How long a Schengen visa lets you stay: the 90/180-day rule, the official calculator and worked examples

A Schengen visa allows a stay of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period, according to the European Commission. Days in every Schengen country add up into one total, not a total per country, and looking back 180 days from any day of your stay, that total must not pass 90.

How does the 90/180-day rule work?

The European Commission's short-stay calculator page explains that for each day of your stay you count back 180 days and add up the days spent in the Schengen area inside that window. The total must not exceed 90. The window slides forward every day; it is not a calendar that resets in blocks.

These examples use made-up numbers to show how days add up. For a real case, enter your dates in the official calculator, which applies the counting rules for you. Use the calculator and official guidance for how entry and exit days are handled.

As another example, say you spend 30 days in Europe in one month and return for another 30 days a few months later. If both trips fall inside the same 180-day window, they count together as 60 days, leaving 30 days to use.

Is the 90 days counted per country?

No. The EU travel-europe site says the 90/180 period is counted as one period across all countries that use EES, not per country. So 40 days in France followed by 50 days in Italy add up to 90 days.

• The Schengen area has 29 countries, according to the European Commission.
• Cyprus and Ireland are not part of the Schengen area, as the Commission's calculator page states.
• The United Kingdom is outside Schengen, and time there does not count in this period.

How do you use the official 90/180-day calculator?

The European Commission offers a short-stay calculator where you enter past entry and exit dates and your planned trip, and it shows how many days you have left. Use it to check a plan before you buy tickets and again whenever the plan changes.

1. 1Collect every entry and exit dateUse your passport and old tickets to go back at least 180 days before the new trip.
2. 2Enter them in the calculatorAdd past stays, then your planned entry and exit dates.
3. 3Compare with your visaIf the sticker allows fewer than 90 days, follow the sticker and skip the calculator.

How does EES help check how long you can stay?

The European Commission says the Entry/Exit System (EES) began in stages on 12 October 2025 and has been fully operational since 10 April 2026. It replaces passport stamping and records the date and place of each entry and exit.

The travel-europe site has a tool to check how long you can stay. It asks for the country, document type and number, issuing-country code and your travel dates. It does not count time in the Schengen area before 10 April 2026, and border officers can also answer questions at passport control.

What happens if you overstay?

EES information states that people who overstay are put on a list of overstayers. Entry, exit and refusal records are kept for 3 years, and if no exit is recorded the data is kept for 5 years.

• Carriers can check visas through an online interface, so details may be checked before boarding.
• Your Europe says entry can be refused under the Schengen Borders Code even with a visa, and an appeal does not suspend the refusal.
• If your plan may run over, shorten the trip or ask the embassy first, rather than waiting for the last day.

Why does internet access matter when tracking your days?

The European Commission calculator and the EES stay checker are web tools, so you need an internet connection to use them mid-trip, when plans change.

• Note each entry and exit date on your phone every time you cross a border.
• Re-run the calculator when you extend or move a trip, without waiting for hotel Wi-Fi.
• An eSIM gets you to the official sites and your visa files right after landing.

See eSIM options for the Schengen area