At a glance
What should you do if your bag does not arrive?
Go to the airline's baggage services desk before you leave the baggage hall, and report it. You will get a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) with a reference number, which is how the bag is traced and how you follow its progress. Describe the bag in detail.
Emirates asks you to go to the baggage services desk, usually in the customs hall near the reclaim belts, and complete a Property Irregularity Report; the PIR's reference, 10 or 11 letters and numbers above your name on the receipt, is what it uses to trace the bag and what you use to check its status[1]. Give as much detail as you can: colour, brand and any identifying marks[1]. flydubai asks for the same, at the baggage services desk of your arrival airport, straight away[3], and the UK CAA gives the same advice for any airline[9].
At Dubai International, checked baggage is handled by your airline, not the airport, so the airline is the one to contact[4]. If your journey used more than one airline, flydubai asks you to report a delayed or damaged bag to the final carrier, the one that operated the last flight[3].
How do you follow a delayed bag?
With the PIR reference, in the airline's app or online tracker. Emirates says tracing can take up to 21 days when several airlines are involved, and asks for a Baggage Inventory Form listing the contents. flydubai asks you to update the contents after three days and fill in a claim form after five.
- Emirates: its app's baggage tracker shows where a bag is and, if it is delayed, gives you the PIR reference[2]. Tracing can take up to 21 days, and you complete a Baggage Inventory Form, which cannot be edited once submitted[1].
- flydubai: if the bag has not been found three days after your flight, update its contents in Manage your delayed bag report for a secondary search; after five days, complete the baggage inventory and claim form[3].
- Delivery: both airlines deliver a found bag where local rules allow, subject to customs; where they do not, you collect it at the airport[1][3].
What are the deadlines for a claim?
Seven days for a damaged bag and 21 days from receiving a delayed one, in writing. Those limits come from the Montreal Convention, and the European Commission and the UK CAA give the same; Emirates uses the same windows, and flydubai the same seven days for damage. Keep copies of what you send.
Claim deadlines for checked baggage
| Problem | EU and UK regulators | Emirates | flydubai |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damaged bag, or items missing | Within 7 days[8][9] | Before you leave the airport, or online within 7 days of receiving the bag[1] | Within 7 days of receiving the bag[3] |
| Delayed bag | Within 21 days of receiving it[8][9] | Within 21 days of receiving it, with receipts[1] | Report at the airport; claim form after 5 days missing[3] |
| Lost bag | Within 7 days[8] | Emirates contacts you to arrange compensation once the bag is declared lost[1] | Not stated separately |
The European Commission says claims must be made in writing[8]. The 7- and 21-day limits are those of Article 31 of the Montreal Convention, the treaty that governs an airline's liability for baggage on international flights[10]. The US Department of Transportation says most airlines declare a bag lost between five and fourteen days after the flight, varying by airline[11].
What can you claim for?
For a delayed bag, essentials you had to buy, such as toiletries and underwear, with receipts. For lost or damaged bags, the value of what was lost, usually depreciated rather than new. Airlines exclude some things: flydubai, for example, accepts no liability for valuables, fragile or perishable items in checked bags.
- Delayed bags: the UK CAA says airlines usually pay back essentials such as toiletries, underwear and laundry costs, and some pay a daily rate; you need receipts or other proof, and airlines apply depreciation rather than replacement value[9]. Emirates asks for receipts for essential clothing and toiletries[1].
- Liability: the European Commission says the airline is liable for checked bags, except where the damage comes from a defect in the bag itself, and for hand luggage only if it caused the damage[8].
- Exclusions: flydubai accepts no liability for valuables, fragile or perishable items in checked baggage, minor wear such as scratches and dents, or water damage to bags that are not waterproof[3].
- Bag fees in the US: on flights to, from or within the US, you are owed a refund of a checked-bag fee if the bag is lost, or significantly delayed: 12 hours for domestic flights, and 15 or 30 hours for international flights of up to or over 12 hours[11].
The CAA notes that a travel insurance claim can sometimes pay more than an airline, which may not cover the true cost of what you lost[9]. Buy cover from a licensed insurer where you live; we do not sell, arrange or advise on insurance.
What if you lose something at Dubai International?
For a checked bag, go to your airline. For something left on board or in the terminal, Dubai Airports has a lost item form. Emirates says that, once you are through customs, its Baggage Services in Arrivals handles items left on its aircraft or premises, and Dubai Airports' Lost and Found at Arrivals exit 1 the rest of the airport.
Dubai Airports' lost and found page separates the two: checked baggage is managed by your airline, while hand luggage lost on board or in the airport is reported on its lost item form[4]. Emirates says that, after customs, items lost on its aircraft, in its lounges, offices or transport go to Emirates Baggage Services in Arrivals next to Boots Pharmacy, and items lost anywhere else in the airport to the Dubai Airports Lost and Found Property Office at Arrivals exit 1[1].
Most bags do arrive: Dubai Airports reported 2.47 mishandled bags per 1,000 guests in 2025, and said 89% of arriving bags reached guests ending their journey at DXB within 45 minutes[6].
How can you make a bag easier to trace?
Take old tags off, secure the straps, and know what your bag looks like. Keep the bag-tag receipt. Pack your passport and anything you need on board in your hand luggage, as Sharjah Airport advises, and keep valuables out of checked bags: flydubai, for one, accepts no liability for them.
- Remove tags from past trips, which can confuse the scanners, and secure loose straps[5].
- Know what your bag looks like, and keep your baggage receipts so it can be identified at your destination[7].
- Pack your passport, and anything you need on board, in your hand luggage[7]; flydubai does not accept liability for valuables in checked bags[3].
- Use the airline's app to follow the bag from check-in; Emirates' tracker shows each step[2].
Questions travellers ask
When is a delayed bag treated as lost?
It varies by airline, but there is a legal backstop: under the Montreal Convention you can treat a checked bag as lost if it has not arrived 21 days after it should have[10]. The US Department of Transportation says most airlines declare a bag lost between five and fourteen days after the flight[11]; Emirates says tracing can take up to 21 days and it contacts you if a bag is declared lost[1].
How long do I have to claim for a damaged suitcase?
Seven days, in writing, under the Montreal Convention[10], as the European Commission and the UK CAA set out[8][9]; Emirates and flydubai also give seven days[1][3].
Can I claim for things I had to buy while my bag was delayed?
Usually, for essentials such as toiletries and underwear, with receipts; claim within 21 days of getting the bag back[9][1].
I flew two airlines. Which one do I report a missing bag to?
flydubai asks you to report it to the final carrier, the airline that operated the last flight[3].
I left something on the plane at Dubai airport. What now?
Use Dubai Airports' lost item form for items left in the terminal[4]. For items left on an Emirates aircraft, go to Emirates Baggage Services in Arrivals if you are still at the airport, or use Emirates' lost property form once you have left[1].
Sources
The desk opened each source on the date shown. Rules, fees and timetables change: check the official source before you travel.
- [1]Baggage and lost property (FAQ) — Emirates. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [2]Contactless journey — Emirates. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [3]Delayed or damaged baggage — flydubai. Accessed 26 September 2026
- [4]Lost & found — Dubai Airports. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [5]Baggage — Dubai Airports. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [6]DXB sets global benchmark as record traffic become the norm (11 February 2026) — Dubai Airports Media Centre. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [7]Baggage Policy — Sharjah Airport. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [8]Air passenger rights — European Commission (Your Europe). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [9]Lost, delayed or damaged baggage — UK Civil Aviation Authority. Accessed 26 September 2026
- [10]Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air (Montreal, 28 May 1999) — EUR-Lex. Accessed 29 September 2026
- [11]Refunds — US Department of Transportation. Accessed 25 September 2026
Corrections
- : An earlier version said our insurance desk could set out what a policy covers. We do not sell, arrange or advise on insurance. The article now also names the Montreal Convention, the source of the 7- and 21-day limits.
Published 26 September 2026 · Updated 29 September 2026
Seen something wrong or out of date? Write to trade@nwp.ae and the desk will check it against the source.
