90/180 day Rule - What is it and can I stay longer?
So you’d like to outstay your 90 day period in the Schengen area, but how?
As Covid dwindles and the sunny beaches of Europe beckon, we urge you to brush up on how and when you can legally enter and exit the Schengen Area…
What is the Schengen Area?
Firstly we should explain what the Schengen Area is, for those that perhaps don’t know the difference between the Schengen zone and the rest of Europe. Signed in the 1985, the Schengen Agreement was an official document abolishing borders between many European countries. Although the concept of ‘free movement’ existed before this document was signed, the Schengen agreement formalised the law for visitors from outside of the area.
We often use the terms EU, Europe and Schengen interchangeably, but it’s important to note that they are actually different, but include many of the same countries. No wonder it gets confusing!
For example Bulgaria is part of the EU, but not in the Schengen Agreement which means the 90/180 rule does not apply. Norway is not part of the EU but is in the Schengen Agreement which means it does.
How does my allowance work?
When it comes to visiting, touring and working in Europe as a UK citizen, you will be able to visit the Schengen area for 90 days out of 180 without a visa. You can travel as normal to the airport, board a flight and land in Spain, no problem.
There will be a few minor changes to your trip:
You will need to have your passport stamped on entry/exit to the Schengen one
You will no longer be able to queue in the EU lines
You will be able to shop in the non-EU duty free (Silver linings, hey!)
You will sometimes need at least 6 months left on your passport, please check before travel
You may also be asked to present the following documents at border control:
A return or onward ticket
Proof that you enough money for your stay, this varies from country to country
Travel insurance
A letter of invitation (depending on country and nature of trip)
If you plan to stay for ANY reason outside of this time limit, you will need to apply for a visa in a particular country. This means that your stay in the particular country won’t be deducted form your overall allotted 90/180 day allowance.
There is currently no option for a visa that covers the entire Schengen area, if you run out of your 90 days then your freedom of movement around the region is cut-off, and you must either leave the Schengen area entirely until you have accrued more days to enter with OR you can apply for a country specific long-stay visa within the Schengen zone. This is something that we can help you with, just send us an email to hello@vivalavisa.co.uk
There are some exceptions to this rule depending on bilateral agreements between certain countries. These can be complex but if you think you might be eligible then mention it to our Visa specialists upon enquiring, and they will research them for you.
How do I work out my allowance?
The easiest way to work out how much of your allowance you have left, is to count backwards 180 days from the current date and then work out how much time in that period was spent in the Schengen Area. Because this is a rolling calculation, the following day the time frame would be different.
E.G. You entered the Schengen from the 1st of May 2021 to the 6th of May
If todays date were the 1st November 2021 then, counting backwards 180 days to the 6th of May, it would mean that you had used 1 day of your 90/180 day allowance.
If you woke up the following day on the 2nd of November and counted backwards 180 days to the 7th of May, you would have used none of your 90/180 day allowance because your trip would then fall outside of the 180 day rolling period.
If this is still boggling your brain, then the EU commission has created a calculator which is free to use: EU COMMISSION CALCULATOR
There are also apps you can download to your smartphone, to help you to keep track!
What is ETIAS?
To find our more about ETIAS, read our previous blog post here: https://www.vivalavisa.co.uk/articles/what-is-etias-and-do-i-need-to-pay-to-enter-the-eu
Other things to note:
If you are arriving into the Schengen area as a citizen of a visa-national country like Nigeria, you will need a Visa regardless of how long you plan to stay.
There are serious consequences to overstaying your 90/180 allowance, you could get a hefty fine, deported or even banned from entering the entire Schengen one. So watch out!
There are ways to stay longer than 90 days, contact us for guidance on specific scenarios as guidance does vary from country to country and can depend on the planned activity.
Still have questions, or want our help? Email us at: hello@vivalavisa.co.uk