Rule change, Schengen area
Schengen's Entry/Exit System now counts your 90 days for you
Passport stamps are gone. Since 10 April 2026 a computer system records each entry and exit and knows how many of your 90 days you have used.
Published . This post explains a rule. It is not legal or tax advice.
What changed
The Entry/Exit System (EES) started on 12 October 2025 and became fully operational on 10 April 2026. It records the entry and exit of short-stay visitors from outside the EU with their passport data, a face image and fingerprints. It replaces passport stamps.
The system calculates the days you have used. An overstay is now seen at the border without anyone reading stamps.
What did not change
The rule is the same: no more than 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area (Schengen Borders Code, article 6).
- All 29 Schengen countries share one count. A week in Paris and a week in Rome are 14 days of the same 90.
- The day you arrive and the day you leave both count as full days.
- Leaving does not reset anything. Each day stops counting only when it is more than 180 days old.
- Days under a residence permit or a national long-stay visa (type D) are not counted.
Why it matters more now
Before, a border guard had to find and add up stamps, and small mistakes were often missed. Now the count is exact and automatic. One day too many shows on the screen when you leave. So you should know your own number before you travel, not at the border.
What to do now
- Before each trip, count the days you spent in the area in the 180 days that end on your planned last day.
- Remember that the 180 days move forward one day at a time. A trip can be fine on the day you enter and become an overstay later.
- Use our free Schengen calculator to check your dates.
The full rule, with worked examples, is on the page Schengen Tourist Visa or Visa-Free Visit.
Official sources
- European Commission, Entry/Exit System (EES)
- Regulation (EU) 2016/399 (Schengen Borders Code), article 6
The rules in this post
- Schengen Tourist Visa or Visa-Free Visit: 90 days in any 180 days
- Schengen Visa with Fixed Dates (Single Entry): 90 days within your visa dates
Countr can count this for you.
It finds your past trips in your photos and counts the days for every rule you follow, on your phone.