Delayed baggage
Your bag is missing temporarily. Keep receipts for reasonable, necessary replacement purchases and submit the required written complaint after the bag is returned.
Baggage rights · practical guide
Lost, delayed or damaged baggage compensation
If your checked bag does not arrive, arrives damaged, or remains missing, act quickly. The strongest claim starts with an airport report, written follow-up and evidence of what you actually lost or had to spend.
At the airport: report the problem before you leave
Go to the airline or baggage-handling desk, create a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) or equivalent record, keep the reference number, and photograph damage. A PIR is important evidence, but it does not necessarily replace the written claim you may need to submit to the airline.
01 · Identify the problem
Three baggage problems, three slightly different claim paths
The same international liability framework can cover baggage delay, loss and damage, but the evidence and practical loss you need to show are different.
Lost baggage
If the carrier admits the bag is lost, or checked baggage has not arrived after 21 days from when it should have arrived, the Montreal Convention treats the passenger as entitled to enforce rights arising from the contract of carriage.
Damaged baggage
Photograph the suitcase and contents, report the damage promptly and preserve the bag where practical. Checked-baggage damage has a short written-complaint deadline.
02 · Do this first
A practical baggage-claim sequence
Four actions that protect the evidence you may need later.
1
Report it at baggage services
Ask for a PIR or equivalent incident record and keep the baggage tag and report reference.
2
Document the condition and contents
Take clear photos of damage and keep evidence that helps establish ownership and value of missing items.
3
Keep necessary-purchase receipts
For delayed baggage, retain itemised receipts for reasonable essentials you genuinely needed while the bag was unavailable.
4
Send the airline a written claim
Do not assume the airport report alone completes the claim. Follow the airline's written or online baggage-claim process within the applicable deadline.
03 · Evidence
Keep a compact claim file
Put the records that prove the disruption, your expenses and the bag's value in one place.
Useful records
✓ PIR / baggage report and reference
✓ Baggage tag and boarding pass
✓ Booking confirmation / itinerary
✓ Photos of suitcase and damage
✓ Receipts for essential purchases
✓ Receipts or other proof of item value
✓ Airline messages and tracking updates
✓ Copy of your written claim
04 · Time limits
Baggage deadlines can be short
Written complaints have specific time limits. Acting immediately is safer than waiting for the final day.
7 days
Damage to checked baggage: complain in writing no later than seven days after receiving the baggage.
21 days
Delayed checked baggage: complain in writing no later than 21 days from the date the baggage was placed at your disposal.
2 years
Court action: the Convention sets a two-year period for an action for damages, calculated under Article 35. This is not a reason to postpone the airline complaint.
Lost baggage is different. The Convention does not simply create a separate “7-day lost bag” complaint rule. If the carrier admits loss, or checked baggage has not arrived after 21 days from when it should have arrived, Article 17(3) becomes important. Submit the loss claim promptly and follow the carrier's process rather than waiting.
05 · Liability and value
1,519 SDR is a ceiling, not a fixed baggage payout
Understand the legal limit, what SDR means, and what that limit is worth in familiar currencies.
ICAO's revised Montreal Convention limit for destruction, loss, damage or delay of baggage is 1,519 Special Drawing Rights (SDR) per passenger, effective 28 December 2024. The amount recoverable depends on the proven loss and the Convention's liability rules; it is not an automatic 1,519-SDR award for every baggage problem.
What is SDR?
Special Drawing Rights are an international reserve asset defined by the IMF and used by the Montreal Convention to express liability limits. SDR is not the currency an airline normally pays you in; the legal amount is converted into the relevant national currency.
What is 1,519 SDR worth?
≈ €1,862Euro
≈ £1,592British pound
≈ US$2,148US dollar
≈ ₺103,646Turkish lira
Example exchange values for 28 August 2026, rounded for orientation. The applicable converted amount can change with the exchange rate and date used for a claim or proceeding.
Delayed bag
The practical claim commonly concerns proven damage caused by the delay, such as reasonable necessary purchases. Keep receipts and avoid treating the liability ceiling as a shopping allowance.
Lost or damaged bag
Evidence of the bag, its contents, age, condition and value can matter. A higher limit may be possible where a qualifying special declaration of interest was made at check-in and any required supplementary sum was paid.
06 · Important distinctions
Checked baggage and cabin baggage are not treated identically
The liability test changes depending on whether the airline had the bag in its charge.
For checked baggage, the Montreal Convention generally makes the carrier liable for destruction, loss or damage when the event causing it occurred while the checked baggage was in the carrier's charge, subject to the Convention's exceptions. For unchecked baggage, including personal items kept with you, carrier liability depends on fault.
Do not confuse baggage liability with EU261-style flight compensation. Baggage claims under the Montreal Convention are based on liability and proven damage. A fixed €250/€400/€600 flight-disruption payment is a different legal concept and may involve a different framework.
07 · Connecting and codeshare journeys
Which airline should you contact?
Keep the contracting and operating carriers straight when more than one airline appears on the booking.
Start with the airline/baggage desk responsible for the journey and follow the baggage report instructions given at arrival. Where the contracting carrier and the carrier actually performing the flight differ, Montreal Convention rules can affect which carrier may be addressed. Keep every ticket, baggage tag and operating-carrier detail.
For the broader operating-carrier distinction, read our codeshare flights and passenger rights guide.
08 · FAQ
Common baggage-claim questions
Quick answers to the questions passengers most often face after a baggage problem.
Is a PIR the same as a compensation claim?
Not necessarily. A PIR or equivalent airport baggage report records the incident and is valuable evidence. You may still need to submit a separate written claim through the airline's baggage process.
Can I buy clothes and toiletries if my bag is delayed?
You may be able to recover reasonable, necessary expenses caused by baggage delay where the applicable liability rules are met. Keep itemised receipts and make proportionate purchases rather than assuming the maximum liability limit is available.
When is delayed baggage treated as lost?
Under Montreal Convention Article 17(3), if the carrier admits loss or checked baggage has not arrived after 21 days from the date it ought to have arrived, the passenger may enforce the rights flowing from the contract of carriage.
Does the 1,519 SDR limit apply per suitcase?
No. The current Montreal Convention baggage liability limit is per passenger, not per bag.
What if expensive items were in the bag?
The standard liability ceiling may be insufficient for high-value contents. The Convention provides for a higher limit where a qualifying special declaration of interest is made when handing checked baggage to the carrier and any supplementary sum requested is paid. Travel insurance may also be relevant depending on the policy.
Related guides
Understand the framework behind the claim
Use these guides when you need the treaty rules or the wider passenger-rights picture.
ICAO — 2024 Revised Limits of Liability Under the Montreal Convention 1999; Montreal Convention 1999, especially Articles 17, 22, 31 and 35; European Commission / Your Europe passenger-rights guidance. The currency equivalents shown above are dated, rounded orientation values and can change as SDR exchange rates move.
Keep the evidence before you close the case
Save the baggage report, tag, receipts, photos and airline correspondence together. If your flight was also delayed or cancelled, check that disruption separately: baggage liability and fixed flight compensation are different questions.
