Do sea days count towards the 90/180 limit in Schengen area?
We're flying to Europe and then taking a Transatlantic cruise from Rome back to the US. I'm trying to find out how many of the 14 cruise days count towards the 90/180 limit in the Schengen area. Days in port only, all days until we reach international waters, or the total cruise days. I don't want to cut our days in Europe short if I don't need to, but also don't want to exceed the limit. The cruise line doesn't seem to know either... Thanks for any answers or help or advice about where else to check!
Best Answer
It really boils down to where you will undergo exit border checks. As of April 2022, the length of your stay is still determined based on the stamps in your passport. There is no central database of entries and exits and no way for other Schengen countries to know when you last left than looking at the passport stamps. You will therefore be able to determine how long your stay was based on those stamps (at least in theory).
The Schengen Borders code has special rules regarding checks for cruise ships but I think the last exit check should happen at the last port in the Schengen area. If the ship and its passengers are subject to a full exit border check, you will get a stamp dated from the day you leave the port.
Days at sea between ports in the Schengen area, even in international waters, can count as part of your stay. Days at sea en route to a port in a third country like the US should not count. It doesn't really matter when you reach international waters and cruise days after getting an exit stamp definitely do not count. If you underwent an exit check when boarding the ship, days in a Schengen port where you don't go ashore wouldn't count either. Even short excursions can sometimes be exempted from entry and exit checks.
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How do you count 180 days in Schengen?
The 180 days are counted backward from the date you arrive and depart from the Schengen Area. Meaning, each time you enter or leave a Schengen Country, a new 180 day period will be calculated.How does the 90-day Schengen rule work?
You can stay 90 days in any 180-day period within the Schengen area. calculated individually for each of these states. For instance, after a 90-day stay in the Schengen area, the person can immediately travel to Croatia and stay for another 90 days there. The 180-day reference period is not fixed.How do you get around the 90-day rule Schengen?
Well, you can tour around different Schengen member states like France, Spain, or Germany and by the time you hit your 90-day limit, go and hop over to a non-Schengen European country like Croatia, UK, North Macedonia, or Turkey to wait until you hit the 181st day so that you can come back to the Schengen Area again.How are Schengen days counted?
Each day they stay in the Schengen Area will advance the 180-day timeframe \u2013 so the calculation on 2 November 2021 would advance the 180-day block by one day to 7 May 2021.✈️ The 90 180 DAY RULE (Everything You Need to Know when Traveling to the Schengen Area)
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