The Schengen '90-day' rule applies to non-EU/EEA citizens, including Brits, and limits access to the EU's Schengen zone to 90 days in every 180 day period. Anyone who wants to stay longer than this will need to apply for a national visa of the country they are visiting.
Not all citizens of non-EU/EEA countries benefit from the visa-free 90 days. Some nationalities must apply for a visa for any visit to an EU country, even just a one-week holiday. But non-EU citizens including the British, Americans, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders do benefit from it.
The limit of 90 days in every 180 gives you a total of six months per year within the Schengen zone - however the six months cannot be taken as a single block, but must be divided up into 90 days every six months.
Even so, for tourists or people who want to visit family or friends it's usually perfectly adequate - the people who tend to have problems with it are second-home owners and those who work on short-term contracts in the EU.
The Schengen area includes all EU states apart from Ireland and Cyprus, plus the non-EU states Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland (EFTA).
You can find a full explanation of how the rule works HERE, and answers to some of the most commonly asked questions from readers of The Local below.
Does the limit apply to the whole Schengen area?
This is one aspect that frequently catches people out - the 90-day limit refers to the entire Schengen area.
So if, for example, you spend 88 days at your second home in Spain, you won't have enough time allocation left for a long weekend in Paris.
What counts as a 'day'?
Any time spent in EU/Schengen territory counts as a single day, technically even a couple of minutes. So if you take the Eurostar from London to Paris and then go straight to the airport for a flight to New York, that counts as one day from your allowance.
Do I have to spend 90 days outside the Schengen?
Exactly how to calculate the 90 days causes problems for many. The 90 days can be taken as either one long visit or multiple short ones, and are calculated as a rolling clock.
You can find a full explanation of how to calculate the allowance HERE - but the short version is that at any time of the year, you need to be able to count back 180 days, and within those 180 days not have spent more than 90 of them in the EU/Schengen area.
You may have heard that once you reach 90, you must leave the EU and cannot return for 90 days.
READ ALSO: How to calculate your Schengen 90-day allowance
This is in fact only the case if you actually reach your 90-day limit. So those who stay for a full 90 days consecutively would then have to leave the Schengen area for 90 days before they can return.
Most people who make multiple short visits find it best not to go above 85 or so days, meaning that they have a couple of days 'in hand' for emergencies. They do not then have to spend 90 days outside the EU to "reset the clock", but can return once they have enough days within the previous 180 period.
What if there's a strike and I can't leave in time?
Transport strikes are not unusual in Europe, especially France, but if your plane, train or ferry is cancelled it could lead to you overstaying your 90 days.
The best advice is to keep a couple of days in hand, just in case.
If you do end up accidentally overstaying, then the 'force majeur' rule applies - essentially, you need to be able to prove that it was impossible for you to leave the country on time, which might be difficult as even during a strike period there is usually some transport running, even if it is complicated and expensive to change your travel plans.
What if I live in the EU?
If you are a non-EU/EEA national and you are resident in an EU country - with a visa or residency permit - then clearly the 90-day rule does not apply to your country of residence.
It does, however, apply once you travel to another EU country. So if you live in France and like to spend long holidays in Spain and Italy, then you need to keep track of your 90 days.
In practice, there is usually little in the way of border controls when you are travelling within the EU, so it's unlikely that your passport will be stamped or even checked. However, technically the rule does apply.
What are the penalties for overstaying?
If you have over-stayed your 90 days, you can be fined, deported and banned from re-entry to the EU.
Previously, enforcement varied from country to country, but the introduction of the EU's new biometric passport system EES (Entry & Exit System) has tightened up enforcement. In fact, enforcing the 90-day rule is one of its stated aims, and since the start of EES passport scanning, thousands of people have been barred from the EU due to overstaying.
The passports of non-EU citizens are now scanned every time they enter and exit the EU, and their 90-day tally is automatically counted. This is why non-EU citizens who live in an EU country are exempt from EES.
Penalties for overstaying can include a fine and a ban on re-entry to the EU, ranging from 90 days up to five years, or even a lifetime ban for the most serious cases (although these are usually for people deemed a security risk).
What if I get a visa?
People who want to spend more than 90 days in every 180 in the EU/Schengen area will need to get a visa.
However, there is no such thing as an 'EU visa' that allows you unlimited access to the bloc. You will need to get a national visa for the country where you spend the most time.
You can then continue to use your 90-day limit to visit other countries within the EU.
All countries have different rules on visas, but for most people who want to spend long periods in the EU without actually moving there, a short-stay visitor visa is the best option.
What if I'm married to an EU citizen?
Citizens of EU and Schengen zone countries benefit from EU freedom of movement, so are not constrained by the 90-day rule. This, however, does not extend to non-EU spouses.
If you want to spend more than 90 days in the Schengen zone, you will still need a visa (or look to obtain EU citizenship through marriage).
Full details here - Are non-EU spouses of French citizens exempt from the 90 day rule?
What will EES and ETIAS change?
EES is already in force, although full implementation has been delayed at several key crossing points, including cross-Channel ferries and the Eurostar. However, it's in force in most of the EU and will likely reach 100 percent implementation in the autumn of 2026.
Tens of thousands of people have already been outed as overstayers by the system, and it's likely that more will be caught as time goes on.
The second phase of EU border changes is ETIAS - that was originally due to be introduced in the second half of 2026, but die to ongoing concerns about travel delays caused by EES it now won't come into effect until 2027 at the earliest.
ETIAS will have the biggest effect on '90 day travellers' - ie those from nations who are covered by the 90-day rule and who can currently travel visa-free.
Once ETIAS is in force, those people will need to apply online for a visa waiver before they travel (similar to the UK's ETA or the American ESTA) - it is technically a visa waiver, rather than a visa, but it still means the end of paperwork-free travel for tens of thousands of visitors.
However, even once ETIAS is fully implemented, the basic principles of the 90-day rule remain the same.
Find a full explanation HERE.
Could the 90-day rule change for second-home owners?
Definitely the most-asked question at The Local is whether some kind of special deal may be forthcoming for second-home owners.
All we can say for certain is that there are no plans currently in place, and as the 90-day rule is an EU one, it would have to be discussed at an EU level.
Individual countries could choose to introduce a special visa for second-home owners - although none so far have done so - but this still wouldn't be the same as the paperwork-free stays that EU citizens enjoy.
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