Ryanair Carry-On Rules: Free Bag Size, Priority & Fees

Quick answer: Every Ryanair fare includes one small personal bag up to 40 × 30 × 20 cm that must fit under the seat in front of you. It is not a free overhead-bin suitcase. For a second bag in the overhead locker, Ryanair’s Priority & 2 Cabin Bags option includes a 10 kg cabin bag up to 55 × 40 × 20 cm.

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Last reviewed July 27, 2026. Ryanair baggage options and fees can change. Your booking and Ryanair’s current bag policy control for your flight.

Ryanair Carry-On Rules at a Glance

What Bag Is Free on Ryanair?

The free Ryanair allowance is one small personal bag, not an ordinary cabin suitcase. It must fit under the seat and remain within 40 × 30 × 20 centimeters. Ryanair describes suitable examples as a handbag or laptop bag. A compact backpack can also work, provided its packed exterior stays inside the sizer.

This distinction is where many travelers get caught. A carry-on roller, large duffel, expanded laptop bag, or travel backpack can look like a “small bag” in a photograph but still be too deep, tall, or wide for the free allowance. The bag needs to fit below the seat—not merely be light enough to carry.

Ryanair enlarged the free-bag sizer to 40 × 30 × 20 cm in 2025, but the bigger free size did not turn the allowance into a free overhead suitcase. Build the trip around a soft, rectangular personal-item bag and keep the outside pockets flat. That gives you the best chance of using the included allowance without a last-minute baggage decision.

Ryanair Small Bag Size: 40 × 30 × 20 cm

The 40 × 30 × 20 cm limit is roughly 15.7 × 11.8 × 7.9 inches. It is a useful under-seat size, but it is smaller than a typical airline carry-on. For perspective, a common U.S. carry-on target is 22 × 14 × 9 inches, while Ryanair’s free small bag is designed for under-seat space rather than the overhead locker.

Measure your packed bag, not the manufacturer’s “capacity” claim. Soft bags are especially easy to overfill. A backpack may be within the stated height and width while a full front pocket pushes the depth beyond 20 cm. If you want to use packing cubes, place them inside the bag and then measure the final shape; do not assume the bag stays at its listed dimensions after loading it.

The most reliable free-bag setup is a slim backpack or under-seat duffel with a structured rectangular profile. Put shoes at the bottom, roll clothing into a small packing cube, and reserve the top for electronics or a thin jacket. Keep passport, medication, wallet, phone, and chargers accessible so the bag remains useful throughout the airport.

Can I Take a Backpack on Ryanair for Free?

Yes, a backpack can be free on Ryanair if it fits within 40 × 30 × 20 cm and goes under the seat in front of you. The word “backpack” is not an allowance by itself. A small school-style or laptop backpack may fit; a tall travel pack, hiking pack, or bag with a bulky shoe compartment often will not.

Do not make the backpack appear larger by hanging a neck pillow, purse, shopping bag, or bottle pouch from its outside. Put small items inside before boarding. The simplest setup is one clearly compliant personal bag rather than several pieces that need to be interpreted at the gate.

When you are traveling for a weekend or a short European city break, the free small-bag allowance can be enough with disciplined packing. For a longer trip, it is usually better to decide in advance whether you need Priority with the extra cabin bag or a checked-bag service. That decision should follow your packing needs, not happen after a full-size suitcase is already in your hand.

Priority & 2 Cabin Bags: The Overhead-Bin Option

Ryanair’s Priority & 2 Cabin Bags option allows two bags on board: the same 40 × 30 × 20 cm small personal bag under the seat plus a second bag up to 55 × 40 × 20 cm and up to 10 kg in the overhead locker. Priority also uses the Priority Boarding queue at the gate.

Notice the second bag’s depth: 20 cm. Many mainstream carry-on suitcases are deeper than that once wheels, handles, and expansion panels are included. Do not assume a 20-inch or 22-inch suitcase will fit. Check the manufacturer’s complete exterior dimensions, including wheels, then compare every number with 55 × 40 × 20 cm. A narrow soft-sided cabin bag can be easier to use than a bulky spinner for this particular rule.

Priority is the correct choice only when you actually need the overhead bag on board. If your bag is 10 kg but you do not need cabin access, a 10 kg check-in bag is a different product: it goes to the hold at the bag-drop desk before security. Do not confuse “10 kg cabin bag” with “10 kg check-in bag”; they serve different travel plans.

Ryanair 10 kg, 20 kg, and 23 kg Checked Bags

Ryanair offers separate checked-baggage choices for travelers who need more than the cabin setup. The 10 kg check-in bag is dropped at the airport and travels in the hold. Its appeal is that it can be a lower-complexity option when you do not need clothing or larger toiletries during the flight.

For longer stays, Ryanair lists a 20 kg check-in bag option—up to three can be purchased on one booking—and a 23 kg check-in bag option, with one allowed per booking. The right answer depends on the trip length, route, and total price shown during booking. Avoid treating a checked bag as a last-minute afterthought; the airline’s current booking flow is where you should compare the actual price before travel.

Keep the cabin bag for essentials even when checking luggage. Documents, medication, a change of clothing, valuables, chargers, and items you will need immediately after landing should remain with you. A checked bag is useful for volume; the personal bag is your continuity plan.

How Strict Is Ryanair With Bag Size?

Plan for the sizer. Ryanair publicly states that bags must fit within the published dimensions, and its current policy says a bag that does not comply can be charged the checked-bag fee at the boarding gate. The practical lesson is not to travel with a bag that is technically possible only if it is half empty, compressed, or argued about.

Leave a margin in each dimension. A soft backpack packed to the zipper can bulge by several centimeters. A hard-shell suitcase often has wheel housings and corner protectors that make its real dimensions larger than the shell. If your bag is exactly 40 × 30 × 20 cm when empty, it is a risky free-bag choice after you fill it.

Do not rely on anecdotes that one traveler was not measured. Gate operations, aircraft space, airport staffing, and how the bag looks can vary. Your goal is a setup that remains easy to demonstrate as compliant: one bag, measured packed, with nothing hanging off it.

Ryanair Packing Strategy for a Personal-Item-Only Ticket

1. Choose a bag that is comfortably below 40 × 30 × 20 cm, not exactly at it.
2. Wear your bulkiest shoes and outer layer instead of packing them.
3. Use one packing cube for clothes and one small clear pouch for toiletries.
4. Keep liquids within the security rules at the airport where you depart.
5. Put documents, medication, phone, wallet, chargers, and valuables in an easy-access pocket.
6. Place a purse, shopping bag, or small accessory inside the main personal bag before boarding.
7. Measure the packed bag at home and again after the return-trip shopping.

What Is Not Allowed in a Ryanair Carry-On?

Ryanair baggage size rules and airport security rules are not the same thing. A bag can fit the sizer but contain an item security will not permit in the cabin. Check the rules at your departure airport and Ryanair’s current dangerous-goods guidance before travel, especially if you are carrying batteries, liquids, medicines, sports equipment, or a specialized device.

As a basic safety rule, do not pack weapons, explosives, flammable materials, or dangerous chemicals in carry-on luggage. Standard liquids, aerosols, and gels need to meet the security-screening rules where you depart. Spare lithium batteries and power banks should remain in the cabin when permitted and should be protected against short circuit; do not pack them in a checked bag you might hand over at the gate.

Ryanair Infant and Family Baggage

Ryanair’s policy has a separate rule for infants traveling on an adult’s lap. There is no standard cabin-bag allowance for the infant, but the airline permits a baby bag up to 5 kg and 45 × 35 × 20 cm, as well as two baby-equipment items free per child. The adult still needs to follow the allowance attached to their own fare.

Families should avoid assuming a diaper bag is automatically outside the normal bag count. Read the booking and the current policy before travel, keep vital baby supplies accessible, and confirm any equipment arrangement in advance. This is one area where the official rule is more useful than generic “family travel” advice.

FAQ: Ryanair Carry-On Rules

What size bag is free on Ryanair?

Every fare includes one small personal bag up to 40 × 30 × 20 cm that must fit under the seat in front of you.

Can I take a backpack on Ryanair for free?

Yes, if the packed backpack fits within 40 × 30 × 20 cm and goes under the seat. A large travel or hiking backpack is unlikely to qualify as the free bag.

Does Ryanair allow a free carry-on suitcase?

No. The included bag is the small under-seat personal bag. A larger overhead-bin cabin bag requires Priority & 2 Cabin Bags or another applicable baggage option.

What size is the Ryanair Priority 10 kg cabin bag?

The second cabin bag allowed with Priority is up to 55 × 40 × 20 cm and up to 10 kg. It goes in the overhead locker.

Can I bring a handbag as well as my Ryanair small bag?

The safest approach is to put the handbag inside the one small personal bag before boarding. You should plan around one free bag that fits under the seat.

Is the 10 kg Ryanair bag checked or cabin baggage?

Ryanair offers both. Priority includes a 10 kg cabin bag for the overhead locker, while the separate 10 kg check-in bag is dropped at bag check and travels in the hold.

What happens if my Ryanair bag is too big?

A bag that does not fit the applicable allowance may be charged the checked-bag fee at the boarding gate. Measure it packed and leave room below the maximum.

Does Ryanair weigh the free small bag?

The key published rule for the free small bag is that it fits within 40 × 30 × 20 cm and under the seat. For a Priority second cabin bag, the stated maximum is 10 kg; follow the exact allowance in your booking.

Final Verdict

Ryanair is simple when you match the bag to the ticket. The free option is one 40 × 30 × 20 cm under-seat bag. The overhead option is Priority plus a 10 kg bag up to 55 × 40 × 20 cm. Measure the packed bag, do not confuse cabin and checked 10 kg services, and choose the add-on before travel instead of hoping a standard suitcase will pass as the free bag.

For other strict European airline rules, continue to our easyJet carry-on rules, international carry-on rules guide, and full airline rules center.