SchengenCheck

The Schengen 90/180-Day Rule Explained

Everything you need to know about staying legally in Europe

What is the 90/180-day rule?

Under EU Regulation 2016/399 (Schengen Borders Code), Article 6(1), non-EU nationals may stay in the Schengen Area for a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period. This applies to the entire Schengen Area as a whole — days spent in any Schengen country count toward a single shared limit.

How the rolling 180-day window works

The 180-day period is not a fixed calendar period — it is a rolling (sliding) window. On any given date, authorities look back 180 days and count how many days you were present in the Schengen Area. If the count exceeds 90, you are overstaying.

Days "fall off" the back of the window as time passes. Your available days replenish gradually after time spent outside Schengen — there is no instant "reset."

Counting examples

Example 1: Simple single trip

Enter Schengen on January 15, leave March 15. Both entry and exit day count. That is 60 days used out of 90.

Example 2: Multiple short trips

Three trips of 11, 21, and 15 days within the same 180-day window total 47 days used.

Example 3: Days falling off

After using 90 days, old days begin to fall off the back of the 180-day window, gradually freeing up new days.

Common mistakes

  1. Thinking brief trips outside Schengen reset the 90 days — they do not.
  2. Forgetting that both entry and exit days count as full days of presence.
  3. Counting days per country instead of across the whole Schengen Area.
  4. Using fixed calendar periods (e.g. "per year") instead of the rolling window.
  5. Confusing Schengen with the EU — Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein are in Schengen but not the EU. Cyprus and Ireland are in the EU but not Schengen.

D-visa and residence permit exceptions

Days spent under a national long-stay visa (D-visa) or residence permit do NOT count toward the 90/180-day limit. These are granted by individual member states and operate under different rules.

How to check your remaining days

Manual calculation is error-prone. Use the SchengenCheck calculator to enter your trips and instantly see days used, days remaining, and when days free up.