Practical information for BER
The security rules that differ from lane to lane, where left luggage and lost property are, and what needs more time than you think.
Liquids: two litres or 100 ml, depending on the lane
Twenty-four CT scanner lanes now serve areas 1 and 5 of Terminal 1 and the whole of Terminal 2. There, liquids up to two litres per person are allowed, and neither the bottles nor your laptop need to come out of the bag.
Areas 2 and 4 in the centre of Terminal 1 still use conventional X-ray, where the old rule stands: containers of at most 100 ml, together in one transparent resealable one-litre bag, one bag per person, and electronics out of the bag and into the tray individually. New scanners for these lanes have been ordered and the refurbishment starts in the autumn of 2026.
Because you are sent to whichever lane is free, the airport itself advises packing to the 100 ml rule whatever your terminal. One point that applies at both kinds of lane: a double-walled flask should travel empty.
Passport control, and the second check for the USA and Israel
Flights outside the Schengen area need extra time at passport control — it is a different queue from the one you remember from a domestic hop.
For the United States and Israel there is a second security screening. It opens two hours before departure and closes thirty minutes before it. Miss that window and the gate is out of reach however early you reached the terminal.
Left luggage and lost property
Both sit in the ServiceCenter on level U1 of Terminal 1 — the railway station level, one floor below the check-in hall. The lost property office there covers anything found inside the terminals.
Opening hours and the price per item are published by the airport and do change, so check them the day before rather than trusting a figure copied onto a blog. The airport hotline is +49 30 6091 6091 0.
Anything left on board the aircraft or on an apron bus is the airline's business rather than the airport's, and so is checked baggage that is delayed or damaged. A lost passport or identity card goes to the Federal Police service point in the Terminal 1 check-in hall, which forwards documents to the authorities of your own country.
The security time-slot booking is gone
BER used to let passengers reserve a slot for security screening, a system called BER Runway. It was discontinued on 26 May 2026, because travellers preferred the CT lanes to a separate access point. If a guide still tells you to book a slot before flying out of Berlin, that guide is out of date.
What we take off your hands
The driver follows your flight and waits in the arrivals hall of the terminal you actually land in, so a delay or a last-minute terminal change is our problem rather than yours. Waiting is free for 60 minutes from the moment the aircraft touches down.
Can I take a large bottle of water through security at BER?
At a CT scanner lane, yes — up to two litres, and it can stay in your bag. At the conventional lanes in the middle of Terminal 1, no: containers of 100 ml at most. You cannot pick the lane, so pack for the stricter rule.
Do I have to take my laptop out of the bag at BER?
Not at the CT lanes, which now cover Terminal 2 and areas 1 and 5 of Terminal 1. At the conventional lanes in areas 2 and 4, yes: electronics go into the tray one by one.
Where is left luggage at BER?
In the ServiceCenter on level U1 of Terminal 1, the railway station level. Check the airport's own page for hours and prices before you count on it.
I left something on the plane. Who do I ask?
Your airline. The airport's lost property office covers the terminals; anything left on board or on an apron bus is the carrier's responsibility, as is delayed or damaged checked baggage.
How early should I be at BER for a flight to the United States?
Early enough for the second security screening, which opens two hours before departure and closes thirty minutes before. Non-Schengen passport control also takes longer than an internal European flight.