Is It Necessary For Travellers To Remove Their Shoes At US Airport Security Check-points?

Yes, it is almost always necessary for passengers to remove their shoes when passing through a metal detector at a US airport. Previously, the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) asserted that removing shoes was optional, even though most TSA guards requested this anyhow. Since 2006, the TSA has made this a mandatory part of passenger screening, even in the case of sneakers and other shoes that do not contain metal.

According to the TSA guidelines, passengers are permitted to wear slippers when passing through the metal detector, but these must be disposed of at the security check-point.

Passengers travelling to the US from Canada and many European airports may also be required to remove their shoes at the time of screening. At many Canadian airports, there is a dedicated terminal for transborder flights and TSA personnel are often in charge of the screening process. In the case of some European airports, passengers may go through additional screening at the departure gate.