Permission · Calculator
The Schengen 90/180 rule, counted correctly.
Short stays in the Schengen area are capped at 90 days in any 180-day period — a window that rolls with the calendar, not a block you use up and reset. Add your trips below and this tool computes days used, days left, and the exact date you regain a day. It is arithmetic, not a ruling — and most people get the rolling part wrong, which section 02 shows with worked examples.
01 — What The Rule Says
One allowance. A window that slides.
For short stays — the kind most travellers and many early-stage remote workers use — the Schengen area caps presence at 90 days in any 180-day period, as one shared allowance across the whole area rather than a per-country quota.1 The day you arrive and the day you leave both count as full days, and every day inside the area counts, whether you spend it in one country or move between several.
The part almost every informal explanation gets wrong is the word any. The rule is not "90 days, then a 90-day break, then repeat." It is evaluated for every single day: look back 180 days (179 days plus the day itself) from that day, count how many of those days you were present, and the total must not exceed 90. That lookback window moves forward one day at a time with the calendar — it does not pause, reset, or restart when you cross a border.
What this calculator does, and does not do
It applies that arithmetic to the trips you enter and the date you choose to check. It is not a copy of the official European Commission short-stay calculator, and it is not a border authority's determination — both belong to the European Commission and are linked in the sources below. Use this tool to understand your position and to prepare; confirm anything that actually matters against the official calculator.
02 — The Mistake Almost Everyone Makes
Leaving does not free a day.
Two worked examples — our own constructions, checked by hand, not official EU material — show why the "90 in, 90 out" mental model breaks.
Example A — a single maximal trip. Say you stay in the Schengen area for exactly 90 days, 1 May to 29 July 2026, then leave. The natural assumption is that having "used up" your 90 days and left, you are free again almost immediately. Check the rule on 30 July 2026, the day after departure: the 180-day window ending that day runs from 1 February 2026 to 30 July 2026 — and your entire 90-day trip sits inside it. Days used: still 90. Days left: zero. You could not re-enter that day even though you had already left.
| Window checked | Trip inside it? | Days used | Days left |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Feb 2026 – 30 Jul 2026 | All 90 days fall inside | 90 | 0 |
| First day regained | 28 Oct 2026 — 180 days after the trip's first day, not 90 days after its last | ||
Example B — four short trips, the more common trap. Say instead you take four separate three-and-a-half-week trips this year — 1–25 February, 17 March–10 April, 1–25 May, and 15 June–9 July 2026, 25 days each, with real gaps at home in between. None of the four looks alarming on its own. Checked today, 25 July 2026, the 180-day window runs from 27 January to 25 July 2026 — and all four trips, 100 days total, fall inside it.
| Trip | Dates | Days in window |
|---|---|---|
| Trip 1 | 1–25 Feb 2026 | 25 |
| Trip 2 | 17 Mar–10 Apr 2026 | 25 |
| Trip 3 | 1–25 May 2026 | 25 |
| Trip 4 | 15 Jun–9 Jul 2026 | 25 |
| Total used against the 90-day cap | 100 — over by 10 | |
03 — The Calculator
Add your trips. Get your count.
Enter every Schengen stay you want counted — past, current, or planned — and the date you want checked. The result shows your days used, days left, when your window opened, and the date your oldest counted day rolls out.
04 — FAQ
Real questions, short answers.
Do the day of entry and the day of exit both count as full days?
Yes. The rule counts every calendar day of physical presence, and the day you arrive and the day you leave both count as full days, even if you were only there for part of each.
Does the window reset when I leave the Schengen area?
No. Leaving does not zero your count. The window keeps rolling with the calendar whether you are inside or outside the area; a day you spent only stops counting once 180 days have passed since that specific day, as Example A above shows.
Is the 90-day allowance shared across all Schengen countries, or does each count separately?
It is one shared allowance for the whole area. Whether you spend your 90 days in one country or move between several, every day inside the area counts toward the same total.
What happens if I overstay?
Consequences are set and applied by the country where the overstay is discovered and can include fines, a formal record, or a future entry ban — there is no single Schengen-wide penalty. This is a question for a border or immigration authority, not a travel forum.
Is this the same as my visa's printed validity dates?
No. A visa's printed validity window and the 90/180 day-count rule are separate checks that both have to hold. Staying within your visa's dates does not automatically mean you are within your 90 days, and vice versa.
Does time in EU countries outside Schengen, or non-EU countries inside it, count?
The Schengen area is not identical to the European Union — membership and transition arrangements do change over time. Confirm which specific countries currently count on the European Commission's own Schengen pages before relying on a count that crosses a border you're unsure about.
Is this calculator legally binding?
No. It applies arithmetic to the dates you enter — it is not a legal ruling, not a copy of the official EU tool, and not a border authority's determination. Verify anything material on the European Commission's own calculator, linked below.
I hold a long-stay national visa or residence permit in one Schengen country — does that change my count elsewhere?
Generally a national long-stay visa or residence permit runs on that issuing country's own rules, separate from the short-stay 90/180 count for the rest of the area — but exactly how the two interact for your situation is worth confirming directly with that country's immigration authority.
05 — Sources
Where this rule comes from
- European Commission, Migration & Home Affairs — the Schengen short-stay rule (90 days in any 180-day period) and the official short-stay calculator, the authoritative tool for any count that actually matters.home-affairs.ec.europa.eu — short-stay calculatorhome-affairs.ec.europa.eu · accessed 25 Jul 2026
About this page: the rule is sourced to the European Commission; the calculator above applies plain calendar arithmetic to whatever dates you enter and is this site's own tool, not an EU product. Schengen membership and specific transition arrangements change from time to time — confirm anything material on the official source. Information only, not legal or immigration advice.
The Line
Know the rules. Then go.
Nothing on this site will help you count around a rule or talk you past a border you shouldn't cross. Right status, counted days, filed returns, insured health — that is the version of this life that lasts.