Once you have your Portuguese residents card is time in Portugal counted in the 90/180 Schengen zone limit? For example, if I have spent the last 90 or more days in Portugal may I travel in other Schengen zone countries for an additional 90 days? Thanks!
If you have a residence card from Portugal, your residence in Portugal is not subject to 90/180days rule as you are a resident. tHe rule is only applicable to visitors.
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Thanks Myakira!
You can spend 90/180 days in each EU country which is not Portugal, but there is no overall limit for Schengen zone, because you can live in Portugal and travel freely.
With PT residence you could only remain in the Schengen zone for more than 180 days if that time was spent in Portugal, alternatively you could leave the Zone for 180 days.
It’s late to reply to this post but it might help others investigate their options.
If you have residency in PT you can stay as long as you like in PT. The 90/180 Schengen rule doesn’t apply to you in PT. And it doesn’t subtract any days from your 90/180 Schengen allotment.
But the Schengen 90/180 rule still applies in any and all other Schengen countries outside of PT. It is NOT 90/180 in each Schengen country but a TOTAL of 90/180 across any and all Schengen countries which include non- EU countries like Norway, Iceland and Switzerland.
Also you should verify that more than 90 days doesn’t occur within any ROLLING 180 day period. It is not 90 days in Jan-June and another 90 days July - Dec (say, allowing you to stay April-Sept). There’s a special Schengen calculator for this.
It’s only citizenship that removes the 90/180 rule but then of course you need to take care the you don’t accidentally become a tax resident of another EU country by staying more than 183 days in that country.
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FWIW, I did a search on schengen 90/180 rule and came across this stay calculator
I’m not 100% sure I believe it though, as if I put in a stay that runs 1 Jan - 30 Mar, that uses up 90 days. Ok, that makes sense. But then I add a second trip starting 1 July to 31 July. It tells me I used 88 of 90 in the past 180 days. Ok, yes, the past 180 days ran 1 Feb to 31 July. So, the use of 88 makes sense. But then on the last day to stay, it tells me 27 Sept. That I don’t get. I would think it would be 1 Aug or thereabouts.
Am I reading this right?
On 1 Aug you would be +2 days of your ‘current’ stay but -2 days on your previous stay as it will be counted from 3 Feb. Makes sense?
Try this Schengen calculator from the EU’s site. I have found the process of figuring this out with pencil and paper not very feasible. Maybe someone has a formula for doing this?
Tommy is - as far as understand - giving the right answer. For each day that goes by a day of the prior 180 days ages out allowing an additional day to be added to your next stay. I don’t think I am writing this exactly right but that is the meaning of the rolling 180 days.
It was far easier when the rule was 90 days in each 180 days meaning you could understand how long you could stay without the need of any calculators and puzzlement over its result.
No, alas it doesn’t. But I’ll bang my head against this another day. At least the two calculators (the one I referenced and the one posted by @djeker) agree.
I’d be careful trusting those online calculators 100% too. You’re right that figuring it out by hand can be tricky. When in doubt, I’d probably err on the side of staying under 90 days just to be safe.
It is confusing how the days are counted rolling backwards like that. When are you planning your next trip to the Schengen area? Just staying within Portugal or venturing elsewhere too? Always good to plan extra buffer time in case of travel delays or wanting to extend a trip.
Picking up on this… Nomad Gate PT GV Guide states visa free access to Schengen. The EU says otherwise
To be fair, it’s the details that matter here. It appears there is visa free access, but still subject to the 90/180 Schengen rule when outside your home country. IE I’m still a tourist as far as non-host countries are concerned.
Plus, do I assume correctly that the 90/180 rule applies to the sum of stays in all non-host countries? IE, PT is my host country. But I go to France for 60 days, and then immediately to Germany for 60 days before returning to PT. While each of the stays is less than 90, the overall is greater than 90, and I’m in dutch with Schengen. Right?
That’s how I understand the regulations, yes. 90 days out of every rolling 180 can be spent in any and all EU country other than Portugal, however on day 91 you’re over your limit and have to either return to Portugal or leave the EU. It doesn’t matter if that 90 is all in one country or if you went for 9 days to 10 countries, the effect is the same. Only Portugal doesn’t count against this clock.
Also take note of the possible consequences of going over your 90/180*… including future grief entering the Schengen area:
*either by Schengen visa or the permitted 90 days for nationals of the countries under the visa-waiver program