What is the Schengen 90/180 rule?
Most visa-exempt visitors may spend up to 90 days inside the Schengen area within any rolling 180-day period. It is not 90 days per visit and not 90 days per country — it is 90 days total across all 29 Schengen countries, counted together.
Why is the 180-day window "rolling"?
The window is not a fixed half-year. On any given day you look back over the previous 180 days, including that day, and add up how many of those days you spent inside the Schengen area. Because the window moves with you, days drop off one at a time as they age past 180 days — which is why the arithmetic is so easy to get wrong by hand.
Do arrival and departure days count as full days?
Yes. Both the day you enter and the day you leave count as whole days, no matter what time your flight lands or departs. A weekend trip that arrives Friday and leaves Sunday uses three days, not two.
Which countries are in the Schengen area?
The Schengen area covers 29 European countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, 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. Ireland and Cyprus are in the EU but not in Schengen, and days spent there do not count towards your 90.
Does the UK count towards the 90 days?
No. The UK has never been part of the Schengen area, so time spent there does not use up Schengen days. Since Brexit, however, British citizens are themselves subject to the 90/180 limit as visitors — which is why so many UK travellers started needing to count.
What happens if I overstay?
Overstaying is treated as an immigration offence. Consequences range from a fine to a formal entry ban of one to five years recorded against you, and it can complicate future visa applications well beyond Europe. With the EU's Entry/Exit System now recording border crossings biometrically, days are counted automatically rather than estimated from passport stamps.
How do I reset my 90 days?
There is no reset button — the allowance recovers gradually. Each day you spend outside the Schengen area, the oldest day in your 180-day window ages out and becomes available again. If you use all 90 days in one continuous stay, you need roughly 90 days outside before you have a full allowance again. Atlassio shows you the exact date your allowance returns.
Is Atlassio free?
The full 90/180 calculator, unlimited trip records, the world map and the 3D globe are free, and the calculator will always be free — it is the part people rely on. Pro is a single £9.99 one-time purchase that adds Travel Wrapped exports, the AI trip assistant, the risk calendar, watermark-free documents and the secure document hub. There is no subscription.