The Schengen 90/180 rule means that many short-stay travellers may spend up to 90 days in the Schengen Area within any rolling 180-day period. The important part is that the 180-day period moves every day; it is not a fixed calendar half-year.
What is the Schengen 90/180 rule?
For each day you are in the Schengen Area, you look back over the previous 180 days including that day. If the Schengen stay days in that moving window are more than 90, the plan may be over the short-stay limit.
Do entry and exit days count?
Yes. For conservative planning, both the entry date and the exit date count as Schengen stay days. A trip from May 4 to May 21 is counted as 18 days, not 17 nights.
How the rolling 180-day window works
Imagine a 180-day window sliding across your calendar. As time passes, older stay days fall out of the back of the window and newer travel days enter the front of the window.
Example calculation
If you used 60 Schengen days earlier in the current rolling window, a new 30-day stay may appear to fit. A 31-day stay could create a risk depending on exactly which older days fall out while you travel.
Previous stays and planned trips
Previous trips affect the available balance for today. Planned trips need to be checked day by day because the rolling window changes during the trip.
Use the calculator
Open the Schengen 90/180 calculator to test your own dates. To understand the logic behind the result, read the Schengen calculation method. If you are already inside Schengen, use the Current Stay Calculator. If you need to estimate when a future stay may fit again, use the Re-entry Planner.
Official sources
This website is independent and educational. For official information about the Schengen short-stay rule, compare your position with the European Commission guidance and tools.