EU / Schengen area
The Schengen 90/180 rule, and how the days are counted
The rule is 90 days of stay in any 180-day period, across all 29 Schengen states together rather than per country. The 180 days are not a fixed block you can wait out: Article 6(1) counts them backwards from each single day of stay, so the window moves with you and the figure that matters is the highest the count ever reaches. Both the day you enter and the day you leave count as days of stay.
What the rule names
Both the day you arrive and the day you leave count as days of stay.
How the count works
- 1Every day you are inside the Schengen area is a day of stay, including the day you arrive and the day you leave.
- 2For any given day, look back over the 180 days ending on it and add up the days of stay in that span.
- 3The rule names 90 days as the maximum for that span. The highest total across every day of the trip is the one that counts.
- 4Time spent in a Schengen state on a residence permit or a long-stay visa sits outside this rule altogether.
Count your own dates against this rule
Type the trips you already know. The arithmetic happens in this tab, nothing is sent anywhere, and there is no account to make.
What catches people out
- The 180-day window is not fixed: it is counted backwards from each day of stay.
- Both the day of entry and the day of exit count as days of stay.
- Time spent in Schengen states under a residence permit or long-stay visa is outside this rule.
- Days are counted only for absences whose countries are all in the Schengen area; a mixed itinerary is counted in full and flagged.
The rule in its own words
For intended stays on the territory of the Member States of a duration of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period, which entails considering the 180-day period preceding each day of stay
the date of entry shall be considered as the first day of stay on the territory of the Member States and the date of exit shall be considered as the last day of stay on the territory of the Member States
The Schengen area is composed of 29 countries: 25 EU Member States and 4 non-EU countries (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein).
Questions people ask about this rule
- Is the 180 days a fixed period, or does it move?
- It moves. The Regulation requires "considering the 180-day period preceding each day of stay", so there is no single window to wait out — there is one for every day you are there, and each is counted back from that day.
- Do the day I arrive and the day I leave both count?
- Both count. Article 6(2) says "the date of entry shall be considered as the first day of stay on the territory of the Member States and the date of exit shall be considered as the last day of stay". A weekend away that leaves on Friday and returns on Sunday is three days of stay, not one or two.
- Which countries count towards the total?
- All 29 of them, added together. The European Commission gives the area as 29 countries: 25 EU member states plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Cyprus and Ireland are the two EU members outside it. Days in a country that is not on the list are not days of stay for this rule.
- Does time on a residence permit or long-stay visa count?
- No. This rule governs short stays. Time spent in a Schengen state under a residence permit or a national long-stay visa is outside it, and the country that issued the permit is the one to ask about what its own conditions require.
- Will this tell me whether I can make a trip?
- It will not, and that is deliberate. It shows you the count, the day it peaks and the figure the rule names, and leaves the conclusion to you. Not immigration advice.