90/180 Rule for UK Citizens: Schengen Rules After Brexit (2026)

The basics for British visitors

GOV.UK puts it simply: your total stay in the Schengen area must be no more than 90 days in every 180 days, and visits to any number of Schengen countries count towards the same total.

Passport: it must have been issued less than 10 years before the day you enter and be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave (Schengen Borders Code, Article 6). Check the issue date, not only the expiry date: older UK passports could have extra months added.
EES: on your first trip since the system started, your fingerprints and photo are taken at the border. GOV.UK says the registration lasts 3 years, or until your passport expires if sooner.
Residents: British citizens living in an EU country with residence documents (for example under the Withdrawal Agreement) should show them at the border; their days in that country are not short-stay days.

Ireland and Cyprus

Ireland is outside Schengen and in the Common Travel Area with the UK, so the Schengen rules do not apply there. Cyprus is not in Schengen either and, according to GOV.UK, has its own 90-in-180 allowance that time in Schengen does not reduce. Bulgaria and Romania are in Schengen.

Second homes in Spain, France and Portugal

Owning property does not give extra days. Many owners use a pattern such as three months in, three months out. If you want to spend more of the year there, the route is a national long-stay visa; days under it do not count towards the 90.

How to count your days

On every day you are in the Schengen area, count the days you spent there in that day and the 179 days before it. The total must never go above 90. Entry and exit days both count, and days in all 29 countries are added together. The 90180.app calculator does this for every day of every trip, including trips you are only planning, and tells you your latest exit date.

Before you travel, you can confirm with the EU's official EES tool, which uses your border record. It does not include stays that began before 10 April 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need ETIAS to go to Spain or France?

Not yet. There is no ETIAS start date and nothing to apply for. Status.

Does the Channel Tunnel or ferry crossing count as a day?

Yes. The day you enter the Schengen area counts in full, whatever time you arrive. Note that for Eurostar and Dover the French check takes place in the UK, but your entry day is still the day you travel.

Do the day I arrive and the day I leave both count?

Yes. Both count as full days, whatever time you cross the border.

Does leaving for a few days reset my 90 days?

No. Days only come back 180 days after you spent them. The calculator shows when.

The Schengen 90/180 rule for British citizens