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The Schengen 90-day rule for UK travellers.
Passports, the EES and your days · Updated 29 October 2026
The short answer
- 90 days in any 180, no visa needed. Since Brexit, British visitors follow the same rule as other non-EU travellers.
- It's one allowance for all 29 countries. A week in France and a month in Spain come out of the same 90 days.
- Check your passport's issue date. It must be under 10 years old on the day you arrive.
- Stamps are gone. The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) now records every entry and exit.
What changed after Brexit
Until the end of 2020, British citizens could live and stay in the EU without limits. Since 1 January 2021 you're a "third-country national" for Schengen purposes: you can visit without a visa, but only for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Previous trips in the last 180 days count towards that, wherever in Schengen they were.
The 180-day window rolls: on any date, look back 180 days (including that date) and add up every day you spent in Schengen. Our 90/180 rule guide walks through the count with examples.
What counts, and what doesn't
Counts towards your 90 days
Every day in any of the 29 Schengen 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. The day you arrive and the day you leave both count.
Doesn't count
- The UK and Ireland. Popping home for a fortnight gives you no days back, but the days at home don't use any up either.
- Cyprus. It's in the EU but not in Schengen. It applies its own separate 90-day limit.
- Non-Schengen neighbours such as Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Morocco and Gibraltar.
Passport rules
On the day you enter Schengen, your British passport must:
- have been issued less than 10 years before the day you arrive, and
- be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave.
The first rule catches people out. Passports renewed before October 2018 could include up to 9 extra months from the old one, so the expiry date can look fine while the issue date is over 10 years old.
At the border
Since 10 April 2026, the Entry/Exit System (EES) has replaced passport stamps. The first time you cross, you register your passport, a photo and fingerprints. After that, each entry and exit is logged, and the system counts your days automatically.
If you travel through Dover, the Folkestone Channel Tunnel terminal or Eurostar at St Pancras, the French border check happens in the UK before you leave, so that's where you'll register. Allow extra time on your first trip.
Border officers can also ask to see a return or onward ticket, where you're staying, and that you have enough money for your trip. Have them ready.
Later, British visitors will also need ETIAS, an online travel authorisation. It hasn't started yet and no date has been announced.
Example: the winter in Spain
A full 90-day winter, then Easter
You spend 1 November 2027 to 29 January 2028 on the Costa Blanca: exactly 90 days. You'd like to fly back for two weeks at Easter, from 10 April.
On 10 April, the whole winter is still inside the 180-day window, so you have no days left. Entering would be an overstay. The earliest a 14-day trip fits is from 29 April, when 1 November starts dropping out.
If Easter matters, plan the winter around it: come home a couple of weeks earlier, and the days are free in spring.
Check this in the calculatorStaying longer than 90 days
The 90 days are a visitor allowance. To stay longer, for example to spend the winter in a second home or to retire abroad, you need a long-stay (national) visa or residence permit from that country. Time spent on one doesn't count towards your 90 days. Each country sets its own rules, so check with its embassy well before you go.
Visiting doesn't allow you to work for a local employer either. Some business activities, like meetings and conferences, are usually fine; check the rules of the country you're visiting.
Dual nationals
If you also hold an Irish or other EU passport, travel on it. EU citizens aren't limited to 90 days, so use your EU passport both to enter and to leave Schengen.
Overstaying
An overstay can mean a fine, removal and an entry ban that covers all Schengen countries. With the EES counting automatically, it's no longer down to whether an officer spots it in your stamps.
Questions
How long can a British citizen stay in Europe?
Up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the 29 Schengen countries combined, without a visa. Longer stays need a visa or residence permit from the country you're staying in.
Does time in Ireland or Cyprus count towards my 90 days?
No. Ireland and Cyprus are not in the Schengen area, so days there don't count towards your Schengen 90 days. Cyprus applies its own separate limit.
What are the passport rules for UK travellers?
Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the day you arrive, and be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave.
Do I need ETIAS to travel from the UK?
Not yet. British visitors will need ETIAS once it starts, but no start date has been announced.
I have an Irish or other EU passport too. Does the 90-day rule apply?
Not if you travel on your EU passport. EU citizens can stay without the 90-day limit, so enter and leave Schengen using that passport.
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