Residence permits, long-stay visas and the 90/180 rule

If you hold a residence permit or long-stay visa from a Schengen country, the time you spend in that country under it does not count towards the 90/180 rule. Time you spend in the other Schengen countries does: there you are a visitor, limited to 90 days in any 180-day period. So a British resident of Spain can live in Spain all year, but their days in France, Portugal or Italy are still counted.

What does the law say?

Article 6(2) of the Schengen Borders Code: "Periods of stay authorised under a residence permit or a long-stay visa shall not be taken into account in the calculation of the duration of stay on the territory of the Member States."

The European Commission's guidance says the same thing in plainer terms. Stays "using an EU residence permit or long-stay visa (D-type visa)" should not be entered into its calculator, because "long stays are not subject to the 90/180-day rule".

Can I travel to other Schengen countries with my permit?

Yes, as a visitor. The Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement lets holders of a residence permit or long-stay visa from one Schengen country move freely in the others for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

Germany's Federal Foreign Office explains it like this: "Third-country nationals with a national residence permit issued by a Schengen country may, for the duration of its validity, travel for up to 90 days per 180-day period to any other Schengen country. This also applies to holders of a national visa (category "D" visa) issued by a Schengen country."

So which days count?

Where you are	Counts towards your 90 days?
The country that issued your permit or long-stay visa, while it is valid	No
Any other Schengen country	Yes
Ireland, Cyprus, the UK or anywhere else outside the Schengen area	No

Time you spent in the Schengen area as a visitor before your permit or visa started, or after it ends, counts in the normal way.

A worked example

You are British and live in Spain on a Spanish residence permit. In 2027 you:

• spend 1 February to 17 March in France: 45 days
• spend 10 May to 13 June in Italy: 35 days

Your time at home in Spain between and around those trips is not counted. The French and Italian days are, and on 13 June you have used 80 of your 90. If you want to visit Portugal from 1 July, you can stay 10 days, until 10 July, even though you have lived in the Schengen area all year.

There are no routine border checks when you drive from Spain into France, so nothing records these trips for you. They still count, and it is worth keeping tickets or bookings that show when you left and came back.

Do the Canary Islands, Madeira and the Azores count as Spain and Portugal?

Yes. The European Commission has confirmed that "the Azores Islands, Madeira or the Canary Islands, as part of Portugal and Spain, form part of the Schengen area". For this rule they are treated as the country they belong to:

• With a Spanish permit, time in the Canary Islands is time in Spain and is not counted.
• With a Portuguese permit, time in Madeira or the Azores is time in Portugal and is not counted.
• With a permit from any other country, time on those islands counts like time in mainland Spain or Portugal.

France's and the Netherlands' overseas territories are different. The Convention applies only to the European territory of France and of the Netherlands, so places such as Martinique, Réunion, Aruba and Curaçao are outside the Schengen area and have their own entry rules.

Does the Entry/Exit System apply to me?

The EU lists "holders of residence permits and long-stay visas" among the people the Entry/Exit System does not apply to. You are not registered as a short-stay visitor.

That has a practical consequence: the system is not keeping a count of your days in other Schengen countries for you. Staying within 90 days in any 180 there is still your responsibility.

What about a permit application that is still in progress?

The exemption covers stays "authorised under a residence permit or a long-stay visa". What counts as authorised while an application is pending, or between an old permit and its renewal, depends on the national law of the country concerned and on the papers it has given you. Ask that country's immigration authority, and do not assume those days are excluded.

How Schengen Simple helps

In Schengen Simple you can add a residence permit or long-stay visa with the country that issued it and its dates. Trips to that country inside those dates are then left out of your count, and trips anywhere else in the Schengen area are counted as normal. Since version 4.2.1 a Spanish permit also covers trips you log as the Canary Islands, and a Portuguese permit covers Madeira and the Azores.