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Claim deadlines
Claim as soon as you can. These are the outer limits.
United Kingdom (UK261)
6 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; 5 years in Scotland. These are court time limits (Limitation Act 1980; Dawson v Thomson Airways [2014] EWCA Civ 845). ADR must be used within 12 months of the airline's final response.
Canada (APPR)
File your claim in writing with the airline before the first anniversary of the delay or cancellation (SOR/2019-150 s.19(3)). The airline then has 30 days to pay or explain.
European Union (EU261)
Regulation 261/2004 sets no time limit. The limitation rules of the country whose courts hear your claim apply (CJEU C-139/11 Cuadrench Moré). You can often sue where the flight departed or arrived (C-204/08 Rehder), so more than one limit may be available.
There is no official EU-wide table. The figures below come from national law where we identified it, or from secondary sources. Always verify locally before relying on a date.
| Country | Limit | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 3 years, to 31 Dec | BGB §195 and §199(1) (period runs to 31 December of the third year) | Law identified |
| France | 5 years | Code civil art. 2224 | Law identified |
| Spain | 5 years | Código Civil art. 1964(2) | Law identified |
| Netherlands | 2 years | Burgerlijk Wetboek art. 8:1835 | Law identified |
| Ireland | 6 years | Statute of Limitations 1957 | Law identified |
| Poland | 1 year | Civil Code art. 778; Supreme Court resolution III CZP 111/16 (17 March 2017) | Law identified |
| Austria | 3 years | Secondary sources agree | Secondary sources agree |
| Czechia | 3 years | Secondary sources agree (one source adds a 6-month notice condition) | Secondary sources agree |
| Denmark | 3 years | Secondary sources agree | Secondary sources agree |
| Finland | 3 years | Secondary sources agree | Secondary sources agree |
| Italy | 6 months to 2 years | Not settled: Cassazione ord. 4427/2024 holds the Montreal 2-year limit does not automatically apply; courts have used 6 months (Codice della navigazione art. 418; 1 year outside Europe and the Mediterranean), 1 year (Codice civile art. 2951) or 2 years. Act within 6 months. | Sources disagree |
| Cyprus | 6 years | Secondary sources agree | Secondary sources agree |
| Norway | 3 years | Secondary sources agree | Secondary sources agree |
| Belgium | 1 year | Hof van Cassatie 11 June 2021, C.20.0185.N: the claim, including the first request to the airline, within 1 year of the disruption (Transport Act 1891 art. 9). If the airline wrongly refuses a request made in time, the 5-year limit for offences can apply. | Law identified |
| Portugal | 2 to 3 years | Sources disagree (2 or 3 years) | Sources disagree |
| Sweden | Notify the airline within 2 months (always in time) | Tell the airline within a reasonable time after the trip; within 2 months is always in time (Högsta domstolen NJA 2018 s. 127). The court time limit after that is not settled in our sources (3 or 10 years). | Law identified |
| Switzerland | 2 to 10 years | Sources disagree (2 or 10 years) | Sources disagree |
Countries not listed: we have not verified a limit. Ask the national enforcement body or a local consumer centre (European Consumer Centres Network).
- Belgium: the Court of Cassation (11 June 2021, C.20.0185.N) held that the claim, including your first request to the airline, must be made within 1 year of the flight. If you asked in time and the airline wrongly refused, a 5-year limit can apply.
- Italy: not settled. The Court of Cassation (order 4427 of 20 February 2024) held that the Montreal Convention's 2-year limit does not automatically apply, and courts have used 6 months, 1 year or 2 years. Claim within 6 months to be safe.
- Sweden: you must tell the airline within a reasonable time after the trip. The Supreme Court (NJA 2018 s. 127) held that 2 months is always in time. Later notice may still be in time, but do not rely on it.
Montreal Convention (damages, not fixed compensation)
If you also claim damages for losses caused by the delay, such as missed bookings, under the Montreal Convention, court action must be started within 2 years of arrival, or of the date the aircraft should have arrived (Art 35). This limit applies to damages claims under the Convention; the CJEU held it does not govern fixed EU261 compensation (C-139/11 Cuadrench Moré).
New 9-month rule from 23 October 2027
For flights from 23 October 2027, Regulation 2026/2202 requires you to submit your compensation request to the airline within 9 months of the departure date, in addition to any national court limit.
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