The 90/180 rule for UK travellers

Since 1 January 2021, British passport holders can spend up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area without a visa. The limit covers all 29 Schengen countries together, the 180 days roll forward every day, and owning a home there does not add to it. To stay longer you need a visa or residence permit from the country concerned.

What changed for UK travellers after Brexit?

Before 2021, British citizens had free movement and could stay in EU countries without a day limit. The UK government's summary of what replaced it: "as of 1 January 2021, British Citizens are able to travel visa-free for short stays, such as for tourism, for up to 90 days in a rolling 180-day period."

GOV.UK's current guidance puts the rule like this: "Your total stay in the Schengen area must be no more than 90 days in every 180 days. It does not matter how many countries you visit. The 180-day period keeps 'rolling'."

The visa-free allowance covers travelling as a tourist, visiting family or friends, attending business meetings, cultural or sports events, and short-term studies or training. Working is different, and each country sets its own requirements.

No UK-EU agreement extends the 90 days. GOV.UK's guidance still gave the 90-day limit when this page was last reviewed.

Which countries count towards my 90 days?

All 29 Schengen countries, which include Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland. The 90/180 rule page has the full list.

Ireland does not count. GOV.UK says: "Although Ireland is in the EU, it is not part of the Schengen area, and Schengen rules do not apply." Cyprus does not count either. GOV.UK says "visits to Cyprus do not count towards your 90-day visa-free limit in the Schengen area", and Cyprus has its own separate 90 days in 180.

Does owning a second home in Spain or France give me more time?

No. The UK government has said plainly that British citizens "planning to stay in the Schengen Area for longer than 90 days in a rolling 180-day period, including those who own property, will need permission from the relevant Member State(s)."

France's parliament did pass a measure in 2023 that would have given British second-home owners an automatic long-stay visa. The Conseil constitutionnel struck it out on 25 January 2024 on procedural grounds, so it never took effect.

What ownership can change is what you are asked for at the border. GOV.UK's France advice says you may need to show evidence of ownership or tenancy, such as a tax or utility bill, and its Spain advice mentions proof of address if you are staying at your own property.

Here is the trap second-home owners fall into most often. You spend 1 November to 20 December 2026 at your house in Spain (50 days), come home for Christmas, and go back from 10 January to 18 February 2027 (40 days). That is 90 days, all inside one 180-day window. Easter 2027 is at the end of March, and you cannot go: you have no days at all until 30 April 2027, when 1 November drops out of the window. From 30 April you can stay 50 days, until 18 June.

How does the rule work for a long motorhome or caravan trip?

Every day from the day you roll off the ferry or the shuttle to the day you return counts, including days spent driving through France to get somewhere else.

An eight-week tour from 12 April to 6 June 2027 is 56 days. That leaves 34 for the rest of that 180-day period. Go back on 20 July and you must be out by 22 August. The days from April do not start coming back until 9 October.

If you would like a long spring trip and a long autumn trip in the same year, the gap between them matters as much as their length. How long can I stay? shows how moving an arrival by four days can change 34 days into 90.

Can I split the year between the UK and Europe?

Up to a point. Without a visa, the most you can manage is 90 days in, 90 days out. Arrive on 4 January 2027 and you can stay until 3 April. You can then return on 3 July and stay until 30 September. That is about half the year, and never more than 90 days in one stretch.

To spend longer, such as a whole winter of four or five months, you need a long-stay visa or residence permit from the country you want to stay in. GOV.UK says of Spain: "To stay longer, you must meet the Spanish government's entry requirements." Time you spend in a country under its own permit or long-stay visa does not use up your 90 days. See residence permits and the 90/180 rule.

What about frequent business travel?

Business meetings come out of the same 90 days as holidays, and short trips add up faster than people expect. Flying out every Monday and back every Thursday is four days a week, and it breaks the limit in the 23rd week. The working is on the worked examples page.

Remember to count holidays and weekends away on top of work trips. They share one allowance.

What do I need at the border?

GOV.UK lists two passport rules for the Schengen area. Your passport must:

• have a date of issue less than 10 years before the date you arrive
• have an expiry date at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave

Your passport is no longer stamped. Since 10 April 2026 the EU's Entry/Exit System records each entry and exit with a photo and fingerprints, and it counts your days automatically. If you travel through Dover, Folkestone or St Pancras, those checks happen before you leave the UK.

A travel authorisation called ETIAS is planned but had not started when this page was last reviewed.

What happens if I overstay?

GOV.UK's advice for Spain and for France says: "If you overstay the 90-day visa-free limit, you may be banned from entering Schengen countries for up to 3 years." Penalties are set by each country, and under the EES an overstay is recorded automatically.

If something outside your control keeps you there, such as a medical emergency, contact the immigration authorities of the country you are in. For Spain, GOV.UK says you must apply to the immigration authorities, the Extranjería.

How Schengen Simple helps

Schengen Simple was built by frequent travellers for exactly these situations. Put in the trips you have taken and the ones you have planned, and it shows how many days you have on any date, when you are next entitled to a full 90, and whether the Easter trip still fits after the winter you have just had. If two of you travel on different dates, each traveller gets their own count.