Schengen 90/180 Rule
90 days in any 180 — count correctly, stay longer
The 90/180 rule: a third-country national may stay in the Schengen area for no more than 90 days within any rolling 180-day period. The window rolls back daily: on any given day, all days of presence during the previous 180 days are counted. Since 12 October 2025 the EES electronic border system has been rolling out, logging entries and exits biometrically — an "unnoticed" overstay is no longer possible.
How to count the days correctly
The day of entry and the day of exit each count as full days. Days are added up across all Schengen states (29 countries, including Romania and Bulgaria since 2024–2025). Flying from Spain to France does not reset the counter. Leaving does not reset it either: what matters is how many days you spent in the zone during the last 180. Use the European Commission's official calculator before every trip. A residence permit or national D visa of a member state takes you outside the rule in that country.
Overstay: consequences and how to stay longer
Overstays are logged in EES and SIS: fines up to €500–1,200 (Germany, France), deportation and entry bans of 1 to 5 years. Legal ways to stay in Europe beyond 90 days: a national D visa (study, work, family reunification), digital nomad residence permits (Spain, Portugal, Greece), Portugal's D7/D8 visas, residency by investment. From late 2026 visa-exempt travelers will also need an ETIAS authorization (€20, valid 3 years).
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