Days Allowed

Longer stays

Residence permit days and the 90/180 rule

Days covered by a residence permit or long-stay visa from a Schengen country don’t count toward the 90 days in any 180. When the permit ends, you can start a short stay straight away, without leaving first.

Last checked 3 Nov 2026 against the official sources below.

Permit days aren’t counted

The EU border guard handbook says periods of stay authorised under a residence permit or a long-stay visa are not taken into account when checking the 90 days in any 180-day period. A long-stay visa is a national visa from one Schengen country, for stays over three months, valid for at most one year.

Visiting other Schengen countries

  • With a long-stay visa or residence permit from a Schengen country, you can travel to other Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
  • You must be able to justify the purpose of your stay, have enough money for it and the trip back, and not be considered a threat to public policy, security or health.
  • Those visits are short stays, so they count toward the 90.
  • To move to another EU country for more than 90 days, you need a long-stay visa or residence permit from that country.
  • Residence permits and visas issued by Cyprus are not valid for the Schengen area.

When the permit ends

You don’t have to leave first. The handbook says you can start a short stay straight after the permit or long-stay visa expires, and that national rules forcing you to leave first are not compatible with Schengen rules.

Keeping to the 90/180 limit is your responsibility. Before the permit expires, ask the authorities to record the start of your short stay. If you don’t, you risk being treated as staying illegally.

The handbook’s example: a Canadian student whose Austrian student permit ends on 31 July wants to travel through several Schengen countries in August. They don’t have to leave the EU. Before 31 July, they ask the authorities to treat them as having entered on 1 August.

The handbook’s second example covers nationals who need a visa: they also need a Schengen short-stay visa, issued before the permit ends.

EES and ETIAS

  • The EES doesn’t apply to holders of residence permits and long-stay visas.
  • You won’t need ETIAS if you hold a residence permit issued by one of the 30 ETIAS countries, except Cyprus.

In the calculator

Set the trip type to “Residence permit or long-stay visa”. Those days are shown under “Not counted”, and any short stays before or after are counted as usual.

Looking for the visas and permits themselves? See staying longer than 90 days.

Questions

Do days on a long-stay visa count toward the 90/180 rule?

No. The EU border guard handbook says periods of stay authorised under a residence permit or a long-stay visa are not taken into account when checking the 90 days in any 180-day period.

Do I have to leave when my residence permit expires?

Not necessarily. The handbook says you can start a short stay straight after the permit expires, without leaving. Ask the authorities, before it expires, to record the start of your short stay.

Can I visit other Schengen countries with my residence permit?

Yes, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, if the permit or long-stay visa was issued by a Schengen country and you meet the conditions, such as having enough money for the stay.

Does the EES apply to me if I hold a residence permit?

No. The EU says the EES does not apply to holders of residence permits and long-stay visas.

More guides

Sources

Last checked 3 Nov 2026.

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