Your Key to Stress-Free Schengen Travel

Understanding the 90/180 Rule

The 90/180 rule is a regulation that applies to non-European Union citizens traveling to the Schengen Area. It stipulates that these individuals can only stay in the Schengen Area for 90 days within any 180-day period regardless of the number of entries or exits made within this period. The complexity of the rule lies in its rolling nature.

The 180-day period keeps ‘rolling’, and the calculation is not as straightforward as it might seem. It is calculated by looking back at the last 180 days from the current date and checking if the traveler has stayed more than 90 days in the Schengen Area. This complexity often leads to confusion and inadvertent overstays.

Who Does the Rule Affect?

The 90/180 rule primarily affects citizens of countries that are permitted to enter the Schengen Area without a visa for tourism or business purposes. This includes countries, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and the UK, among others. These citizens can travel freely within the Schengen Area, which encompasses 27 European countries, for up to 90 days within any 180-day period. Moreover, this rule also extends to multiple-entry visa holders, who are allowed to go in and out of the Schengen Area as many times as they want as long as they don’t violate the 90/180 rule. It is crucial to keep track of entry and exit dates to ensure compliance with this rule, regardless of the type of visa or passport you hold.

Consequences of Violating the Rule

Violations of the 90/180 rule can lead to serious consequences. These can range from fines to deportation and entry bans, depending on the country where the violation is detected. Some member states of the Schengen Area place a ban of more than 3 years on people who have overstayed for a long period. Post-Brexit, UK nationals traveling to the European Union and Schengen Area Member States have had to navigate a number of changes, including additional checks at ports of entry and even entry restrictions imposed on third countries amid COVID-19. The 90/180 rule has added another layer of complexity for frequent travelers to these countries. While the exact number of UK citizens who have violated the 90/180 rule is not publicly available, it’s clear that the rule has been a source of confusion for many.

Helpful Tools for Managing Schengen Travel Days

When it comes to managing your travel days in the Schengen Area, several tools can help you stay compliant with the 90/180 rule. These include online calculators and mobile apps that allow you to input your travel dates and calculate your remaining days.

We have tested all the available solutions on the market and believe the following to be the most notable tools out there:

1. Flamingo Travel Days Tracker App

This app is a versatile tool for travel compliance designed for frequent travelers, as well as expats and immigrants. With its modern user-friendly interface, it is the only tool that automatically tracks users’ travels from country to country, so that they don’t have to enter trips manually. Its built-in Schengen Area calculator helps to determine not only the earliest allowed entry date to the EU for the desired duration of stay, but also calculates permissible stay duration for users’ desired entry date.
The calculator is not the main feature of this app and it appears only when you’ve tracked or entered at least one trip to a Schengen Area country. Nonetheless, its other features, such as residency day count, list of visa-free countries based on citizenship, and travel reports, can also be useful for EU travelers.

Grab Flamingo Travel Days Tracker app here

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2. Schengen Calculator 90/180 App

One of the first tools of its kind, this app was designed for planning short stays in the Schengen area. It has a built-in calendar that allows users to visually control remaining days and choose the most convenient entry and exit dates. Despite its pioneering status, the app has an outdated interface and lacks automatic tracking of visits to the Schengen area. There is also the inconvenience of not being able to add two countries for one date for the days when you travel across borders. Nevertheless, it still manages to perform its primary function of helping users comply with the 90/180 rule.

Grab Schengen Calculator 90/180 app here

3. Schengen Simple App

This app is an exact copy of the Schengen Calculator 90/180 app in a modern user-friendly interface. It provides fast calculations and allows users to instantly know their travel allowance for every day in their calendar given the rolling 180-day period of the Schengen Area rule. However, same as the previous app, it also does not let you add two countries for one date, making it troublesome to record your transit days. The app also warns users of any risks of overstaying, enabling them to plan ahead and travel with peace of mind.
The only shortcoming of this app is that there is no automatic travel days tracking, so all trips must be entered manually. Despite this, it has a convenient and simple interface that users find easy to navigate.

Grab Schengen Simple app here

4. Schengen Trips App

This app is designed to make it easy for travelers to stay within their Schengen area allowance. Users simply enter their past and future trips, and the app calculates the remaining days. The app offers iCloud support, allowing users to sync between their devices and safely backup their data. It boasts an easy, clear, and frustration-free interface with customizations. However, like other tools, it requires manual entry of trips.

Grab Schengen Trips app here

5. SchengenVisaInfo.com Calculator

This online tool allows users to calculate their stay in the Schengen Area through their browser. It provides a simple interface where users can input their entry and exit dates, and the calculator will display the total number of days stayed, the last day to stay, and how many days are left for the most recent 180-day timeframe.
A serious drawback of this calculator is that all trips have to be entered by hand every time you need to calculate the remaining days. This makes it quite difficult to use on the phone, especially if you travel to the Schengen Area frequently.

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The Best Solution for Complying with the 90/180 Rule

While all the mentioned tools can be helpful, the Flamingo Travel Days Tracker stands out as the most universal and professional solution for complying with the 90/180 rule in the Schengen Area. With its automatic tracking of travel days, two ways of calculating stay duration, and overstay alerts, it simplifies compliance for travelers.

In addition, the Flamingo app offers comprehensive features beyond just counting travel days, including domicile and residency tracking, passport index, and customizable travel reports. This makes it an all-in-one solution, equipping travelers with essential information to effectively manage their travel plans and adhere to various regulations.

If your primary concern is to comply with the Schengen 90/180 rule, you don’t require additional features related to short-stay visas, residency and domicile status, and you don’t mind manually entering all your trips, then apps like Schengen Trips and Schengen Simple could be a good choice for you. They provide straightforward solutions to calculate your remaining days in the Schengen area.

While the Schengen Calculator 90/180 app and the SchengenVisaInfo.com calculator are capable of performing their main function, they are somewhat outdated. Unless you’re accustomed to using these tools, you might find their interfaces less user-friendly compared to newer apps.

In conclusion, complying with the 90/180 rule in the Schengen Area can be challenging, especially for frequent travelers. However, with the right understanding of the rule and the use of helpful tools it becomes significantly easier to manage travel days and avoid overstaying. Remember, overstaying can lead to serious consequences, so it’s crucial to keep track of your travel days and stay compliant with the rule.

Safe travels!