The 90/180 rule for UK citizens

Last updated October 26, 2026

Since Brexit, British citizens visiting the Schengen Area follow the same short-stay rule as other visa-free visitors: no more than 90 days in every 180 days, across all 29 Schengen countries together. This guide explains how the UK citizens 90/180 rule works, what catches people out, and how to stay longer legally. To check your own dates, use the free Schengen calculator.

What changed after Brexit

Until the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31, 2020, British citizens had free movement in the EU. Since January 1, 2021 they have been treated like other non-EU visitors. GOV.UK puts it simply: your total stay in the Schengen area must be no more than 90 days in every 180 days. Holiday homes, second homes and long winter stays are all covered by the same limit.

If you also hold a passport from an EU country, travel on that passport and the 90-day limit does not apply to you. If you lived in an EU country before 2021 and have residence rights there under the Withdrawal Agreement, your time in that country is not limited by the 90 days either.

How the 90/180 rule is counted

• One shared count. Days in Spain, France, Greece and every other Schengen country add up together. It is not 90 days per country.
• Look back 180 days. On any day, count the days you spent in Schengen in the last 180 days, including today. The total must not go above 90.
• Travel days count. The day you fly out and the day you fly home are both full days.
• No reset. Popping home to the UK does not restart the clock. Days come back one at a time, 180 days after you used them.

Example. You spend April 1 to 14 in Spain (14 days) and June 10 to 19 in Greece (10 days). By August 20 you have used 24 days in the last 180, so a month in Portugal from August 20 to September 19 (31 days) brings you to 55, well inside the limit. A longer winter stay later in the year would need its own check, because those spring and summer days stay in your window for 180 days. The guide to how the 90/180 rule works walks through more examples.

Ireland and Cyprus are different

Ireland is not in Schengen. British and Irish citizens share the Common Travel Area, and GOV.UK notes that the Schengen rules do not apply to travelling and working in Ireland. Days in Ireland never count toward your 90.

Cyprus is in the EU but not in Schengen. According to GOV.UK, you can stay up to 90 days in a 180-day period in Cyprus without a visa. That is a separate count, so days in Cyprus do not use up your Schengen days. See the full list of Schengen countries.

Passport rules for British travellers

GOV.UK's entry requirements pages set out two conditions for Schengen countries. Your passport must have a date of issue less than 10 years before the date you arrive, and an expiry date at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave. Check the issue date as well as the expiry date: some older British passports were issued with extra months added, so they can be more than 10 years old before they expire.

At the border

Border officers can ask you to show a return or onward ticket, prove you have enough money for your stay, show proof of where you are staying and, in some countries, proof of travel insurance. Keep these to hand on your phone.

Since April 10, 2026 the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) is fully running. On your first trip you register your fingerprints and a photo, which is free. Your entries and exits are then recorded digitally instead of with passport stamps, and the system detects overstays automatically. ETIAS, a future online travel authorisation, will also apply to British visitors but has no confirmed start date yet. Read ETIAS and EES in 2026.

Staying longer than 90 days

To spend more than 90 days in 180 in a Schengen country, you need that country's permission, usually a national long-stay visa or a residence permit, applied for under its own rules. GOV.UK notes that time spent in a country with its residence permit or long-stay visa does not count towards your 90-day visa-free limit there. Some kinds of work, even on short trips, also need a visa or permit, so check the GOV.UK entry requirements page for the country you are visiting.

Mistakes British travellers make

• Counting each country separately. A month in France and two months in Spain is 90 days in total, not two separate allowances.
• Assuming a trip home resets the count. It does not. Only time passing brings days back.
• Forgetting short breaks. A long weekend in Amsterdam is three or four days off your 90, including both travel days.
• Ignoring the issue date. A passport that has not expired can still be too old to use.

The Stamp90 calculator keeps a running total, shows your last safe day, and checks planned trips before you book. Overstaying has real consequences: see what happens if you overstay in Schengen.