With the passing of Brexit there is now more regulation for UK citizens when travelling in Europe. In this blog we’ll explain the Schengen agreement, the countries that it includes, and how this affects travel in Europe.
What is the Schengen area?
The Schengen Agreement is a treaty signed by 29 European countries (25 EU Member States and 4 non EU countries) creating an area of free borderless movement.
The 29 countries in the Schengen area are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
The Schengen Visa policy means that non Schengen citizens from a visa exempt country can stay in the Schengen area without a visa for up to a duration of 90 days within a 180-day period. This means that as a UK citizen you can spend up to 90 days in any Schengen country or a combination of Schengen countries within a 180-day period, for anything beyond this you will require a visa for the country you are visiting.
An example of how the 90-day period works:
If you enter a Schengen country, for example France, on January 1st and stayed in France for 30 days, this would mean that you have used up 30 days out of the 90-day allowance. From this point you will have 60 remaining over the 180-day period.
If after your 30 days in France you were to travel home to the UK for 30 days and then travel to Spain for an additional 30 days, 60 days in total would be used up of your 90 days. Days when you are not in a Schengen travel area will not count towards your 90-day allowance.
(It’s important to consider when travelling that each day you spend in a Schengen country will count towards the 90-day limit, regardless of whether you are staying in the country or travelling through it.)
If from Spain you wanted to travel through various Schengen countries for the remainder of the 30 days you would need to make sure by the end of the 30 day period you are:
a) Able to travel back home to the UK through the Schengen Zone before exceeding the 90-day limit
Example A – Travelling home at the end of the 90 days
| Date | Location | Days in the Schengen Zone |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Jan – 30 Jan | France 🇫🇷 | 30 |
| 31 Jan – 01 Mar | UK 🇬🇧 (Non-Schengen country) | 0 |
| 02 Mar – 31 Mar | Spain 🇪🇸 | 30 |
| 1 Apr – 03 Apr | France 🇫🇷 | 3 |
| 04 Apr – 15 Apr | Italy 🇮🇹 | 12 |
| 16 Apr – 20 Apr | Austria 🇦🇹 | 5 |
| 21 Apr – 25 Apr | Switzerland 🇨🇭 | 5 |
| 26 Apr – 30 Apr | France 🇫🇷 | 5 |
| 30 Apr | UK 🇬🇧 (Non-Schengen country) | 0 |
b) Or you could travel to non-Schengen countries until enough time has passed for some of your previous Schengen days to ‘drop off’ the rolling 180-day count.
Example B – Continue travelling in non-Schengen countries
| Date | Location | Days in the Schengen Zone |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Jan – 30 Jan | France 🇫🇷 | 30 |
| 31 Jan – 01 Mar | UK 🇬🇧 (Non-Schengen country) | 0 |
| 02 Mar – 31 Mar | Spain 🇪🇸 | 30 |
| 01 Apr – 03 Apr | France 🇫🇷 | 3 |
| 04 Apr – 20 Apr | Germany 🇩🇪 | 17 |
| 21 Apr – 25 Apr | Austria 🇦🇹 | 5 |
| 26 Apr – 30 Apr | Hungary 🇭🇺 | 5 |
| 01 May – 30 Jun | Serbia 🇷🇸 (Non-Schengen country) | 0 |
| 01 Jul – 31 Jul | Bosnia & Herzegovina 🇧🇦 (Non-Schengen) | 0 |
As Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina are non-Schengen countries they have their own independent rules for how long UK residents can travel in their countries without a visa that are separate from the Schengen rules.
When could I return to the Schengen Zone?
On the 31st of July, the 30 day trip you took to France in January will have dropped off your 90 day travel limit as 180 days have now pasted. This means you regain 30 days to travel in the Schengen area.
It’s essential to keep track of the duration of your travels so you do not exceed the 90 day travel limit, that’s why we’ve created this easy to use tool to keep track of your stays .
For optimal viewing experience for mobile please click here.
Areas we cover and whether they fall into the Schengen area.
| Schengen | Non-Schengen |
| Austria | Great Britain |
| Belgium | Northern Ireland |
| Bulgaria | The Channel Islands |
| Croatia | Isle of man |
| Czech Republic | The Republic of Ireland |
| Denmark | Andorra |
| Estonia | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Finland | Cyprus |
| France (including Monaco) | Gibraltar |
| Germany | Serbia |
| Greece | |
| Hungary | |
| Iceland | |
| Italy (including San Marino and the Vatican City) | |
| Latvia | |
| Liechtenstein | |
| Lithuania | |
| Luxembourg | |
| Malta | |
| Netherlands | |
| Norway | |
| Poland | |
| Portugal | |
| Romania | |
| Slovakia | |
| Slovenia | |
| Spain | |
| Sweden | |
| Switzerland |
When travelling always check the entry requirements for any country you’re visiting to find out the rules and regulations. For more information on travelling to the EU and Schengen areas visit: https://www.gov.uk/travel-to-eu-schengen-area.
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