How to Calculate Remaining Schengen Days When You've Done Multiple Entries (Step-by-Step)
February 20, 2026
If you have multiple short trips in and out of Schengen, you calculate remaining days the same way every time: pick an "as-of" date (today or a planned entry date), look back 180 days (including that day), count how many Schengen days fall inside that window (entry and exit days included), then subtract from 90.
The math is straightforward. The hard part is having accurate entry and exit dates for every border crossing. That is exactly why we built DaysAround: it reconstructs your past trips from geotagged photo metadata on your iPhone, entirely on-device, so you can calculate Schengen 90/180 compliance without backfilling spreadsheets.
The rule you're calculating
Most visa-free short-stay travelers in the Schengen Area can stay up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period. Rolling means there is no reset at the end of a month or at the border. On every day you are in Schengen, or plan to enter Schengen, you look back 180 days (counting that day) and total the Schengen days inside that window.
DaysAround includes a built-in Schengen calculator that shows your rolling usage without manual counting once your travel history exists in the app.
What you need before you start
You only need two things:
- Your Schengen stays as date intervals
- Each trip written as: Entry date → Exit date
- Cover at least the last 6 to 8 months so your 180-day lookback window is complete
- Your "as-of date"
- Today (if you are currently in Schengen)
- Planned entry date (if you are about to enter)
- Planned exit date (if you want to validate the whole upcoming stay)
How DaysAround helps: If you don't trust your notes, DaysAround can rebuild these intervals from your photo library (timestamps + GPS), running locally on your phone. No cloud sync. No analytics. Nothing leaves your device.
Step-by-step method: the rolling 180-day overlap calculation
This is the repeatable algorithm that works even with messy travel histories.
Step 1: Write each Schengen stay as an interval
Create a list like this:
- Trip 1: 2025-01-10 → 2025-01-15
- Trip 2: 2025-02-01 → 2025-02-03
- Trip 3: 2025-03-20 → 2025-04-05
Counting rule (critical):
- Entry day counts as a day in Schengen
- Exit day counts as a day in Schengen
- Same-day entry and exit counts as 1 day
- Partial days still count (Schengen counts days, not hours)
This is the most common place people undercount and accidentally overstay.
Step 2: Define your 180-day window for the "as-of date"
Pick your as-of date, then define:
- Window start = as-of date minus 179 days
- Window end = as-of date
This gives you 180 days total, inclusive.
Example:
- As-of date: 2025-06-30
- Window: 2025-01-02 to 2025-06-30
Step 3: For each trip, count overlap days with the window
For each stay interval, compute the overlap interval:
- Overlap start = later of (trip entry, window start)
- Overlap end = earlier of (trip exit, window end)
If overlap start > overlap end, there is zero overlap.
If there is overlap, count days inclusive:
- Overlap days = (overlap end - overlap start) + 1
Step 4: Add overlaps and subtract from 90
- Days used = sum of overlap days across all trips
- Remaining days = 90 - days used
If remaining days is 0 or negative, you cannot enter or you must exit immediately (depending on your status and the specific question you are answering).
How DaysAround helps: Once your stay intervals exist, DaysAround's Schengen view keeps the rolling 180-day math updated automatically, so you don't re-do this by hand every time you book a flight.
Copy/paste worksheet template
Use this table in Notes, Numbers, or a spreadsheet:
| Trip # | Entry (YYYY-MM-DD) | Exit (YYYY-MM-DD) | Days in trip (inclusive) | Overlap with window (start → end) | Overlap days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||||
| 2 | |||||
| 3 | |||||
| 4 | |||||
| 5 |
Then:
- Days used (sum overlap days) =
- Remaining = 90 - used =
If you prefer not to build this from memory, DaysAround can generate a clean country-by-country timeline from your existing photos, then you can compare against this worksheet or the official calculator.
Worked example (4 short trips)
Assume you are calculating for as-of date: 2025-06-30.
1) Define the 180-day window
- As-of date: 2025-06-30
- Window: 2025-01-02 to 2025-06-30
2) List your Schengen trips
| Trip # | Entry | Exit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2024-12-20 | 2025-01-05 | Partly outside the window |
| 2 | 2025-02-10 | 2025-02-12 | Short trip |
| 3 | 2025-03-01 | 2025-03-01 | Same-day in/out |
| 4 | 2025-05-15 | 2025-06-05 | Longer stay |
3) Compute overlap with the window (inclusive day counting)
Window is 2025-01-02 → 2025-06-30.
| Trip # | Entry | Exit | Overlap (start → end) | Overlap days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2024-12-20 | 2025-01-05 | 2025-01-02 → 2025-01-05 | 4 |
| 2 | 2025-02-10 | 2025-02-12 | 2025-02-10 → 2025-02-12 | 3 |
| 3 | 2025-03-01 | 2025-03-01 | 2025-03-01 → 2025-03-01 | 1 |
| 4 | 2025-05-15 | 2025-06-05 | 2025-05-15 → 2025-06-05 | 22 |
Total used in window = 4 + 3 + 1 + 22 = 30 days
Remaining = 90 - 30 = 60 days
4) How the number changes when the as-of date changes
If you change the as-of date, the window slides. That means old days eventually fall out of the last 180 days.
For example, if you recalculate on 2025-07-20:
- New window start = 2025-01-22
- Trip 1 overlap (2025-01-02 → 2025-01-05) is now outside the window, so you would regain 4 days compared to the 2025-06-30 calculation.
How DaysAround helps: This "sliding window" effect is where manual tracking breaks down. DaysAround continuously updates the rolling 180-day view, so you always know your remaining days for today and for planning.
What counts as a Schengen day (and what doesn't)
Counts as a Schengen day
- Any day you are physically present in a Schengen country
- Entry day and exit day (even if you arrive at 23:50 or leave at 06:00)
- Airport situations where you enter Schengen (you pass passport control)
Doesn't "reset" anything
Leaving Schengen does not reset the clock. It only changes which days are included in your rolling lookback.
How DaysAround helps: We show your time as "days in Schengen in the last 180 days," not as a misleading per-trip counter. That framing is what prevents accidental overstays.
Common pitfalls that cause miscounts
Pitfall 1: Forgetting that both entry and exit days count
People often count nights, not days. Schengen counts days.
DaysAround angle: When we reconstruct stays from photo timestamps, we apply day-based counting for Schengen. The goal is compliance-grade numbers, not a travel diary.
Pitfall 2: Same-day in/out counted as zero
A day trip (enter and exit on the same calendar date) counts as 1 day.
Pitfall 3: Time zones and "after midnight" landings
If your flight lands after midnight local time, that is a new calendar day.
Practical rule:
- Use the local date at the border (where you enter Schengen) for entry and exit dates
DaysAround angle: Photo metadata includes timestamps and location. It helps you corroborate which local date you were actually on the ground, without relying on fuzzy memory.
Pitfall 4: Missing stamps (especially land borders)
Not every crossing is stamped consistently. If you can't prove dates, you feel the anxiety at the border.
What helps:
- Boarding passes and emails
- Card transactions
- Hotel invoices
- Geotagged photos (often the most reliable personal record)
DaysAround angle: DaysAround pulls location and time from your own photos, on-device, to rebuild a defensible timeline quickly. This is especially useful when your "calendar story" and your "passport stamp story" don't match.
Pitfall 5: Counting "Europe days" instead of "Schengen days"
Not all European countries are in Schengen, and some Schengen countries aren't in the EU. Mixing this up leads to the wrong day count.
DaysAround angle: We track by country status so your day totals map to the Schengen rule, not a vague "Europe trip." If you also need a broader record, DaysAround doubles as a countries visited tracker.
How to calculate remaining days for a future planned entry date
Planning mode is the same method. You just set the as-of date to your planned entry date.
Planning steps
- Set as-of date = planned entry date
- Window = planned entry date minus 179 days through planned entry date
- Count overlap days for all past stays inside that window
- Remaining = 90 minus used
Optional: estimate how many days you "regain" by waiting
Every day that passes pushes the 180-day window forward by one day.
- If a heavy Schengen stay is near the start of your window, you will regain days soon.
- If your heavy stay is recent, waiting doesn't help much.
How DaysAround helps: We built planning views for people who do frequent short trips. You can see how remaining days change as the window moves, without re-counting intervals by hand.
Make the hard part easy: reconstruct your past trips automatically
For most travelers, Schengen math isn't the real problem. The problem is missing or wrong dates:
- Weekend trips you forgot
- Same-day crossings
- Open-jaw itineraries
- Land borders with no stamps
DaysAround solves that by scanning your iPhone photos for GPS coordinates and timestamps and turning them into a travel timeline.
What DaysAround does differently
- Reconstructs years of history in minutes from existing photos
- Runs entirely on-device
- No cloud uploads, no analytics
- Produces a usable timeline for Schengen 90/180 and days-per-country (tax residency clarity)
Quick workflow we see work
- Scan your photo library in DaysAround (on-device)
- Review the reconstructed stays for obvious gaps
- Use DaysAround's Schengen calculator to get remaining days
- If you want, cross-check with the official EU calculator
This gives you peace of mind with the smallest possible data footprint. Your travel history never leaves your phone.
FAQ
Does the day I enter and the day I leave both count?
Yes. Both entry and exit days count as days spent in Schengen, even for late arrivals or early departures.
I did multiple weekend trips. How do I know what's left?
Use the overlap method: define the last 180-day window for your as-of date, then count overlap days for each weekend trip (inclusive). Sum them and subtract from 90. If you can't remember dates, DaysAround can reconstruct them from geotagged photos on-device.
If I leave for 10 days, do I get 10 days back immediately?
No. You only "get days back" when earlier Schengen days fall out of the rolling 180-day window. Leaving helps only because time passes.
Do days from more than 180 days ago matter?
Not for the 90/180 calculation on a given as-of date. Days older than the lookback window aren't counted.
What if my trip starts outside the 180-day window but ends inside it?
Only the portion inside the window counts. That is exactly why you calculate overlap, not whole-trip totals.
Do airport transits count as Schengen days?
If you enter Schengen (pass passport control), that day counts. If you remain in international transit without entering Schengen, rules differ by airport and routing. When in doubt, treat it as counting and confirm using official guidance.
What's the simplest way to track this without a spreadsheet?
Use a tool that can build your timeline automatically. DaysAround reads photo metadata on-device and keeps a live Schengen 90/180 view, so you stop redoing the same math.
I crossed borders by land and didn't get stamped. How do I prove dates?
Keep independent records: transport receipts, lodging invoices, card transactions, and geotagged photos. DaysAround helps by turning those photos into a dated location trail stored only on your phone.
What if I have two passports or dual nationality?
Your allowable stay can change based on nationality and any bilateral agreements. The counting method is the same, but the limit might differ. Confirm rules for your passports before relying on a 90/180 assumption.
Are there bilateral agreements that change the 90/180 rule?
Sometimes, for certain nationalities and specific countries. Treat this as an exception case and check official guidance for your nationality.
Safety note
Overstays can trigger fines, deportation, entry bans, and visa trouble later. If you are close to the limit, calculate conservatively and verify with official tools.
DaysAround is built for exactly this compliance anxiety: accurate historical reconstruction from photos, a Schengen rolling window view, and privacy-first on-device processing so your travel history isn't sitting on someone else's server.
Sources
- European Commission - Short-stay calculator (Schengen 90/180): https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen-borders-and-visa/visa-policy/short-stay-visa-calculator_en
- Schengen Borders Code (EUR-Lex): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/
- Netherlands government guidance on short stay in Schengen (day counting references): https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/
- France-Visas guidance (short stay rules): https://france-visas.gouv.fr/