Can you put an AirTag in checked luggage?

Yes, in the US. The FAA lets a tracker ride in a checked bag if its battery stays under a lithium limit, and in 2022 it told the press that AirTags meet it. The catch is that your airline gets a say.

The FAA's rule

The FAA's PackSafe page on baggage with lithium batteries (last updated April 13, 2026) covers "baggage location tracking devices", also called bag tags. Checked bags may hold lithium metal batteries with no more than 0.3 grams of lithium, or lithium ion batteries rated 2.7 Wh or less. The same page tells travelers to check with the airline first, and says international rules may differ from domestic ones.

Notice what the page doesn't do. It never names AirTag.

Where AirTag comes in

The AirTag runs on a user-replaceable CR2032 coin cell, per Apple's AirTag page. The FAA tied AirTags to the rule in a statement quoted by The Points Guy on October 13, 2022: "Apple AirTags meet this threshold; other luggage tracking devices may not." That article is from the original AirTag's time. It doesn't mention the second generation, and neither does the FAA's current page, so I'm reading the quote as applying to AirTags that use the same CR2032 cell, per Apple's page. The same article puts the lithium content at 0.1 grams. That figure comes from The Points Guy, not from the FAA page or Apple's.

I'd treat the FAA quote as the answer for US flights, but it is a 2022 statement to the press, not a line on the current page. The "other devices may not" half is the useful warning.

The airline caveat

The same 2022 article reported that the European safety agency EASA said its regulation "does not in itself ban or allow" AirTag-type devices, and that operators decide. In that episode Lufthansa made a definitive statement that AirTags are allowed in checked baggage on its flights. I only know that from the press report, so check your own airline's page for the route you're flying.

Other trackers

Same limit, different math. A tracker on a CR2032 is a lithium metal cell, so the 0.3 g limit applies. A tracker with a rechargeable battery falls under the 2.7 Wh limit instead. Chipolo's POP has a replaceable CR2032 with a Duracell included, per the maker's page. Its LOOP charges over USB-C. I didn't find a lithium gram or Wh figure for either, so look for one on the box before relying on the rule.

What to do at the airport

• I'd put the tag inside the bag, not on the handle, where it can snap off.
• Check the airline's baggage page for trackers, or ask at check-in on international legs.
• If a battery is spare, such as a loose CR2032, it goes in your carry-on. The FAA treats spare lithium batteries as carry-on only.
• Power banks follow a stricter rule than trackers. Power bank rules on planes has it.

The tag can help after a mishandled bag, too. Apple's page says you can share an item's location with more than 50 airlines, Delta, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and United among them. The share stops when you get the item back or after seven days.

More on the tag itself in our AirTag review. Picking between brands? See the best bag trackers for travel, or browse luggage trackers.