The flight compensation claim deadlineruns in years, not weeks.
A delayed flight from 2022 can still be worth up to €600 per passenger. The deadline depends on where you flew from — check yours in seconds.
The flight compensation claim deadline depends on national law: EU261 sets none of its own, so each country’s courts apply their limitation period. The UK gives you six years, France and Spain five, Germany three, the Netherlands two, and Poland about one. The clock runs from the date of the flight.
Guideline based on published national limitation periods — not legal advice; exact deadlines can differ by court and circumstances. When in doubt, check the flight: it’s free.
What is the flight compensation claim deadline in each country?
| Departure country | Time to claim | Legal basis | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 6 years | Limitation Act 1980, s.5 | England & Wales; 5 years in Scotland. |
| Germany | 3 years | BGB §§ 195, 199 | Expires at the END of the third year — a December 2023 flight can be claimed until 31 Dec 2026. |
| France | 5 years | Code civil, art. 2224 | — |
| Spain | 5 years | Código Civil, art. 1964 | — |
| Ireland | 6 years | Statute of Limitations 1957 | — |
| Netherlands | 2 years | Burgerlijk Wetboek, art. 8:1835 | — |
| Italy | 2 years | national limitation law | 26 months, per the Italian courts' reading. |
| Austria | 3 years | ABGB § 1489 | — |
| Portugal | 3 years | national limitation law | — |
| Greece | 5 years | national limitation law | — |
| Poland | 1 year | Civil Code, art. 778 (SN III CZP 111/16) | One year — the tightest major deadline in Europe. Don't wait. |
| Israel | 4 years | Aviation Services Law, 5772-2012 | Under the Aviation Services Law. |
| Canada | 1 year | APPR, SOR/2019-150, s.19 | APPR: file with the airline within one year. |
Published national limitation periods for air-passenger compensation claims; guideline only, not legal advice. Other countries vary — check your flight and we’ll tell you. EU261 itself sets no deadline: the CJEU held in Cuadrench Moré v KLM (C-139/11) that each country’s national law governs. Citing this table? Link this page — it is kept current as national positions evolve.
How long to claim flight compensation: why does the answer vary by country?
EU261 sets no deadline of its own. The Court of Justice settled that in Cuadrench Moré v KLM (C-139/11): the regulation creates the right, and each country’s ordinary limitation law decides how long you have to enforce it. That is why the same three-hour delay is claimable for six years from a London departure, five from Paris or Madrid, three from Frankfurt, and about one from Warsaw.
Which country’s clock applies is usually decided by where you would sue, and that normally follows the departure airport or the airline’s home country. On a route between two of them you may have a choice, and the longer period is the one worth using. It is one of the few places in this area where a little care at the start changes whether a claim exists at all.
Is the EU261 claim deadline about to change?
Yes, but not yet. The European Parliament approved the EU261 reform on 7 July 2026, and it is expected to apply from the second half of 2027. It replaces the national limits with a single 9-month deadline to claim, the same in every EU country. It also gives the airline 30 days to pay or give a specific reason for refusing, and a 96-hour duty to tell passengers their rights.
Until the reform applies, the existing rules stand, and the national limits in the table are the ones that count today. UK261 is not part of the reform, so flights from the UK keep the UK limits.
What does not cut your EU261 time limit short?
- • A refusal from the airline. Their “final” answer does not shorten the legal period, and many valid claims are refused first time.
- • A claim you started and abandoned. Unless you signed a settlement, the right is still there until the period runs out.
- • A flight you have forgotten the details of. The date and the flight number are enough for us to find the rest in the flight record.
- • A booking made by someone else. Every passenger on the booking has their own claim, including children with their own seat.
What it does stop is evidence. Boarding passes go missing, airline emails get deleted, and memories of what the desk said at midnight fade. The law may give you years; the practical window is shorter, and it is the reason to check an old flight rather than plan to.
How do you enforce an old claim in each country?
Where the airline refuses, each country has its own escalation route and its own cost. Germany has free söp arbitration; Spain’s AESA issues decisions that bind the airline; Ireland’s small claims court costs €25. The country guides set out the route, the body and the deadline in each case: see Germany, Spain and Ireland, or start with the EU261 guide for the rules the deadline attaches to.
What else do passengers ask about claim deadlines?
How long do I have to claim flight compensation?
It depends on where you would bring the claim, not on EU261 itself. Six years in the UK and Ireland, five in France and Spain, three in Germany, two in the Netherlands, and about one year for flights from Poland. The clock runs from the date of the flight. The EU261 reform approved in July 2026 will replace these national limits with one 9-month deadline across the EU, expected from the second half of 2027; until then the national limits apply. UK261 is not affected.
Does the EU261 time limit start when the airline refuses?
No. It runs from the flight, and a refusal does not restart or shorten it. Airlines reject a large share of valid first claims, so a refusal is a step in the process rather than the end of the period.
Which country's deadline applies to my flight?
Usually the country where you would sue, which normally follows the departure airport or the airline's home country. On a route between two countries you may be able to choose, and the longer limitation period is the one to use.
I have lost my boarding pass. Is the claim gone?
Not necessarily. The flight number and date are enough to find the flight in the official record, and the booking confirmation or a card statement usually proves you were on it. Evidence gets harder to gather with time, which is the real reason not to wait.
Sources
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 — the regulation itself, in every EU language
- Cuadrench Moré v KLM (C-139/11) — the ruling that leaves the deadline to national law
- UK Civil Aviation Authority — passenger rights — the UK regulator's own guidance and complaint route