How the 90/180 rule is calculated
The 90/180 rule looks simple but works against intuition: the count is not per calendar year, per month or from your last entry, but inside a rolling 180-day window that moves forward every day. The limit itself is fixed in EU law — at most 90 days in any 180-day period — and misunderstanding it is the most common source of breaches.
Visas and residence · Last reviewed: 2026-08-23
The window moves
The right question is: how many days have I been in the area during the last 180 days, including today? If the sum exceeds 90, the rule is broken. The window advances one day at a time, so a plan that worked yesterday may not work today — and the reverse also holds: a balance that looked spent reopens as old days drop out of the window. The counter resets neither at New Year nor on a new entry.
Which days count
- The day of entry is a whole day, whatever the hour.
- The day of exit is a whole day too; entering and leaving on the same date spends one day.
- Every day in between counts by presence in the common area, not only in Bulgaria.
- Days spent in other countries of the same area come off the same balance.
- Transit may count from the moment you enter the area; airport-transit exceptions are narrow and conditional.
Which days fall outside this window
The rule measures short stays. Days spent under a valid residence permit or a long-stay visa are assessed outside this window, because those statuses carry their own durations and conditions. For EU, EEA and Swiss citizens the count does not apply at all, since their right flows from free movement. If you are unsure which category a period falls into, verify before you calculate rather than after.
The calculation, step by step
Fix a reference date
Usually today or the day you plan to leave. The sum is always taken on a specific date; there is no general answer.Go back 179 days
Mark the 180-day span that includes the reference date. Days outside it play no part.Add up the days of stay inside the span
Write each entry-exit pair as a number of days and total them, counting both end days as whole days.Subtract from 90
The difference is the maximum available on that date. On later dates the number will be different.Repeat for the planned exit date
For a longer stay, run the calculation for the day you intend to leave as well; because the window moves, the two results can differ.
| Wrong assumption | Why it is wrong | How it actually works |
|---|---|---|
| I get three months per year | The rule is not tied to a calendar year | Each day looks back over 180 days |
| Leaving resets the counter | The window keeps seeing the past | Old days drop out only after 180 days |
| Only days in Bulgaria count | The balance belongs to the common area | All days in the area go into the same total |
| Half a day counts as half | Partial days count as whole | Entry and exit days are one whole day each |
| My residence permit days count too | That is a different status | Days under a permit are outside this window |
Verifying the result
The most reliable method is a chronological list of all your entry and exit dates, with each trip counted separately. The European Commission publishes an official short-stay calculator; comparing your figure against it catches the drift that creeps into manual arithmetic. Save the output before you travel — in a dispute at the border, a list of dates is worth far more than memory.
Crossings are recorded electronically
Preparing for a discussion at the border
- Keep your list of dates accessible, on paper or on your phone.
- Keep flight and coach tickets and accommodation bookings for the whole trip.
- Do not spend the balance down to the last day; leave room for delays.
- If in doubt, ask an official source before travelling rather than at the checkpoint.
The only figure here is the rule itself
This is not legal or financial advice
Frequently asked questions
Which date should I calculate for?
Always a specific one. In practice run two calculations: for your planned entry date and for your planned exit date, since the window moves between them.
Does time under a long-stay visa use up my 90 days?
Not within this window. Long-stay visas and residence permits have their own durations; mixing the two systems is what produces wrong results.
What if my passport was not stamped?
Those days still count. Records are not kept by stamps alone, and relying on a missing stamp is the quickest route to a recorded breach.
Sources
The information on this page is based on the official sources listed below. Legislation changes — open the links and verify the current position.
- Avrupa Komisyonu — İçişleri: sınırlar ve vize politikası — https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/ · 2026-08-23
- Avrupa Birliği resmî portalı — https://european-union.europa.eu/ · 2026-08-23
- Avrupa Birliği Konseyi — https://www.consilium.europa.eu/ · 2026-08-23
- Министерство на външните работи — визов режим — https://www.mfa.bg/ · 2026-08-23
- Дирекция „Миграция“ — Министерство на вътрешните работи — https://www.migration.mvr.bg/ · 2026-08-23
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