Published 9 November 2026 | Updated 9 November 2026 by Kate Acaster
Vueling check in closes online 70 minutes before departure on most flights to or from the UK, and at the airport desk 60 minutes before. The desk opens 2 hours 20 minutes before. Online check in opens 24 hours before on basic Fly Light, with no seat or pack, and straight after booking on Fly.
Advertisement
When does Vueling check in open and close?
The UK column covers flights with a UK airport at one end, in either direction, because the UK is outside the Schengen Area. The Schengen column is for flights such as Barcelona to Rome. Exceptions are in the cells.
| Check-in step | Flights to or from the UK | Flights within Schengen |
|---|---|---|
| Online check in closes | 70 minutes before departure. 85 minutes departing Paris-Orly. 4 hours before at Birmingham and other airports on Vueling’s exceptions list | 50 minutes before departure. 70 minutes from Amsterdam. Some airports on the exceptions list close 4 hours before |
| Airport desk opens | 2 hours 20 minutes before departure | 2 hours before departure |
| Airport desk closes | 60 minutes before departure, or 75 minutes departing Paris-Orly | 40 minutes before departure, or 60 minutes at Amsterdam |
| Boarding gate | Be there 40 minutes before departure. The gate closes 20 minutes before | Be there 40 minutes before departure. The gate closes 20 minutes before |
When does Vueling online check in open?
It depends on the fare or booking type you chose. Fly Light with no seat or pack has the shortest window, at 24 hours. Choosing a seat opens it 15 days ahead. Vueling Club members, Vueling Holidays bookings and passengers who asked for assistance when booking can check in 7 days ahead, and Vueling doesn’t say which rule wins if one of them also holds a Fly fare. You also can’t check in straight after booking if the flight is more than a year away, according to the airline.
| Fare or booking type | Online check in opens |
|---|---|
| Fly Light, no seat and no pack | 24 hours before departure |
| Fly Light with a seat chosen | 15 days before departure |
| Fly Light with TimeFlex Pack or Baggage Pack | Straight after you complete the booking |
| Fly, Fly Grande or Fly Pro | Straight after you complete the booking |
| Club, Holidays or assistance at booking | 7 days before departure |
How to check in online with Vueling
You need your booking code, which is in your confirmation email. If you can’t find the email, you can resend it. You check in on the airline’s website.
- Enter your booking code on the website.
- Choose a seat if you want one. Vueling can only assign a free random seat if one is left. If they’ve run out, you either pay for a seat or collect a free one at the desk on the day.
- Save the boarding pass on your phone, or print it. You can also download it from My trips on a computer.
- If you aren’t checking a bag, go straight to security and the gate.
Vueling says a boarding pass on your phone avoids printing paper. It needs a QR code or barcode to open security and the gate, though. A pass without one isn’t valid, and Vueling says you’ll need to go to the desk for a new one. Make sure yours shows a code before you leave the house.
When you can’t check in online
Vueling says the airport desk is free if online check in doesn’t work for you. Some passengers can only get their boarding pass at the desk, according to its online check-in issues page.
- Passengers flying with a pet, or who have booked an extra seat.
- Passengers with a pending payment or a price lock.
- Passengers flying with sporting arms.
- Passengers whose resident status couldn’t be validated online, or who need their payment card holder’s identity checked.
- Passengers with additional documents, such as vaccination certificates or forms, that haven’t been checked.
- Minors flying without an adult from any Italian airport.
A passenger who wasn’t declared as a minor at booking has to use the desk or call Customer Services instead.
Bag drop, kiosks and gate fees
Vueling advises checking in online even if you have a bag to drop, then going to the desk only to hand it over. At some airports there’s also a self-service kiosk. Vueling’s kiosk page lists seven airports: Alicante, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Malaga, Paris-Orly, London Gatwick and Rome.
- At Alicante, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Paris-Orly and London Gatwick, you print your bag tag at the kiosk and drop the case yourself in the designated area by scanning the tag.
- At Malaga and Rome, you print the tag but still hand the bag to staff at a desk.
Vueling’s hand luggage page sets the gate fees. An underseat bag over 40x30x20cm is checked in at the gate for €60 to €75 per item and flight. Any piece over 55x40x20cm costs €110 to €140, and that fee also applies at the gate to any luggage you haven’t booked in advance.
Vueling checks oversized bags in at the gate, per item and per flight. Measure the packed bag before you leave home, so the fee never comes up.
“Online check in shuts 70 minutes before departure on most UK flights, but don’t treat that as your deadline if you’re dropping a bag. On most UK flights the desk shuts at 60 minutes, and you’re expected at the gate 40 minutes before departure.”
Kate Acaster, Chief Editor, Flight Tribe
Iberia and British Airways flights booked through Vueling
Check-in for Iberia and British Airways flights booked through Vueling is only available from 24 hours before departure, according to Vueling’s codeshare check-in page. The link then sends you to the operating airline’s website to get boarding passes, and seats are free. You can also check in at that airline’s desk on the day. On a connection where another airline flies one leg, go to the desk of the airline operating the first leg. For a booking through a travel agency, check with the agency directly.
Related Vueling guides
- Best carry-on bag for Vueling
- When Vueling releases flights and when it runs sales
- Gatwick terminals guide
- EU hand luggage rules for 2027
- Hand luggage size comparison
Vueling check in: FAQs
When does Vueling check in open?
It depends on your fare. On Fly Light with no seat or pack it opens 24 hours before departure, or 15 days before if you choose a seat. With a TimeFlex Pack or Baggage Pack, or on Fly, Fly Grande and Fly Pro, it opens straight after you complete the booking. Vueling Club members, Vueling Holidays bookings and passengers who asked for assistance when booking can check in 7 days ahead.
When does Vueling online check in close?
On most flights to or from the UK it closes 70 minutes before departure, or 85 minutes departing Paris-Orly. At Birmingham and other listed airports it closes 4 hours before. Within Schengen it closes 50 minutes before.
When does the Vueling check in desk close?
On flights to or from the UK it closes 60 minutes before departure, or 75 minutes departing Paris-Orly. Within Schengen it closes 40 minutes before, or 60 minutes at Amsterdam.
When does the Vueling check in desk open?
It opens 2 hours 20 minutes before departure on flights to or from the UK, and 2 hours before on flights within Schengen.
Do you need to print your Vueling boarding pass?
No. Vueling says a boarding pass saved on your phone is fine. It must show a QR code or barcode, or it won’t open security or the gate, and you’ll need to get a new one at the desk.
Does Vueling charge for a boarding pass at the airport?
Vueling says you can always get your boarding pass free of charge at the airport if you can’t check in online.
Does Vueling have check in kiosks at Gatwick?
Yes. Gatwick is one of seven airports with Vueling self-service kiosks. You print your bag tag there and drop the case yourself in the designated area by scanning the tag.
Kate Acaster is Chief Editor at Flight Tribe. She writes about practical travel planning, budget airlines, baggage rules, city breaks, beach holidays and good hotels that do not cost daft money.
Kate has travelled through Europe, South America and beyond, usually with a notebook, a half-formed plan and a strong opinion on airport snacks. At Flight Tribe, her work focuses on helping UK travellers understand what is included, what costs extra, and whether a trip is worth booking at the price shown.
How Kate works
Kate checks the details that can change the value of a trip, including cabin-bag rules, airline fees, hotel location, seasonality, travel dates and booking conditions. She is especially interested in offers that look useful on the surface but need a proper reader-first check before they are worth recommending.
Editorial standards
Flight Tribe covers deals and travel advice for readers first. Affiliate links do not decide whether an offer is worth writing about.
