Ryanair

Ryanair Personal Item Size (2026)

Q: Is the Ryanair personal item free on Basic?

Yes. Basic includes 1 small cabin bag that must fit under the seat, with no additional baggage allowance. The 10kg overhead bag is extra (Priority) or included on Regular / Flexi Plus / Time Saver, not on Basic.

Q: Can I take a backpack as my Ryanair personal item?

Official examples are a handbag or laptop bag. A backpack is fine if packed it fits 40 × 30 × 20 cm and the 42 × 20 × 30 cm sizer under the seat. Ryanair does not publish a separate backpack exception.

Q: Does Ryanair Plus include a bigger personal item?

No. Plus still includes the same small under-seat bag. The bundle’s extra bag is a 20kg check-in bag, not a larger cabin personal item.

Q: What’s the difference between Ryanair personal item and cabin bag?

Ryanair uses small personal / small cabin bag for the free under-seat item (40 × 30 × 20 cm). The second bag is the 10kg cabin bag (55 × 40 × 20 cm) in the locker, only with Priority & 2 Cabin Bags. Match Ryanair’s wording first; US “carry-on vs personal item” labels are a translation, not Ryanair’s printed names.

Q: What if my small bag doesn’t fit the Ryanair sizer?

Help Centre: it can be refused or put in the hold for a fee in the Table of Fees / Regulations. You may have to leave it at the steps or the gate trolley. Buy Priority before you travel if you actually have a 55×40×20 trolley.

Ryanair’s free personal item is a small bag 40×30×20 cm under the seat on every fare. Sizer 42×20×30 cm. Plus does not add an overhead trolley. Last verified 2026-09-17.

Quick answer

Ryanair includes one small personal bag, 40 × 30 × 20 cm, free on every fare, and it must fit under the seat (handbag or laptop bag in Bag Policy examples). The official small-bag sizer is 42 × 20 × 30 cm. Fare-bundle pages write the same bag as 40 × 20 × 30 cm (same three numbers). There is no published kg limit for this small bag. A 55 × 40 × 20 cm / 10kg bag is not the personal item; that is the Priority overhead cabin bag. Plus still only includes this small bag in the cabin (the extra bag is 20kg in the hold). Fail the sizer and Ryanair may refuse the bag or put it in the hold for a fee. Confirm sizes and fees on ryanair.com before you fly.

Last verified

Last verified: 2026-09-17

Official sources:

How we verify: We only publish what these official pages say. See how BagRule verifies.

Table

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Field	Value	Source (opened 2026-09-17)
Official max (primary)	40 × 30 × 20 cm	Bag Policy; DAC T&C 8.3.1; Regulations 3.1
Fare-bundle axis order	40 × 20 × 30 cm	Fare bundles
Sizer	42 × 20 × 30 cm	DAC Regulations 3.1
Placement	Under the seat in front of you	Bag Policy; fare Basic copy
Cost	Free — all fares	Fees table “Small Bag Free / Free”; Bag Policy “all fares”
Weight	Not published	Bag Policy / DAC 8.3.1 silent
Examples (official)	Handbag or laptop bag	Bag Policy
If oversized	Refused at gate or hold for a Table of Fees / Regulations fee	Gate oversize
10kg cabin contrast	55 × 40 × 20 cm, 10kg, overhead	Bag Policy; DAC 8.3.2
Infant on lap	No small-bag allowance for the infant; adult may carry a baby bag up to 5kg, 45 × 35 × 20 cm plus own small bag	Bag Policy Infant; Regulations 3.1 / 4.2
Duty-free	Extra bag of duty-free items permitted along with cabin bags	DAC 8.3.5
Converted inches	≈ 15.7 × 11.8 × 7.9 in for 40×30×20	Converted — not published

Do not use: Malta Air T&C 8.3.1 40 × 20 × 25 cm (opened today on the Malta Air tab). Ryanair DAC gb/en is 40 × 30 × 20 cm.

Wheels/handles: not specified. Sizer fit when packed.

Free vs paid

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Fare	This small bag	Overhead 10kg	Hold
Basic	Free — that’s the only cabin bag	Paid Priority add-on	Paid
Regular	Free	Included	Paid
Plus	Free (still the only cabin bag)	Not included	1 × 20kg included
Family Plus	Free	Not included	10kg check-in each + 20kg family bag
Flexi Plus / Time Saver	Free	Included	Paid unless added

Priority add-on on a Basic ticket = keep this small bag and take the 10kg trolley.
If Priority sold out = small bag still comes onboard; extra 10kg is check-in, not under the seat.
Power banks / spare lithium batteries: on your person or in this under-seat bag, not in an overhead cabin bag (DAC 8.4.3). Useful gotcha on this leaf.

Gotchas

This is not the 55×40×20 trolley. Basic flyers packing a cabin suitcase will fail the sizer.
Plus does not enlarge the cabin bag. The “extra” bag goes to bag drop.
40×30×20 vs 40×20×30 is axis order, not two sizes. Sizer 42×20×30 is what the gate uses.
Soft bags expand. Measure packed.
No published small-bag kg. A “10kg personal item” blog is usually mixing in the trolley weight. Treat that claim with caution.
Infant has no small bag; 5kg baby bag is extra for the adult.
40×20×25 on some older/other-AOC T&Cs is not DAC Effective 25 June 2026.
Duty-free is additional. It is not a loophole to skip the sizer on the personal item.
Gate hold fee is real money. Cross-link the fees sibling; Ryanair does not publish a separate named “personal item surcharge.”

Traveler caution: If it doesn’t sit under the seat on Basic, it isn’t free. Measure packed. Confirm on ryanair.com before you fly. Do not copy US personal-item inches onto Ryanair.

VERIFY (unpublished or conflicting on official pages opened 2026-09-17):

VERIFY: Small-bag weight unpublished.
VERIFY: Whether a backpack is listed anywhere beyond “handbag or laptop bag” — only sizer fit is safe.
VERIFY: Malta Air 40×20×25 if operated carrier ≠ Ryanair DAC.
VERIFY: Gate £ row that applies when the small bag (not a 55 cm trolley) fails the sizer — Help Centre points to “Regulations / Table of Fees” without a dedicated “small bag fail” £ line. Don’t invent one; point to the live table + sizer article.

FAQ

What is the Ryanair personal item / small bag size?
Official Bag Policy and Ryanair DAC T&Cs (Effective 25 June 2026): 40 × 30 × 20 cm, under the seat. Fare-bundle pages list 40 × 20 × 30 cm (same three measurements). Small-bag sizers measure 42 × 20 × 30 cm. No kg limit is published for this bag on those pages.

Is the Ryanair personal item free on Basic?
Yes. Basic includes 1 small cabin bag that must fit under the seat, with no additional baggage allowance. The 10kg overhead bag is extra (Priority) or included on Regular / Flexi Plus / Time Saver, not on Basic.

Can I take a backpack as my Ryanair personal item?
Official examples are a handbag or laptop bag. A backpack is fine if packed it fits 40 × 30 × 20 cm and the 42 × 20 × 30 cm sizer under the seat. Ryanair does not publish a separate backpack exception.

Does Ryanair Plus include a bigger personal item?
No. Plus still includes the same small under-seat bag. The bundle’s extra bag is a 20kg check-in bag, not a larger cabin personal item.

What’s the difference between Ryanair personal item and cabin bag?
Ryanair uses small personal / small cabin bag for the free under-seat item (40 × 30 × 20 cm). The second bag is the 10kg cabin bag (55 × 40 × 20 cm) in the locker, only with Priority & 2 Cabin Bags. Match Ryanair’s wording first; US “carry-on vs personal item” labels are a translation, not Ryanair’s printed names.

What if my small bag doesn’t fit the Ryanair sizer?
Help Centre: it can be refused or put in the hold for a fee in the Table of Fees / Regulations. You may have to leave it at the steps or the gate trolley. Buy Priority before you travel if you actually have a 55×40×20 trolley.

Disclaimer

Fees, fare bundles, and size rules change. Confirm the latest limits and live bag prices on official Ryanair pages before you travel. BagRule is an independent publisher and is not affiliated with Ryanair.