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American tourist here. I understand the 180 day scheme, 90 days in (non-consecutive), 90 days out (consecutive).

Here’s the question: I enter the Schengen area on Jan 1st and leave the Schengen area on Jan 31st (30 days) leaving me 60 Schengen days unused. Can I wait outside the Schengen for an extended amount of time, say 5 or 6 months, and then arrive in the Schengen area with my 60 days still usable?

Tenzin Tharpa
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    Not sure where you got the "90 days out (consecutive)", that rules does not exist. The rule is much simpler: any day you are in the Schengen Area, you must not have been in the Schengen Area more than 90 days out of the previous 180. – jcaron Sep 23 '19 at 12:39
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    If you're out for five months, or for any period of 90 days or longer, then the next time you enter you can stay for up to 90 days. If you're out for a shorter period then the maximum allowed length of your next visit depends on the pattern of your previous visits in the 179 days before your next entry. – phoog Sep 23 '19 at 12:44

2 Answers2

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Yes, if I understand correctly.

When you enter (every time), you count 90 days: you should exit by that day (or before that). But you should also count 180 days. You should never been in Schengen more then 90 days during these 180 days. Note: if you enter several times in Schengen area, you should count separately the 180 days periods, so you should check that for every 180 period still valid, you have no more than 90 days in EU.

But you cannot report unused 90 days for a successive period. The count are reset, and restarted again.

Giacomo Catenazzi
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  • Thanks all, very helpful Let me try to clarify something. Lets take an example of two back to back 180-day Schengen periods. As long as I don’t exceed 90 days, I can simply step out of the schengen area at the end of one 180-day period, and then step back in to start my next 180 day period? – Tenzin Tharpa Sep 23 '19 at 19:30
  • No, it's a 'rolling' 180-day period. Each day, you must look back at the last 180 days. – mkennedy Sep 23 '19 at 19:46
  • @mkennedy: I think "my" method gives mathematically the same results, but easier to get. If you get 90 days at the my checkpoint, the day before you must be 90 or less. (90 in case you exited and entered the same day). Because rules at entry (exit within 90 days) we eliminated also degenerated cases. Or I miss something? – Giacomo Catenazzi Sep 24 '19 at 07:31
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If you enter the Schengen Area in the 1st and leave on the 31st of January

  • then that is 31 days, since the enter/exit days count as full days

you then have 59 days left that you can use.

If you (re-) enter on the 1st of June and stay 10 days = 10th June

10th June - 180 days = 12th of December

How many days inside Schengen Area since 12 December

  • 31+10=41 days used

41 <= 90

  • valid exit day

Proposed-exit-day - 180 days = start-date

Count days inside Schengen Area between both dates (inclusive)

Result <= 90

  • valid exit day
Mark Johnson
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  • Thanks all, very helpful Let me try to clarify something. Lets take an example of two back to back 180-day Schengen periods. As long as I don’t exceed 90 days, I can simply step out of the schengen area at the end of one 180-day period, and then step back in to start my next 180 day period? – Tenzin Tharpa Sep 23 '19 at 19:29
  • @TenzinTharpa no, see comment after your first version of your comment. It is a rolling 180 period as seen in the exit-date minus 180 days formel. – Mark Johnson Sep 24 '19 at 06:19