If your Wizz Air flight was delayed, cancelled, or overbooked, you might be entitled to flight compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004 (EU261) or UK261. But what if the flight happened a long time ago? Is there a deadline for filing your claim?
The answer: yes, there is a time limit — but it varies by country.
Check your compensation online.
Can You Claim Compensation for Old Flights?
Yes — you can still claim compensation for past flights.
This is one of the biggest misconceptions about flight compensation, as many passengers believe it’s “too late.”
In reality, European regulations (EU261/UK261) allow you to file claims for flight disruptions that happened several years ago. The exact time limit depends on the laws of the country where you bring your claim, but in many cases it can be anywhere from 2 to 6 years after the disruption.
The time limit for flight delay compensation varies from country to country, from a few months to 6 years. Check your rights!
Why Is There a Flight Delay Compensation Time Limit?
The time limit exists because EU261/UK261 doesn’t set one single deadline for claims.
Instead, each country applies its own statute of limitations — the same way other legal claims are time-bound. This ensures that cases are brought within a reasonable period, when evidence like booking confirmations, boarding passes, and flight records are still available.
In practice, this means that depending on national law, you may have anywhere from a few months to as much as 6 years to file a claim. The purpose is not to limit your rights unfairly, but to make sure disputes are resolved while the facts can still be verified.
Read more:
- Wizz Air Flight Delay Compensation
- Wizz Air Flight Cancellation Compensation
- Wizz Air Denied Boarding Compensation
Check your compensation online.
Time Limit for Claiming Flight Delay Compensation, Flight Cancellation & Flight Overbooking Compensation
Here’s how long you have to claim in some key European countries:
- Austria: 3 years
- Belgium: 1 year
- Bulgaria: 1 year
- Croatia: 2 years
- Cyprus: 6 years
- Czech Republic: notify in 6 months, claim up to 3 years
- Denmark: 3 years
- Estonia: 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
- Latvia: submit complaint within 6 months; claims valid for 3 years
- Lithuania: 3 years
- Netherlands: 2 years
- Norway: 3 years
- Poland: 1 year
- Portugal: 3 years
- Romania: 3 years
- Scotland: 5 years
- Slovakia: 2 years
- Slovenia: 2 years
- Spain: 5 years
- Switzerland: 2 years
- Sweden: notify within 2 months, then claim up to 10 years
- UK (except Scotland): 6 years
Time limits may change, so please check the latest information on official government websites.
Airlines May Tell You It’s “Too Late”
Airlines sometimes reject claims by saying passengers filed too late.
But remember: the true deadline is based on national law, not on what the airline says.
In many cases, you may still be within your rights to claim compensation even if the airline insists otherwise.
Read more: Common Excuses Airlines Use to Deny EU261 Compensation (and How to Counter Them)
Practical Tips on Claiming UK/EU Flight Compensation
- Act quickly — the sooner you claim, the easier it is to gather evidence.
- Keep documentation — boarding passes, booking confirmations, and emails help support your EU late flight compensation claim.
- Escalate if needed — if the airline refuses unfairly, contact the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA in the UK) or the relevant National Enforcement Body (NEB) in the EU.
How to claim Wizz Air compensation?
Contact the Wizz Air customer support centre using their website and submit the Wizz Air compensation claim form. Be insistent when claiming compensation yourself and do not give up. Quote the EU Regulation (EC) No 261/2004.
Or file a claim via our partners online.
Check your compensation online.
Read more: How To Claim Flight Compensation
Featured photo by Isabella Mendes from Pexels