What is the 90/180 rule in the Schengen Area?

You’ve clicked on this article, so I’m going to assume you already know that Europe beckons with its rich history, vibrant cultures, tasty foods, and, of course, breathtaking landscapes. (Generic, I know—everybody says the same thing, and that’s because… it's true, I suppose.) And fortunately, the Schengen area, which is made up of 26 European countries, makes the exploration of this incredible region of the world an absolute breeze for many nationalities. The regulations around this visa-free zone are simple yet, if misunderstood, can lead to a harsh punishment. So, without further ado, let’s explore the Schengen area’s 90/180 rule.

First, do you understand the difference between Europe, the European Union, and the Schengen area?

Think of Europe as a neighbourhood. The European Union is like a homeowner’s association within that neighbourhood, with shared rules and benefits for members. The Schengen area is like an agreement among some neighbours to have open fences, allowing easy movement between their back gardens without scrutiny or disagreements.

Understanding the 90/180 rule

The 90/180 rule dictates the maximum duration a visa-exempt traveller can stay within the Schengen area. Simply put, it allows you to stay for a total of 90 days within any 180-day period. These days are cumulative. Every day you spend in any Schengen country contributes to your overall 90-day limit.

Key points to remember

• Visa-free vs Visa required: The 90/180 rule applies only to visa-exempt travellers. If you require a visa to enter the Schengen area, the validity period and conditions specified on your visa will dictate your permitted stay. Or, if you had, as I did, a residence visa for a Schengen area nation, the 90 days of visa-exempt travel within the area are separate.

• The 180-day rolling window: Unlike a fixed calendar period, the 180 days functions as a rolling window. It constantly moves forward based on your initial entry date into the Schengen area.

• Multiple short trips count: You don’t have to use your entire 90-day allowance in one go. Several shorter trips within the 180-day window add up towards your total allowed stay.

• Departure day matters: The 90 days are calculated up to the day you depart from the Schengen area, not your arrival date.

Example in action:

Imagine you enter the Schengen area on January 1st 2024, and leave on March 30th (a total of 90 days). Following the 90/180 rule, you wouldn’t be eligible to re-enter the Schengen area until June 29th. This is because 180 days from your entry date (January 1st) is June 29th. From June 29th, you could then stay in the area for 90 days until September 26th.

Common mistakes people make when calculating:

• The clock. If you arrive in a Schengen country at, say, 23:40, the twenty minutes left of that day count as ‘day 1’. Similarly, if you depart at 00:20, those twenty minutes count as your final day. (That last part is relevant: do not make the mistake of staying in the Schengen area for 90 days and booking a flight that departs 20 minutes into your 91st day. If you do so, border security may punish you.)

• The countries. While it seems counterproductive to the individual economies of Schengen countries, travelling from, say, France to Italy does not reset your 90 days. As I said before, it is cumulative; my apologies for the repetition, but it’s a most important factor.

Considering days as months. Do not assume that 90 days is three months or 180 days, six. This year, in 2024, you would have been scuppered by the leap year; in my previous calculation, 90 days ran from January 1st to March 30th, but in 2023, 90 days would have been from January 1st to March 31st. Count by days, not months.

Penalties for overstaying

Overstaying is, as I’ve hinted, a no-no. Once non-EU nationals surpass the 90-day limit, all will likely seem rosy. Until you head through a border that exits the Schengen area. At this point, when the border guard checks your passport, regardless of the country you’re exiting via, they will see exactly how long you’ve spent in the area.

The punishments can vary, and from what I’ve heard, the mood of the border guard can greatly affect the outcome. However, different member states impose at least one form of penalty for overstaying, which can include:

• four-figure fines (maybe even five);

• imprisonment;

• deportation;

• difficulty re-entering the Schengen area on visa-exempt and visa basis; and

• straight-up bans from the area.

Germany is known for its particularly tough stance on those who break the rules, while Mediterranean nations have been a little more lax. I can’t claim to know this from experience, but… who would have thought it, eh?

The 90/180 rule doesn’t apply to Europe as a whole

So, there are 44 countries in Europe; 27 of those, covering around 420 million people, are in the Schengen area. Some absolute gems sit outside of the area, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. (That’s not an exhaustive list, of course.) Each of these countries applies its own visa and visa-exempt rules on the continent that change based on where the visitor is from. Generally speaking, it’s another 90/180 scenario, though—crucially, it’s separate from the Schengen area, so, contrary to popular assumption, you can spend the entire year on the European continent as a digital nomad or remote worker. You just need to plan which countries you’d like to visit.

For example: 90 days spread across Schengen countries like Sweden, Germany, and Spain, followed by 90 days in England, and then you can drop back into the Schengen area again for another 90 days.

So, if you dream of experiencing the remote working lifestyle or jumping on the digital nomad bandwagon, you can spend the entirety of your year on the European continent, enjoying the Mediterranean azure or the Nordic snowfall. Just don’t forget to calculate your days correctly and plan in advance.

And, if you’re just flirting with the idea of travelling around or working remotely from sunnier lands, hang about and read some of our other articles (and our future ones, of course); we’re on a mission to demystify the ‘complex’ world of nomadism, and we want to help people like you feel at ease on foreign soil. Oh, and, please do share Remote Workers Journal with your mates; it’d mean the world to us. Chat again soon!

Ollie