Getting ready to fly from Charleroi: a checklist for the week before, the day before and the day

A week before: every traveller's documents

Start with whatever cannot be fixed the night before. The week-before point in this list is our own marker, not an official deadline: it leaves time to act if a document is a problem.

The Belgian Foreign Affairs ministry reminds travellers that every Belgian abroad must be able to show a valid identity card or passport, whatever their age. Children need a Kids-ID, an eID or a passport, even under 12 and even for a trip within the European Union.

An identity card is enough for some countries, while others require a passport, sometimes with a visa or an electronic travel authorisation. If no minimum validity is stated for your destination, the document must be valid for the whole stay. For travel outside the Union, the ministry advises keeping two blank pages in the passport. Details by destination are in our travel documents guide.

Also compare the name on the booking with the one on the document: the ministry advises writing it as printed in the passport. Ryanair accepts only a passport or a national identity card, not a driving licence or a birth certificate.

A week before: luggage, parking and assistance

Reread your booking to see which luggage it includes. The airport points out that each airline sets its own cabin and hold rules, and that you will pay a supplement at the airport, at the airline's rate, if you go over the limit. Sizes and weights by airline are in our cabin bag guide.

Book the parking now too. At the airport, P3, P4 and Lock Park are available only by online booking, according to its access page. Compare airport and private car parks on our car parks page, then keep the confirmation and its QR code on your phone.

If a traveller needs help getting around, request assistance from the airline or travel agent when booking, and at least 48 hours before departure. The airport's reduced-mobility service then takes over from the terminal entrance.

When to check in online with Ryanair, Wizz Air and Pegasus

Online check-in is free at Ryanair and Wizz Air, while the desk is charged. The windows differ, according to the airlines' pages consulted on 7 November 2026:

For Ryanair, a 24-hour window without a paid seat still circulates on travel sites, but the airline's help page states 72 hours. With a paid seat, both the outbound and return flights must fall within the 60 days to check in for both at once.

Wizz Air sells an automatic check-in: the airline checks you in 50 hours before departure and emails the boarding passes. It can be added up to 4 hours before the flight. Outside the Schengen area, you need to have entered your travel documents. For a child under 14, Wizz Air asks that a passenger over 16 checks them in online alongside themselves.

For Pegasus, the notice we read gives only closing times, with no year. Check the opening time in your booking.

The day before: boarding pass, liquids and departure time

Once checked in, keep your boarding pass to hand. Ryanair puts it in its app, and if you are checked in but cannot show it at the airport, the airline issues one free of charge. Wizz Air accepts the pass in the app, as a PDF or printed, but warns that some airports do not generate mobile passes, in which case you print it from its website. With a baby on your lap, Wizz Air asks you to print the infant's pass and show it at the gate.

Next, pack the liquids for your cabin bag. Charleroi airport allows them in containers of 100 ml at most, in a single clear zip-up bag of up to one litre and about 20 x 20 cm, one bag per passenger. Baby milk and food, and medicines needed during the flight, are allowed and tested at security.

Finally, work out when to leave home. Our Leave at tool starts from your flight and your town, and adds the car park and the shuttle. The margins to allow, and what changes at Ryanair on 10 November 2026, are covered in our guide on how early to arrive.

On the day: in what order?

• At the car park: show the booking or its QR code, then walk or take the shuttle to the terminal.
• In the terminal: check the screens for your departure terminal, as the airport asks, then go to your airline's desk if you have hold luggage.
• At the desk: at Wizz Air in Charleroi, it opens 150 minutes and closes 60 minutes before departure; at Ryanair, it closes 60 minutes before from 10 November 2026.
• At security: take out liquids, laptop and large electrical devices, remove your jacket and put your watch, belt, keys and phone in a tray.
• At the gate: the airport advises being there about 45 minutes before departure. Ryanair and Wizz Air close it 30 minutes before, Pegasus 20 minutes before.

With no hold luggage and already checked in, you go straight from the hall to security. The gate number appears on the airport screens and, for Ryanair, in the app. Keep your ID in hand until the gate: Wizz Air asks you to show the same documents there as at security.

The full list: when, what, where to check

Keep this list for your next trip, but reread the airlines' pages before each departure: Ryanair's deadlines change on 10 November 2026.

If a document is missing or causes a problem

Report a lost or stolen identity card or passport straight away to DOCSTOP, on 00800 2123 2123 or 0032 2 518 2123, according to the Belgian Foreign Affairs ministry. A photo of the document on your phone helps if it is lost, but does not replace it.

At Wizz Air, a pass marked NOT A BOARDING CARD or INVALID does not cancel the ticket: show it at the airport desk 3 hours before the flight for a document check, at no charge. Wizz Air also asks travellers with non-EU documents to go to the desk to have their pass stamped.

On the way back from Morocco with Ryanair, online check-in is still required, then you collect the boarding pass free of charge at the desk, which closes 60 minutes before departure at Moroccan airports. If you booked Ryanair through an online travel agent and must have the booking verified at the airport, Ryanair asks you to arrive 2 hours before the flight.