How is the Europe 90/180 days rule applied with multiple entries/exits?

July 10, 2024 7:16 PM

My sister will be in Europe for a few months, exiting and reentering a few times. We wonder about the 90 days in 180 days thing.

The total trip witll be over 90 days, but the net time in the Shengen zone will be just under 90 days, taking into account trips she will make to the UK and Turkey.
This complies with the letter of the 90/180 days thing, but we're worried whether the border agents will see it this way.
Have you had experience with something like this?
She doesn't need a prior visa, but gets it upon arrival.

posted by signal to Travel & Transportation (7 answers total)

It's 90 days within a 180 day period. There's no restriction on the number of entries within that 180 day period (you could come and go 90 times), so long as you are not inside the Schengen zone for more than 90 days total. If it's only a handful of re-entries I wouldn't worry, people come and go from Europe all the time on US passports (I'm assuming a US passport).
posted by dis_integration at 7:58 PM on July 10 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Not a US passport.
posted by signal at 8:14 PM on July 10

Best answer: It won't be a problem - it's a rolling 180 days, so any maths is: today's date minus 180 days, how many nights (midnight) have you spent in the EU.

Until I got my residency card recently, my passport was a hot mess, as I was going between the EU and UK for work - noone blinked an eye, but I had a spreadsheet to make sure. In some cases it was 2-3 times a week.
posted by socky_puppy at 11:11 PM on July 10

Best answer: I've found this Schengen calculator helpful when I've been in a similar scenario, to make sure I've calculated my 90 in 180 correctly. It's not the prettiest calculator, but it does work!
posted by goodnight at 1:35 AM on July 11 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks!
posted by signal at 4:20 AM on July 11

Best answer: There are loads of Shengen calculator apps as well - I’ve not tried them to be able to recommend, but they’re definitely out there.
posted by penguin pie at 2:44 PM on July 11 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Note that they count any time at all spent in the Schengen zone on a given day (eg if she flies from London to Munich and lands at 1159pm, that's one day of the 90, same in reverse).

FWIW I'm doing this right now and people are barely glancing at my passport, and I'm 4 months into the trip. Like socky_puppy, I'm using a spreadsheet to make sure I'm under 90.
posted by Pink Frost at 1:34 PM on July 12 [1 favorite]