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We are flying Ryanair to and from Barcelona. We wanted to bring a bottle of wine or any other liquor as a gift. We do understand that, having only the standard small bag, we can only bring a limit of 90ml, which should be enough for those small bottles. However, is it possible to buy a normal bottle after we pass security, in the airport, and bring it with us?

I am from Portugal if it helps!

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If your flight is direct from Barcelona you can indeed buy a standard bottle of wine (or even several, depending on what country you go to.)

The limit to go through security is 100 ml per bottle, all bottles and other liquids have to go into the one liter bag.
After security you will find shops and they will seal the bottle in a bag to show you bought it from them.

This is not only Ryanair, this is common for all airlines which leave from European (and other) airports.

On the other end of your journey you will need to go through customs, (even when flying within Schengen.) Best check the information for your country (which you do not mention) to see how much you may bring home. If you want to buy more, you have to go through the red channel and declare what you bought.

I checked this site by IATA and it looks like you can bring twenty liters of wine or ten of stronger spirits. This is for Portugal but would also be the same for other EU countries. The 'within the EU' limits are so high you can not take them into the plane.

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    It might be worth noting that passengers with onward flights may be able to take bottles purchased at duty-free shops through security checkpoints, provided the bottles are in a clear plastic bag that has been sealed by the duty-free shop. I've done this once, in Istanbul. Security regulations vary, of course, so it is incumbent on anyone thinking of doing this to check the regulations for the airports through which he or she will be traveling.
    – phoog
    Aug 26, 2019 at 17:15
  • Some airports will not allow any big bottles through, so be careful to check.
    – Willeke ♦
    Aug 26, 2019 at 17:18
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    Ryanair being Ryanair, it's worth checking this week's restrictions on hand luggage. I.e. if you have a bag, do you have to squeeze your duty free into it?
    – Peter Taylor
    Aug 26, 2019 at 21:35
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    0 Some clarification on the customs: There is no customs on anything for private use within the EU. This is not the same as Schengen -- for example Ireland and Romania aren't Schengen, but EU, while Switzerland is Schengen but not EU (and can charge customs). The amounts mentioned above (e.g. 20 litres of wine) are guidelines only. If you stay below, customs will automatically assume that it's for personal use. You are allow to bring more, though customs will then assume that it is a commercial import and you'll have to prove it is for personal use.
    – averell
    Aug 27, 2019 at 6:23
  • Virtually all airlines, including Ryanair, allow you to bring a duty free bag in addition to your other hand luggage. Ryanair attempted to forbid that a while ago, but the airports went on the barricades and it went nowhere. The reason on both sides were economic though: Duty free sales are a major source of income for the airports, and landing fees would be higher without. Ryanair, on the other hand, wanted to boost their on-board sales by discouraging people to shop at the airport...
    – averell
    Aug 27, 2019 at 6:28
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This is no problem. Any liquids and gels you buy after passing through security, you can bring on board, and you can usually take a duty free shopping bag in addition to your other hand luggage.

While duty free spirits are usually sealed, you can also bring unsealed liquids (e.g. a bottle of water you bought at the airport for the flight), although most airline prohibit consumption of your own alcohol while on board.

Of course anything you bring is subject to customs (wether in hand luggage or checked in). This is not a problem within EU countries, but take care - Switzerland is "Europe", but not in the EU, and there are also regions with special customs rules (like the Canaries) - always check your customs allowance before passing through.

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