Non-EU visitors can stay in the Schengen countries for maximum 90 days any 180 day period, but the calculation is not easy!
What is the “Schengen area”?
The Schengen Area is a zone of 29 European countries that have abolished internal border controls, allowing for the free movement of people.
As of 2025, it includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, 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.
Eventually, these countries have agreed to eliminate passport checks and border controls at their mutual borders. Notably, Bulgaria and Romania joined Schengen for air and sea borders in March 2024, with land border integration expected to follow at a later stage. The Schengen Area is a core component of European integration, supporting seamless travel and cooperation across much of the continent.
These countries have signed an agreement that allows their citizens to travel freely within their borders.
- See Visa policy
Who Needs a Visa to Travel to the Schengen Area?
- Citizens from certain countries ( ex. USA, Canada, Japan, Australia …) are allowed to enter and stay in Schengen for up to 90 days every 180 days without requiring a visa.
- While for other countries (for example China, India, etc.) any entry, despite the intended duration, will require a visa.
Do you need a visa to travel to the Schengen Area? you can check it here: home affairs
You can also explore an interactive map showing which countries’ citizens need a visa to enter the Schengen Area and which are exempt by scanning the QR code below:
How long can you stay in the Schengen area?
Third-country nationals (e.g person who is not a citizen of the European Union and Iceland, Norway, Liechstein and Switzerland), irrespective of being visa required or exempt — who intend to travel to the Schengen area for a short trip, business or tourism, can stay for maximum 90 days in any 180-day period.
How are the 90/180 days calculated?
Date of entry: shall be considered as the first day of stay on the territory of the Schengen Member State
Date of exit: shall be considered as the last day of stay in the Schengen Area.
This rule applies only to short-term visitors. Meaning: periods of stay authorized by a residence permit or long-stay visa are excluded from the calculation of stay duration within Member States.
When “any 180-day period” is referenced, it implies the application of a “moving” 180-day reference period, looking backwards at each day of the stay (be it at the entry or at the day of an actual check), into the last 180-day period, in order to verify if the 90 days / 180-day requirement continues to be fulfilled.
Overall, calculation is often not easy and the EU has created an online CALCULATOR which can be used by any traveller.
- More detailed guidelines can be found in the USER MANUAL FOR USING THE SCHENGEN CALCULATOR
What happens if you overstay the 90 days?
A non-EU national who stays in the Schengen area beyond 90 days (without a residence permit or long-stay visa) is illegally present, which can result in a re-entry ban to the Schengen area. Working in the Schengen area without a work permit is also illegal (even if less than 90 days) and can likewise result in a re-entry ban to the Schengen area.
Depending on each Member State, administrative and monetary penalties may also apply.
he new Entry/Exit System (EES): over-stayers shall be automatically identified
The Entry/Exit System (EES) will be operational in 2022 (starting date to be confirmed). It is an automated IT system for registering travellers from third-countries, both short-stay visa holders and visa exempt travellers, each time they cross an EU external border.
First of all, the system will register the person’s name, type of the travel document, biometric data (fingerprints and captured facial images) and then, the date and place of entry and exit.
EES will quickly replace the current system of manual stamping of passports, which does not allow a systematic detection of over-stayers (travellers who have exceeded the maximum duration of their authorised stay).
Furthermore, EES will contribute to preventing irregular migration also identifying more efficiently over-stayers as well as cases of document and identity fraud.
