What the rule says
Non-EU nationals who visit the Schengen area without a long-stay document can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period. This is called a short stay. Travellers can enter as many times as they like, but the days add up across all visits.
The 180 days are not a fixed block of the calendar. Instead you count back 180 days from each day of your stay and make sure the total does not go above 90. That check applies on the day you enter, on every day of the trip, and on the day of any border check.
Entry and exit days
The date of entry is the first day of stay and the date of exit is the last day of stay. Both count, whatever time of day you cross the border.
One period for all countries
The 90 days are shared. Time in France, Spain and Italy is added together as a single period for all the European countries using the EES, not counted country by country.
A break of 90 days
After a stay of 90 days and an absence of 90 uninterrupted days, a new stay for up to 90 days is possible. A shorter break gives back only the days that have left the window, one day for each day that passes once the oldest counted day is more than 180 days back.
Example 1: one early day, then a long stay
A traveller visits for one day on 1 January 2024. They enter again on 1 June 2024. On 14 June the window (18 December 2023 to 14 June 2024) holds 1 + 14 = 15 days. On 29 August 2024 the window runs from 3 March 2024 and holds the 90 days from 1 June to 29 August. The January day is already outside it. 29 August is the last day they can be there.
Example 2: three trips and a return
| Trip | Dates in 2024 | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 January – 10 January | 10 |
| 2 | 1 March – 30 March | 30 |
| 3 | 1 May – 9 June | 40 |
On 19 June the window holds 80 days, so 10 days are left. From 29 June each day drops one of the January days out of the window, which gives 10 more days. The longest uninterrupted stay starting on 19 June is 20 days, ending on 8 July. Someone who waits until 7 August can also stay at most 20 days, because the 30-day March stay only leaves the window on 28 August, so they have to leave on 26 August.
Stays that do not count
- Periods under a residence permit or a long-stay visa are not taken into account in the calculation.
- Stays in Cyprus and Ireland are not counted, because they are not part of the Schengen area without internal borders.
- Short stays in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland count, because they belong to the Schengen area.
Visa holders
Anyone with a short-stay visa should look at the period of authorised stay printed on the visa sticker. If it is shorter than 90 days, the sticker sets the limit. The visa and the 90/180 rule apply together.
Use the calculator on the home page to count your own stays.
Updated: 4 November 2026