Rick mentions in videos that he spends 90 days per year in Europe. I always assumed that was some legal limit. Doing some Google searches of time limits outside US, it appears legal limit is 90 days per every 180 days. That would increase limit to 180 days per year, just not consecutively.
Do any RS travelers have a more solid understanding of US legal limits to being on travel in Europe? Thank you!
The limit is not imposed by your own country, it is imposed by Europe. So it's not a US limit. The link the last poster supplied is the rule about the Schengen Zone, which is a zone in Europe which adheres to the 90 days in 180 rule. You can also get Schengen calculators online which help you work out how many days you have spent.
There are other countries outside Schengen where you can stay longer (the UK for example, allows 6 months). So if you want to spend longer you might look at the UK + your 90 days in Schengen.
Good luck!
Lavandula
Yes, it varies by country, each country sets their own limits, and there are a number of schemes.
The Schengen Area, a group of 29 countries, some EU, some not, allow the 90 days in 180 days, so yeas, roughly 180 days in a year.
The Schengen area though does not include:
The UK, which allows up to 6 months, but no limit really to how many times you can enter, but you can be refused (as with any country) at any time.
Ireland allows up to 90 days per entry.
Other non-Schengen countries of note are some of the Balkan countries, Bosnia, Albania, and a couple others.
As for Rick Steves comment, I think he was just stating the number of days he typically is there, not that he maxes out any allotment. If you were to structure your time right, you could travel indefinitely.
I believe this is the current Schengen list:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
The 90 is in ANY 180 day period so keeping track of it can be difficult. When I spent a lot of time in Europe before I had residency, I used a Schengen calculator. There are a number of them on the internet. Someone once stated that one of the Nordic countries allowed 90 in 180 days beyond the Schengen limit, but I don’t remember which or know it to be correct.
Which means countries with land in Europe that are not in Schengen include:
Albania, Armenia*, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, UK, Ukraine.
I also don’t believe that Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City are in Schengen, but you can not reach them without entering Schengen and there isn’t any passport control so you will end up having been in Schengen even if you were not.
The Faroe Islands and Greenland are also not part of Schengen.
Greenland like Sint Maarten, St. Martin, Aruba, etc. is not in Schengen …. or Europe. But to be fair I also listed Armenia as a non-Schengen country and Armenia also has no land within Europe. It is interesting that the Faroe Islands which are in Europe but are neither EU nor Schengen always gets overlooked.
Romania as of January 2025 now a Schengen EU member
Wow, thank you for the very insightful responses! I followed recommendation and Googled "Schengen calculator". It turns out the next trip I was planning would have exceeded Schengen limits! I'm not sure what action would have been taken by European Customs, but best not to break the rules. By delaying next trip by a couple of weeks, it allows 90-day break from my last trip and therefore starts a new authorized 90-day window.
While Greenland and the Faroe Islands are de jure not Schengen members, they have an open border with Schengen countries, so don't rely on them as places to spend time outside Schengen.
I'm not sure what action would have been taken by European Customs,
but best not to break the rules.
Customs wouldn't care, but the ones checking your passport might be a bit disappointed in you. It would probably result in a fine and maybe a ban on reentry for a while.
exceeded Schengen limits! I'm not sure what action would have been taken
there have been reports on here of detention, banning for many years, large fines. All depends.
There was one report on here of that sort of penalty for a young woman who overstayed by one day.
This year I will and last summer I decided to cut it close to the Schengen time limit, staying 86 days, all traveling in this zone only.
It's worth noting that one can in some cases exceed the 90-day Schengen visa-free limit by securing a visa permitting a longer stay from the nation you'll first visit. We've secured long-stay visas this summer from France, which permit us to remain in France for up to one full year. We're still legally limited to 90 days per 180 in Schengen countries outside of France, and we'll spend some time in Spain and Portugal (probably about one month total) during our stay.
Obviously visa requirements and privileges are specific to each nation. And US citizens can stay up to 180 days in the UK each year visa-free. There is no intermediate 90-day limit in the UK.
And US citizens can stay up to 180 days in the UK each year visa-free
Actually, not true. US citizens can stay up to 180 days at a time. But there is no limit as to how long you have to be gone before you return. Technically, you could stay for 180 days, leave for 2 days, and then return for 180 days.
However, you might be flagged and have to convince a Border Force officer to allow it. Just because you technically can doesn't mean they will allow it.
I’ll add some detail to the consequences of overstaying the Schengen limits. Someone I know had a problem getting his Schengen visa because he was missing a document. The Italian consulate officer told him to go without it, because he didn’t have enough time to return home, get the missing document, get a new appointment and obtain the visa. The officer also wouldn’t reveal his name. (red flag). Without thinking, several months later, this person flew back to the U.S. to attend a conference. His return involved a transit through Zurich, where he was immediately seized by immigration guards and placed in a locked hotel room. Next day he was placed on a plane back to the U.S., where he had to start the visa acquisition process all over again.; and of course, pay for his transport, again.
Another example: my daughter worked in education abroad. One student, ,who overstayed by a day, was fined 500€.
Moral of these stories: understand and follow the rules to the letter, including that your departure day is counted in the 90.
Someone once stated that one of the Nordic countries allowed 90 in 180 days
It’s really 90 additional days after 90 Schengen days, and it’s Denmark. Remember that using this privilege and then departing Schengen via Zurich would be a near fatal mistake. A person would have to fly to North America from Copenhagen nonstop if using this Danish option.
In all this stuff remember it’s the national officers of the country you where you are exiting Schengen who are enforcing laws. If Denmark or Italy is making a special deal for you don’t exit Schengen in a third party country like Switzerland.
A person would have to fly to North America from Copenhagen nonstop.
Or to a non-Schengen country like the UK or Ireland.
