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Flight compensation claim deadlines by country

The EU and UK rules set no deadline. National law does, and the periods differ. Most figures below come from claims-company pages, not from a statute, so each one carries a note to check with the national body.

Updated

Check before you rely on a date

We have not yet read a statute or consumer authority page for any country below. The sources are claims companies and the Commission guidelines. File early rather than near a limit.

Claim time limits by country
CountryTime limit reportedStatus and source
Austria3 yearsReported by claims companies. Check with the national body.
BelgiumNot verified yetSources disagree or are unclear. Check with the national body before you rely on any date.
Czechia3 yearsReported by claims companies. Check with the national body. 3 years when the airline is notified within 6 months of the disruption.
Denmark3 yearsReported by claims companies. Check with the national body.
Finland3 yearsReported by claims companies. Check with the national body.
France5 yearsReported by claims companies. Check with the national body.
Germany3 yearsReported by claims companies. Check with the national body. until the end of the third calendar year after the year of the flight.
Greece5 yearsReported by claims companies. Check with the national body.
Ireland6 yearsReported by claims companies. Check with the national body.
Italy2 yearsReported by claims companies. Check with the national body.
Netherlands2 yearsReported by claims companies. Check with the national body.
Poland1 yearReported by claims companies. Check with the national body.
PortugalNot verified yetSources disagree or are unclear. Check with the national body before you rely on any date.
Spain5 yearsReported by claims companies. Check with the national body.
SwedenNot verified yetSources disagree or are unclear. Check with the national body before you rely on any date.
United Kingdom6 yearsReported by claims companies. Check with the national body. 6 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 5 years in Scotland (SkyRefund); AirHelp lists the UK at 6.
CanadaNot verified yetWe found no deadline in the sources we read. Check with the Canadian Transportation Agency.
United StatesNo claim window foundThere is no cash compensation to claim. A refund request follows the airline’s refund rule (7 business days on a card).

Source for every row with a number: the Commission Interpretative Guidelines (national limitation law applies), plus the fee and rights pages of two claims companies, SkyRefund and AirHelp, listed below. Belgium, Portugal and Sweden are not shown because those two sources disagree or are unclear.

Questions about deadlines

Who sets the deadline for EU261?
Nobody in the Regulation itself. The Commission guidelines say national limitation law applies, so the period depends on the country where the claim is brought.
What is the safe approach?
File early. Send the airline your claim as soon as you have the documents, and keep a dated copy. If you wait, check the country you would sue in.

Information, not advice

Hours Late is not a law firm and not a claims company. It does not file claims for you. The results are estimates from published rules and the details you enter. They are not legal advice. Airlines and courts decide each case.

Sources