Ryanair baggage claim: PIR and the 7 and 21 day deadlines
If a Ryanair flight lost, delayed or damaged your checked bag, the outcome usually hinges on two things: whether you filed a Property Irregularity Report at the airport, and whether you wrote to the airline before a short deadline expired. Baggage is not covered by the flight-compensation rules — it runs on the Montreal Convention, which is strict about both.
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Short answer: Report the problem before you leave the baggage hall and get a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) with a reference number. Then send Ryanair a written claim within 7 days for damaged baggage or 21 days for delayed baggage (measured from the day you receive the bag), and note the 2-year long-stop to start a court case. Liability is capped at roughly 1,519 SDR per passenger, entirely separate from EU261 or UK261 flight compensation.
Why baggage is a separate regime
Delay and cancellation compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004 (or UK261 for UK departures) has nothing to do with your suitcase. Lost, delayed and damaged baggage is governed by the Montreal Convention 1999, which sets its own deadlines, proof rules and cap. The two can run in parallel: EU261 money for a long arrival delay and a Montreal claim for a bag that never came off the belt.
Because Montreal is a treaty, it applies the same way whether your Ryanair flight left Dublin, Madrid or London Stansted — unlike flight compensation, where the departure airport decides EU261 (euros) or UK261 (pounds). You claim against the operating carrier, the airline that actually flew the leg; the Court of Justice confirmed the operating carrier is the responsible party in Wirth (C-532/17). For Ryanair that means Ryanair DAC, Malta Air, Buzz or Lauda, shown on your boarding pass.
Step 1: file the PIR before you leave the airport
The single most important step is the PIR. Go to the Ryanair or handling-agent baggage desk in the arrivals hall before you exit and make sure the problem is logged with a reference number. If your bag did not arrive, the desk opens a tracing file; if it is damaged, show the damage and the tag there and then.
Why the urgency? Walk out without a PIR and Ryanair can argue the bag was intact when you left, which makes any later claim far harder to prove. The report pins the bag's condition to the moment of delivery. Take photos at the desk — the whole bag, any damage, the tag and your boarding pass — and keep the tag stub and any receipts.
Step 2: send the written claim within 7 or 21 days
The PIR opens the file, but it is not the formal claim. Under Article 31 of the Montreal Convention you must put a written complaint to Ryanair within a fixed window, and the windows are short.
| Situation | Deadline to notify Ryanair | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Damaged baggage | 7 days from receipt of the bag | Montreal Convention, Art. 31 |
| Delayed baggage | 21 days from the day the bag is returned | Montreal Convention, Art. 31 |
| Court action (any baggage claim) | 2 years | Montreal Convention, Art. 35 |
Miss the 7-day or 21-day window and Ryanair is entitled to reject the claim outright, so treat these as hard cut-offs. Submit through Ryanair's baggage claim channel, quote your PIR reference, and attach the photos, receipts and a short description of what happened and what you want — repair, replacement, or reimbursement of expenses. For a lost bag, the tracing system usually declares baggage officially lost after around 21 days of non-delivery, at which point a delayed-baggage file becomes a loss claim.
Step 3: know the cap and prove your loss
Ryanair's liability for baggage is limited to roughly 1,519 SDR per passenger — the ceiling in force since 28 December 2024. The SDR is an IMF currency basket, so the euro or sterling figure moves daily but sits around EUR 1,850 / GBP 1,600. That single cap covers delay, damage and loss combined; it is a ceiling, not a guaranteed payout, so you still have to evidence your actual loss.
For delayed baggage, keep receipts for reasonable essentials you had to buy while your bag was missing. For damage, claim the repair cost, or the bag's depreciated replacement value if it is beyond repair — not the price of a new premium case. Well-documented, realistic claims settle fastest.
Why acting at the airport matters with Ryanair
Ryanair is Europe's largest airline, headquartered in Dublin with its biggest base at London Stansted, and it is known for rejecting a large share of first claims. Baggage is no exception: a file with a clean PIR, dated photos and receipts leaves little room for a brush-off, whereas a claim raised days later from home invites the reply that the airline cannot verify what happened. The paperwork you gather in the first hour makes the difference weeks later.
ClaimWinger works on a no win, no fee basis: no upfront cost, and a commission only if money reaches you. If your Ryanair trip also involved a long delay, a cancellation or denied boarding, those flight-compensation rights sit alongside the baggage claim — start a free check at /delayed-flight, or /cancelled-flight for a scrapped flight, and estimate the payout with the compensation calculator. For the flight side, see the Ryanair compensation hub and the guides on delayed and lost baggage, damaged baggage and how to claim.
FAQ — Frequently asked questions
Is baggage covered by EU261 or UK261?
No. EU261 and UK261 cover delays, cancellations and denied boarding. A lost, delayed or damaged bag is dealt with under the Montreal Convention, with its own 7-day and 21-day notice rules and a 2-year time bar. If your flight was also disrupted, the two claims can run at the same time.
What if I only noticed the damage after leaving the airport?
Report it as soon as possible and still put it in writing within 7 days of collecting the bag — the clock runs from receipt, not from when you unpacked. A PIR filed at the airport is the strongest evidence; without one, expect Ryanair to question when the damage occurred.
How long before a delayed bag counts as lost?
There is no fixed legal moment, but airlines generally treat a bag as lost after around 21 days of non-delivery, converting a delayed-baggage file into a loss claim. Keep notifying Ryanair within the deadlines rather than waiting for that label.
How much can I claim for a Ryanair bag?
Up to roughly 1,519 SDR per passenger (about EUR 1,850 / GBP 1,600), and only up to your proven loss within that cap — documented essentials, repair cost, or the depreciated value of a lost or ruined bag, not the price of a new luxury suitcase.
Does it matter that I booked through an OTA or travel agent?
No. Your Montreal rights are against the operating carrier — Ryanair — regardless of how you booked. Note that if you booked through a third-party website, Ryanair may require myRyanair identity and payment verification before it pays out, which is worth sorting out early.
Sources
This guide reflects the legal position in 2026. Baggage follows the Montreal Convention — a PIR at the airport, written notice within 7 days for damage or 21 days for delay, a 2-year deadline to sue, and a liability cap of about 1,519 SDR (since 28 December 2024) — separate from EU261 (EUR 250/400/600) and UK261 (GBP 220/350/520) flight compensation, which keep the three-hour arrival-delay threshold. The July 2026 EU261 reform is a proposal, not yet in force. This is general information, not legal advice.