How the 90/180 rule works

Last updated October 26, 2026

If you visit Europe without a visa, or on a short-stay Schengen visa, you can spend at most 90 days in any 180-day period across all 29 Schengen countries together. Here is how that is counted. To skip the maths, use the Schengen calculator.

The rule in plain words

• Look back 180 days from today. Count every day you were in any Schengen country in that window. That number must never go above 90.
• Entry and exit days both count. Arriving at 11 pm still uses a full day. So does leaving at 6 am.
• All Schengen countries share one count. 30 days in France plus 30 in Spain is 60 days, not 30 and 30. See the list of Schengen countries.
• The window moves every day. Each morning the oldest day drops out, so days come back one at a time, 180 days after you used them.
• There is no reset. Leaving for a weekend does not restart the count.

Example 1: one long stay

• France: Jan 1 to Mar 31, 2026 · 90 days

Mar 31, 202690 of 90

90 D

All 90 days used. You have to leave today.

Jun 301 day free

89 D

January 1 has just left the window, so you can come back.

Sep 2790 of 90

90 D

A second 90-day stay, from Jun 30: each day added matched an old one dropping out.

JanMarMayJulSep

1. Jan 1 to Mar 31 is 90 days. 31 + 28 + 31. Arrival and departure days count, so on March 31 every day is used.
2. Your first day comes back on June 30. Each day leaves the window 180 days after you used it: January 1 + 180 days = June 30. That is the first day you can return.
3. Then 90 days again, until September 27. Every day you add, one of your old days drops out, so the count never passes 90. By September 27 the whole first stay has left the window.

Example 2: several trips

• France: May 5 to 30 · 26 days
• Portugal: Aug 1 to Sep 3 · 34 days
• Germany: since Oct 10 · 22 days so far

Today, Oct 3182 of 90

26 D 34 D 22 D

8 days unused in this window. That is not how long you can stay.

Dec 4, if you stay90 of 90

26 D 34 D 22 D +34 D

The France days have dropped out, so you can stay 34 more days, not 8.

MayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

1. Today you have used 82 days. 26 + 34 + 22, all inside the 180 days that end today (May 5 to October 31). 8 are unused.
2. Stay on, and your France days start to leave. May 5 + 180 days = November 1. From then until November 26, one France day drops out for each day you add, so your count holds at 82.
3. Your last day is December 4. After November 26 the count climbs one a day and reaches 90 on December 4: 34 more days after today. The calculator does this day-by-day count for you.

What does not count

• Days in non-Schengen countries such as the UK, Ireland, Cyprus, Albania, Serbia or Turkey.
• Days covered by a long-stay national visa (type D) or a residence permit for that country.
• EU and Schengen citizens, who are not limited at all.

Common mistakes

• "90 days in, 90 days out, then reset." Only true for one long stay. With several trips, days come back gradually.
• Counting by calendar months or by year. The window is always the 180 days ending on the day you check.
• Forgetting the travel days. Each arrival and departure day counts, which adds up quickly on many short trips.

Since April 10, 2026 the EU Entry/Exit System records every entry and exit digitally, so overstays are detected automatically. Read what happens if you overstay. The official source is the European Commission's short-stay calculator page.