Travel
Schengen 90/180 Rule: Worked Day-by-Day Examples
How the 90 days in any 180 rule is counted on every day of a stay, with four worked examples: a full stay and the next entry, two earlier trips, days rolling off, and weekly commuting.
By TooleemPublished Facts checked
Short answer
The 90/180 rule lets a visa-free visitor (or a short-stay visa holder) spend at most 90 days in any 180-day window in the Schengen area, checked on every single day of the stay by looking back 180 days, entry and exit days included. It is not "90 days, then 90 days out": after a full 90-day stay ending 29 August 2027, the next entry is possible on 28 November 2027, but a visitor with 60 used days can sometimes stay 90 more because old days drop out of the window during the trip. The worked examples below show both.
Do the calculation
Schengen 90/180 Day Calculator
Enter your past and planned trips and see the days used and left on any date, without counting by hand.
On this page
The rule as the law states it
Article 6(1) of the Schengen Borders Code allows stays "of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period, which entails considering the 180-day period preceding each day of stay". In practice:
- Pick a day you are (or will be) in the Schengen area.
- Look at that day and the 179 days before it: 180 days in total.
- Count every day you were in the area in that window. The day you entered and the day you left each count as a full day.
- If the count is 90 or less, that day is fine. It must be fine on every day of the trip, not only on the day you arrive.
days used on day D = days present from D − 179 to D (inclusive) ≤ 90
Since the EES launch, the countries that run the Entry/Exit System count one single 90/180 period between them (Article 6(1a)). Cyprus and Ireland still stamp passports; Ireland is outside Schengen, and Cyprus applies its own separate count.
Example 1: a full 90-day stay and the next entry
Worked example
Enter 1 June 2027, stay as long as allowed
With no earlier trips, the last allowed day is 29 August 2027: 1 June to 29 August is 90 days, counting both ends. The Commission’s own calculator manual uses the same pair of dates for 2024.
The earliest next entry is 28 November 2027. On that day the window runs from 2 June to 28 November, so 1 June has dropped out and 89 days are used; the new day makes 90. From then on, one June or July day leaves the window for every new day spent, so a full second 90-day stay is possible from 28 November.
Example 2: two earlier trips, two possible start dates
Earlier trips: 10 January to 8 February 2027 (30 days) and 1 to 30 April 2027 (30 days). How long can the next trip be?
| Entry date | Days used on arrival | Longest stay | Last allowed day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 June 2027 | 60 + 1 | 30 days | 30 June 2027 |
| 15 July 2027 | 53 + 1 | 60 days | 12 September 2027 |
Waiting six weeks doubles the possible stay. This is the most common planning mistake: counting days used on the arrival date and stopping there.
Example 3: why 60 used days can still allow 90 more
Earlier trip: 1 March to 29 April 2027, 60 days. A second trip starting on 1 July 2027 can last only 30 days (to 30 July): the whole March and April trip is still inside the window. Start on 1 August 2027 instead, and the stay can last the full 90 days, to 29 October 2027.
Swipe sideways to see every column.
| Day of the stay | Window starts | Old days still inside | New days | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 August | 3 February | 60 | 1 | 61 |
| 27 August | 1 March | 60 | 27 | 87 |
| 15 September | 20 March | 41 | 46 | 87 |
| 26 October | 30 April | 0 | 87 | 87 |
| 29 October | 3 May | 0 | 90 | 90 |
Example 4: short weekly trips add up
Someone who works in the Schengen area Monday to Thursday every week from 4 January 2027, flying home each weekend, uses 4 days a week. Each trip looks harmless, but the total reaches 90 days on Tuesday 8 June 2027. Wednesday 9 June would be day 91, an overstay, even though no single trip was longer than four days.
Common mistake
Partial days are full days
A late-evening arrival and an early-morning departure still count as two days. A two-night trip uses three days, not two.
How the count is checked now (EES)
- The Entry/Exit System registers non-EU visitors’ entries and exits electronically and is replacing passport stamps, so the 90/180 count is done by the border system rather than by reading stamps.
- The EU’s online check returns "OK" or "not OK" for a planned stay and the days left. Its count does not include any time in the Schengen area that began before 10 April 2026, so for older trips you still need your own record.
- ETIAS, the EUR 20 travel authorisation for visa-free visitors, was not in operation when this guide was checked; the EU says it will announce the start date several months in advance.
- Overstaying can lead to a fine, an entry ban and refused entry on later trips. A national long-stay visa or residence permit is separate from the 90/180 count.
Do the calculation
Schengen 90/180 Day Calculator
Enter your past and planned trips and see the days used and left on any date, without counting by hand.
Tools used in this guide
Sources
The figures and rules in this guide come from these documents.
- Regulation (EU) 2016/399 (Schengen Borders Code), consolidated text, Article 6EUR-Lex, Publications Office of the European Union90 days in any 180-day period, considering the 180 days preceding each day of stay; a single period for EES countries (Article 6(1a)).
- User manual for the short-stay "Schengen" calculatorEuropean CommissionThe entry date is the first day of stay and the exit date the last; 1 June to 29 August as a 90-day stay.
- Check how long you can stayTravel to Europe (European Union)The EES online check; stays that began before 10 April 2026 are not counted.
- What is the EES?Travel to Europe (European Union)Electronic registration of entries and exits; manual stamps in Cyprus and Ireland.
- ETIAS: European Travel Information and Authorisation SystemTravel to Europe (European Union)Not yet in operation; EUR 20 fee; start date to be announced months ahead.
Facts checked
General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules change; check the cited sources for your own case.
All guides