Schengen 90/180 rule and visa questions

Short answers to the questions we are asked most often about the Schengen area, the 90/180 rule and Schengen visas. Each answer links to the guide that covers it properly.

What is the 90/180 rule?

Visitors from outside the EU can spend no more than 90 days in the Schengen area in any 180-day period. The 180 days are counted back from each day of your stay, so there is no fixed start date and nothing resets on 1 January. The day you arrive and the day you leave both count. See the 90/180 rule explained.

Is there a Schengen 90/180 calculator?

Yes. The European Commission publishes a free short-stay calculator that checks a stay against your previous trips. Schengen Simple is an app that also takes your planned trips into account and shows how long you could stay from any date in the calendar. Schengen calculators explains the difference.

Which countries are in the Schengen area?

Twenty-nine: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are in the area but not in the EU. Ireland and Cyprus are in the EU but not in the area. See the Schengen area.

Is Croatia in the Schengen area?

Yes, since 1 January 2023. Days in Croatia from that date count towards your Schengen 90 days.

Are Bulgaria and Romania in the Schengen area?

Yes. Checks at their air and sea borders were lifted on 31 March 2024 and at their land borders on 1 January 2025. Days in Bulgaria or Romania from 31 March 2024 count towards your Schengen 90 days.

Is Cyprus in the Schengen area?

Not yet. Cyprus is working towards joining. Until it does, days in Cyprus do not count towards your Schengen 90 days, and Cyprus has its own separate limit of 90 days in any 180.

Do days in Ireland or the UK count?

No. Neither is in the Schengen area. Time spent there does not count towards your 90 days, and a trip to Ireland or the UK does not reset the count either: the days you spent in the Schengen area before it stay in the 180-day window.

Is the UK in the Schengen area?

No, and it never was. The UK opted out of Schengen while it was an EU member. Since 1 January 2021, British citizens visiting the Schengen area have been limited to 90 days in any 180, like other non-EU visitors. See the 90/180 rule for UK travellers.

How long can I spend in Europe after Brexit?

Up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area, visa-free. The limit covers all 29 countries together, and the 180-day window rolls, which is what makes it hard to track. To stay longer you need a visa or residence permit from the country you want to stay in.

Do I still get a passport stamp?

No. Since 10 April 2026 the EU's Entry/Exit System records each entry and exit of non-EU visitors digitally, with a photo and fingerprints, and passports are no longer stamped at the external borders of the Schengen area. Ireland and Cyprus still stamp. See the Entry/Exit System.

What is the EES?

The Entry/Exit System: the EU's digital register of entries and exits by non-EU visitors on short stays. It records your passport data, a facial image and fingerprints, and the date and place of each crossing. It counts your days automatically and identifies overstays. It does not change the 90/180 rule. See the Entry/Exit System.

Do I need an ETIAS?

Not yet. ETIAS is a travel authorisation that visa-free visitors, including UK and US citizens, will need before travelling to 30 European countries. On the date above it had not started and no start date had been announced. When it starts it will cost EUR 20, last up to three years and leave the 90-day limit unchanged. See ETIAS.

Can I stay longer than 90 days in the Schengen area?

Not as a visitor. To stay longer you need a national long-stay visa or residence permit from the country you want to live in, for example to work, study, retire or join family. Each country sets its own rules. Time spent in that country under its permit does not count towards your 90 days; time in the other Schengen countries still does. See residence permits and the 90/180 rule.

What documents might I need to show at a Schengen border?

A passport issued within the previous 10 years and valid for at least three months after the date you plan to leave. If you need a visa, the visa. A visa does not guarantee entry: border officers can ask for proof of accommodation, means of support and onward travel, so carry the documents that supported your visa application. Your entry is recorded in the Entry/Exit System, so there is no stamp to check.

Do I need travel insurance to get a Schengen visa?

Yes. The Visa Code requires medical insurance covering emergency care, hospital treatment and repatriation, with cover of at least EUR 30,000, for the whole of your stay.

Do I need a separate visa for each Schengen country?

No. One Schengen visa covers all 29 countries. Apply to the consulate of the country where you will spend the longest time, or the first country you will enter if your stays are of equal length. See Schengen visas.

Can I enter through a country that did not issue my visa?

Yes. A Schengen visa is valid for entry at any Schengen external border, though the officer may ask why you are not entering through the country that issued it, and entry is never guaranteed.

How long is a Schengen visa valid, and can I extend it?

That depends on the visa. A single-entry visa is used up when you leave; a multiple-entry visa may be valid for up to five years, with each stay limited to 90 days in any 180. Extensions are granted only for reasons such as force majeure, humanitarian or serious personal reasons. See Schengen visas.

My visa was refused. Is the fee refunded? Can I appeal?

The fee is not refunded. You will be told the grounds for refusal and how to appeal, on a standard form from the country that handled your application. You can also apply again.

I have more than one nationality. Which rules apply?

The rules for the passport you travel on. If one of your nationalities is from an EU or Schengen country, travel on that passport.

I have less than three months left on my passport. Can I apply for a visa?

Normally no: the passport must be valid for at least three months after the date you leave the Schengen area. Consulates can waive this in justified emergencies.

Can I get a Schengen visa if I am unemployed?

Yes, if you can show enough means to support yourself during the stay and your intention to return home.

How do I keep track of my Schengen days?

Count every day in any Schengen country, including arrival and departure days, and check that no 180-day window holds more than 90 of them. Doing that for every day of every trip by hand is slow, which is why we built Schengen Simple: enter your past and planned trips once and it shows how long you could stay from any date, when you are next entitled to a full 90 days, and whether a planned trip would push you over.