The Schengen 90/180 Rule Explained (With Examples)
If you're visiting Europe visa-free, or on a short-stay Schengen visa, one rule decides how long you can stay: 90 days in any 180-day period. It trips up digital nomads, long-distance couples and people scouting a move. Here is exactly how it's counted, taken from the Schengen Borders Code itself.
Quick answer
Under Article 6 of the Schengen Borders Code, non-EU visitors can stay in the Schengen area for no more than 90 days in any 180-day period. The window is rolling: on any given day, look back over the previous 180 days and count every day you spent in the Schengen area — that total, including today, must not exceed 90. Your entry day and exit day both count as days of stay. The 90 days are counted once for the whole Schengen area, not per country. Days spent on a residence permit or long-stay (D) visa don't count. The Schengen area has 29 countries: 25 EU members plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Ireland and Cyprus apply their own rules.
What the law actually says
Article 6(1) of the Schengen Borders Code (Regulation (EU) 2016/399) covers "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". Three details in the same article settle most arguments:
- Entry and exit days count. The date of entry is the first day of stay and the date of exit is the last day of stay.
- It's one total for the whole area. For the countries operating the Entry/Exit System, the 90 days are calculated as a single period — a week in France and a week in Italy are two weeks against the same allowance.
- Residence permits and long-stay visas are separate. Periods of stay authorised under a residence permit or a long-stay visa are not taken into account.
How the rolling window works: three examples
| Your travel | What happens |
|---|---|
| 90 days in a row, then leave | You've used the full allowance. You can't return until enough of those days fall out of the 180-day look-back — in practice, after another 90 days outside. |
| 30 days in, 30 out, 30 in, 30 out… | On any day, the previous 180 days contain at most 90 days inside, so this pattern stays within the rule indefinitely. |
| 60 days in, 10 days out, then plan 40 more | Not allowed: on day 31 of the second trip, the look-back window holds the 60 from the first trip plus 31 from the second — one over the limit. Keep the second trip to 30 days. |
The simplest way to check is to count backwards from the last day you plan to be in the area: 180 days back, add up every day inside, and make sure the total is 90 or less. The European Commission publishes an official short-stay calculator for exactly this.
Which countries are in the Schengen area?
According to the European Commission, the Schengen area is made up of 29 countries: 25 EU member states and four non-EU countries — Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Two EU members are outside it for this purpose. Ireland has an opt-out and keeps its own visa and border policies, so time in Ireland doesn't use your Schengen days. Cyprus participates in Schengen cooperation, but internal border controls with it haven't been abolished yet, and its visas and permits are currently valid for Cyprus only.
What changed with the Entry/Exit System
Passport stamps used to be the only record of your days. Since 10 April 2026 the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) has replaced the stamping of passports: it records the date and place of every entry and exit electronically, along with fingerprints and a facial image, and detects overstayers automatically. The counting rule hasn't changed, but miscounting is now far easier for border guards to spot. Read our guide to the EES and ETIAS for what to expect at the border.
How to stay longer legally
- Get a long-stay visa or residence permit. Days on a national D visa or a residence permit don't count toward the 90. Work, study, family and digital nomad permits all work this way.
- Spend time outside the area. Days in Ireland, or anywhere outside the 29 Schengen countries, don't count toward the 90.
- Don't rely on "resetting". Leaving for a weekend doesn't reset anything; the rule always looks back over the previous 180 days.
Key takeaways
- Rule: max 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, across all 29 Schengen countries combined.
- Counting: entry and exit days both count.
- Exempt: days on a residence permit or long-stay visa.
- Outside Schengen: Ireland; Cyprus applies its own checks for now.
FAQ
Does the Schengen 90-day limit reset when I leave?
No. The rule looks back over the 180 days before each day of stay, so leaving only helps as old days drop out of that window. There is no reset on exit.
Do the day I arrive and the day I leave both count?
Yes. The Schengen Borders Code treats the date of entry as the first day of stay and the date of exit as the last day of stay.
Is the 90-day limit per country or for all of Schengen?
For all of Schengen combined. Days in any of the 29 Schengen countries count against the same 90-day allowance.
Does time on a student or work permit count toward the 90 days?
No. Periods of stay authorised under a residence permit or a long-stay visa are not taken into account in the calculation.
Sources (official only)
- Schengen Borders Code — Regulation (EU) 2016/399, Article 6 (consolidated)
- European Commission — Schengen area
- European Commission — Entry/Exit System
- European Commission — short-stay calculator
Verified against the official pages above on 26 September 2026. Information, not legal advice.