The Schengen 90/180 rule, explained

What the rule says

The rule comes from Article 6 of the Schengen Borders Code, the EU regulation that governs the area's external borders. Visitors may stay for no more than 90 days in any 180-day period, and the law says this means looking at the 180 days before each day of your stay.

Two words in that sentence do most of the work. "Any" means the 180 days aren't a fixed half-year that starts on 1 January or on the day you first arrive. The window moves: every day, it's that day and the 179 days before it. And "each day of your stay" means the check applies on every single day you're in the area, not just the day you arrive.

Who it applies to

The rule is for short-stay visitors from outside the EU: for example Americans, Britons, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders traveling for holidays, family visits or business trips. Since Brexit, British citizens are in the same position as other non-EU visitors.

Time you spend under a national long-stay visa or residence permit doesn't count in the country that issued it. That's a big exception if you're moving to Europe, and it has its own traps: see long-stay visas and residence permits.

Which countries share the count

There are 29 Schengen countries, and they all share one count. Days in France, Italy and Spain add up together; leaving one Schengen country for another doesn't restart anything.

• 25 EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
• 4 countries outside the EU: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Bulgaria and Romania became full members on 1 January 2025, but their air and sea borders opened on 31 March 2024, so days there count from that date. Ireland and Cyprus are in the EU but not in Schengen. Monaco, San Marino, the Vatican and Andorra are special cases. All of these are covered in microstates, Cyprus, Ireland, Bulgaria and Romania.

How a day counts

• The day you arrive and the day you leave both count in full, whatever time you cross. A late-night arrival still uses a whole day.
• A day trip counts as one day.
• Nothing resets when you leave. Days drop out of the window one at a time, 180 days after you spent them.

There's more detail, with longer worked examples, in how Schengen days are counted.

Common mistakes

• "I get 90 days per country." No: one count covers all 29 countries.
• "The count resets every six months" or "on 1 January". No: the window rolls forward one day at a time. The 180 days aren't calendar months either.
• "I only need to check on the day I arrive." No: every day of the stay has to pass the check. A trip that's fine when you land can go over part-way through if you stay too long.
• "A quick hop to the UK resets my stay." No: leaving pauses the count, but the days you've used stay in your window until they're 180 days old.

Special cases

ETIAS, the EU's planned pre-travel authorization for visa-free visitors, had not started when we reviewed this guide. The EU's own ETIAS site says it is not in operation, that no applications are being taken, and that the start date will be announced several months beforehand; none had been. The fee has been set at EUR 20. When it arrives, it will be a permission to travel. It won't change how your days are counted.

Checking your own days

The EU publishes its own short-stay calculator, and since April 2026 the Entry/Exit System has an official check of how long you can stay (see our EES guide). Our free calculator follows the same rule and shows your days used, days left, your next day back and whether a planned trip fits. To keep your trips and get a warning before you run short, create a free account. Plus adds two adults and your children.

Not legal advice. This guide explains the published rules as we understand them on the date above. Rules and how they're applied change, and border officers make the final decision. Check the official sources below, and get professional advice for your own situation.