EU261 · enforcement
Claiming against an airline in Portugal
The compensation rules are identical across the EU — that is the point of a Regulation. What changes at the border is the deadline, the regulator and the court.
Time limit
3 years
Portuguese civil period, as applied to EU261 claims
Court route
Julgado de paz
Used only after the airline and the regulator.
TAP Air Portugal home regulator.
The order to do it in
- Write to the airline, quoting Article 7 and the flight. Free.
- Wait 28 days.
- Complain to ANAC — Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil if refused. Still free.
- Julgado de paz if that fails.
- A claims service only once the free routes are exhausted.
Questions
How long do I have to claim flight compensation in Portugal?
3 years. Portuguese civil period, as applied to EU261 claims.
Who enforces air passenger rights in Portugal?
ANAC — Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil. Complaining to them is free and does not stop you going to court afterwards.
Which court hears flight compensation claims in Portugal?
Julgado de paz.
If you would rather not do this yourself
Everything above is the free route, and it works. If you want the claim off your plate, a no-win-no-fee service will run it — including the court stage in this country if it comes to that — and take a percentage only if it pays out.
Compensair takes 25–35%, AirHelp 35–50% if court action is needed. Both work no-win-no-fee. Affiliate links; your fee is unchanged either way.