The Schengen 90/180 rule, explained
Updated 20 October 2026 · 6 minute read
In short: visitors from outside the EU can spend up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen Area. The 180 days are counted back from every single day of your stay, so the window moves with you. All Schengen countries share one count.
What “any 180-day period” means
There is no fixed period that starts on 1 January or on your first entry. On every day you are in the Schengen Area, look back over the 180 days ending that day, that day included. If those 180 days hold more than 90 days in Schengen, you are over the limit.
Because the window moves one day at a time, each day you spent in Schengen leaves the window exactly 180 days later. Nothing ever resets all at once.
Which days count
- Arrival and departure days both count as full days, however short. A Friday-to-Sunday weekend is 3 days.
- Every Schengen country counts towards the same 90. A week in France and a week in Spain are two weeks of one allowance.
- Day trips count as one day each, even a few hours in Switzerland or Monaco.
- Airport transit without passing passport control does not count as entering.
Which countries are in the Schengen Area
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland: 29 countries. Bulgaria and Romania became full members in 2025.
Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City are not members, but have no border checks with their neighbours, so days there are treated as days in the Schengen Area. Ireland and Cyprus are in the EU but not in Schengen, and the United Kingdom, Andorra, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro and Türkiye are outside it.
Enter a day later, stay a month longer
You spent 1–30 June in Italy. On 29 September you still have 60 days left, because June is inside the 180 days ending that day.
| Entry date | Days left that day | Longest stay | Leave by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 September | 60 | 60 days | 26 November |
| 29 September | 60 | 90 days | 27 December |
Why the difference? Entering on 29 September, from 28 November each new day of your stay pushes one June day out of the window, so your count stays at 90 instead of rising. Entering one day earlier, day 61 of the stay would be day 91 in a window that still holds all of June.
That is why two neighbouring dates can allow very different stays, and why counting by hand so often goes wrong.
Who the rule applies to
The rule applies to non-EU citizens on short stays, whether you travel visa-free (for example with a US, UK, Canadian or Australian passport) or with a short-stay Schengen visa. It does not apply to EU, EEA or Swiss citizens. Days covered by a residence permit or a national long-stay (D) visa do not count in the country that issued it, although days elsewhere in Schengen usually still do.
EES and ETIAS
Since April 2026, the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) records every entry and exit at the external border digitally, replacing passport stamps. Border guards see your exact number of days, so overstays are detected automatically. Overstaying can mean a fine, an entry ban and problems on future trips. ETIAS, an online travel authorisation for visa-free visitors, has not started yet and does not change the 90/180 rule.
How to stay on the right side of the rule
- Keep a complete record of every Schengen day, including arrival and departure days.
- Before you book, check how long you can stay from your planned entry date, not just your days left today.
- Keep boarding passes and bookings in case you need to prove your dates.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules can change and individual situations differ, so check the official sources, such as the European Commission's short-stay calculator, for your case.