and shoes confirms you can bring shoes on a plane in a carry-on with no size or quantity limit. Shoes ride through the X-ray in your bag like any other clothing item now.
You are no longer required to place shoes in a bin separately at most checkpoints. The exception is a targeted secondary screening. An officer may still ask you to take one off for that.
Shoe polish or leather conditioner is a different story. Any liquid or gel shoe care product still falls under the 3-1-1 liquids rule. A dry shoe brush or cedar shoe trees have no such limit.
The checked bag rule for shoes
You can also bring shoes on a plane in a checked bag with no restriction at all. Pack as many pairs as fit, including cleats, ski boots or steel toe work boots. There is no separate TSA form for footwear in the hold.
The only practical catch is weight. Heavy boots or a stack of sneakers add up fast against your airline’s weight limit. Worn hiking boots are often better checked than carried when your bag is already close to that line.
| Screening situation | Do your shoes come off |
|---|---|
| Standard TSA lane, most footwear | No, unless an officer flags something |
| Standard TSA lane, boots or thick soles | Often, if the shoe alarms or blocks the scan |
| TSA PreCheck lane | No, and it was already the case before 2025 |
| Most airports outside the United States | Frequently yes, this is a US only change |
What actually happens at the checkpoint
Sneakers, flats, loafers and sandals almost always pass without comment now. Officers pay closer attention to steel toe boots and platform shoes. The metal or the dense sole can trigger the walk through detector or blur the body scanner image.
When that happens, expect a request to remove the shoe, a pat down of the foot, or both. A second pass through the detector often clears a false alarm without removing anything. Officers do not always agree on which boots warrant a closer look, so a pair that sailed through one airport can get flagged at another.
- Waved through: sneakers, sandals, flats, most dress shoes, kids shoes.
- Sometimes pulled aside: steel toe boots, hiking boots, platform shoes, shoes with metal shanks.
- Always a closer look: anything the scanner image cannot read clearly.
You can review the full list of what else still comes off at security before you fly. Run your packed bag through our packing list screener if you want a fuller picture. Frequent flyer forums are full of travelers who enrolled in TSA PreCheck just to skip the shoe question, and that benefit still helps with laptops and liquids too.
Shoes outside the United States and at customs
The shoes on policy is a TSA rule for domestic checkpoints. It does not automatically apply abroad. Many airports in Europe and Asia still ask travelers to remove shoes, especially boots or anything with visible metal.
Check the departure airport’s own signage rather than assuming the US rule travels with you. Customs agencies do not restrict how many shoes you bring into or out of the country. New shoes bought abroad only matter for duty if your total purchases push past your personal exemption for the trip.
Other everyday items travelers ask about follow this same pattern of a clear TSA answer and a separate customs question. Browse our other items hub for more of them.
Packing shoes without wasting space
Shoes eat carry-on volume fast, especially anything with a rigid sole. Stuffing socks or a rolled belt inside each shoe uses dead space that would otherwise sit empty. A pair of dedicated shoe bags keeps soles off your folded clothes either way you pack them.
Fabric travel shoe bags work for carry-on and checked packing alike, and they take up almost no space themselves. If you are trying to fit a week of outfits and shoes into one bag, our guide to packing a carry-on efficiently covers where shoes should sit relative to everything else.
Whatever else is in your bag, the officer at the checkpoint has the final say on what earns a second look. Shoes are no exception to that.
The bottom line
You can bring shoes on a plane in unlimited numbers, in either bag, and most travelers can now leave them on at security too. Boots, thick soles and anything metal are the main exceptions. Pack heavy pairs in your checked bag when carry-on space is tight and you are set.
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