Two different kinds of stay
A short stay, covered by the 90/180-day rule, is a visit of up to 90 days within any 180-day period, either visa-free or on a short-stay Schengen visa. A longer stay needs a different document. Visas for stays exceeding 90 days are subject to national procedures: the country you plan to live in decides on the application under its own rules.
| Short stay | Long stay | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | Up to 90 days in any 180 days | More than 90 days |
| Document | No visa, or a Schengen short-stay visa | A national long-stay (D-type) visa or a residence permit |
| Where you apply | Common Schengen visa rules | The country you will stay in |
| 90/180-day rule | Applies | Does not apply |
| Entered in this calculator | Yes | No |
What the Commission says about residence permits and long-stay visas
Holders of an EU residence permit or long-stay visa are not subject to the 90/180-day rule, because these documents allow a stay of more than 90 days. Periods of stay authorised under them shall not be taken into account in the calculation, and their entries and exits are not put into the Commission’s calculator.
A short stay before or after
Time spent visiting on a visa-free basis is still a short stay and counts as one. If you arrive on a long-stay visa, those days do not count towards the 90. A separate short trip in the Schengen area, before the long-stay visa starts or after it ends, is entered like any other short stay.
EES and ETIAS
The Entry/Exit System does not apply to holders of residence permits and long-stay visas. ETIAS, when it starts, will not replace a visa or residence permit: it covers short stays only. For study of more than 90 days a student visa is needed, and anyone planning a longer stay will most likely need a long-term visa.
Short-stay visas shorter than 90 days
A short-stay visa sticker shows the authorised period. If it is shorter than 90 days, that period is the limit, and the Commission advises against using its calculator. A Schengen visa is generally valid for every country in the Schengen area.
Use the calculator on the home page to count your own stays.
Updated: 4 November 2026