If your TAP flight was delayed, cancelled, or overbooked, you may qualify for TAP flight compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004 (EU261) or UK261. But what if the disruption occurred months—or even years—ago? Is there still time to submit your claim?
In short: yes, there is a deadline — but it varies depending on the country where you file your TAP compensation claim.
Check your compensation online.
Can You Claim Compensation for Old Flights?
Yes, you can.
Many travellers mistakenly believe it’s “too late” to seek compensation for past flight disruptions, but often it’s not true.
In fact, both EU261 and UK261 regulations allow you to claim flight compensation even years after your delayed, cancelled, or overbooked flight. The exact deadline depends on the laws of the country where you file your claim — typically ranging from 2 to 6 years after the incident.
The time limit for claiming flight delay compensation varies by country, from just a few months up to 6 years.
Time Limit for Claiming Flight Delay Compensation, Flight Cancellation & Flight Overbooking Compensation
Here’s how long you have to claim in some major European countries:
- Austria: 3 years
- Belgium: 1 year
- Cyprus: 6 years
- Czech Republic: notify in 6 months, claim up to 3 years
- Denmark: 3 years
- Finland: 3 years
- France: 5 years
- Germany: 3 years (time limit is until the end of the 3rd calendar year)
- Greece: 5 years
- Hungary: 2 years
- Iceland: 2 years
- Italy: 1 year
- Ireland: 6 years
- Netherlands: 2 years
- Norway: 3 years
- Poland: 1 year
- Portugal: 3 years
- Spain: 5 years
- Switzerland: 2 years
- Sweden: notify within 2 months, then claim up to 10 years
- UK (except Scotland): 6 years
Flight compensation time limit may change, so please check the latest information on official government websites.
Check your compensation online.
Why Is There a Time Limit to Claim EU Flight Compensation?
EU261 and UK261 don’t set a single deadline for claims.
Each country applies its own statute of limitations — the same rule used for other legal cases. This ensures claims are made while evidence like tickets and flight records is still available.
The goal isn’t to restrict passengers but to keep claims fair and verifiable. Depending on national law, you may have from a few months up to several years to file.
The time limit for flight delay compensation varies from country to country, from a few months to 6 years.
Why TAP Claims “It’s Too Late” Even Though It Isn’t?
Airlines often deny claims by saying passengers missed the deadline — but that’s not always true.
The actual deadline is set by national law, not the airline.
Even if the airline insists otherwise, you may still have the right to claim flight compensation.
The flight delay compensation time limit varies by country, meaning you may have anywhere from a few months to several years to file your claim. The same applies to other types of flight compensation.
Read more:
- How to Claim TAP Flight Compensation?
- TAP Flight Delay Compensation
- TAP Flight Cancellation Compensation
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