Schengen calculator for Canadians

Canadian citizens can spend up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen Area without a visa. Canadians who winter in Spain or Portugal are the ones the rule catches most often: a long winter stay keeps counting well into the following summer.

Facts checked 5 October 2026. Entry rules change. Confirm them with the official source linked in each section before you travel.

Does the 90/180 rule apply to Canadians?

Yes. Canada is on the EU's visa-exempt list, so Canadians may visit for up to 90 days in any 180 across all 29 Schengen countries combined. Working, long-term study or longer stays need a national visa or permit.

The Government of Canada says your passport must be valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave. Under Schengen rules it must also have been issued within the last 10 years.

Sources: Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, Annex II (visa-exempt nationalities); Government of Canada: travelling to Europe; Schengen Borders Code, Article 6

Worked example: a snowbird winter, then a spring return

You spent 70 days in Spain and Portugal from 10 January to 20 March 2026. You want to go back for a wedding on 15 May and make a holiday of it.

On 15 May the window reaches back to November 2025, so all 70 winter days still count.

None of them falls out of the window until 9 July, so this spring trip can last only 20 days: the last legal day is 3 June 2026. If you can wait until the second half of July, you will have far more room.

Figures computed with the same engine as the Stay180 calculator. Enter these stays yourself to see the day-by-day timeline.

Denmark's agreement covers the Nordic countries

Denmark's immigration service says Canadians may stay in Denmark up to three months counted from their first entry into Denmark or another Nordic country, regardless of earlier time elsewhere in Schengen. Time already spent in Denmark or another Nordic country in the previous six months is deducted.

It is Denmark's allowance, not extra Schengen days. The Government of Canada warns that during an extended stay you may need to remain in that one country. Confirm with the Danish authorities before relying on it.

Sources: Danish Immigration Service: visa-free visits; Government of Canada: travelling to Europe

At the border as a Canadian traveller

EES registration happens at your first Schengen border — usually the airport where you land from Canada. The Government of Canada notes that countries may temporarily go back to stamping passports if EES has technical problems, so keep your own record of dates as well.

• Snowbird stays are the classic trap: a January–March winter keeps counting until July.
• Days in the UK, Ireland, Morocco or the Western Balkans do not count toward the 90.
• Keep boarding passes or booking confirmations as your own record of entry and exit dates.

Sources: Government of Canada: travelling to Europe; EU: EES FAQ

EES and ETIAS in one minute

The Entry/Exit System (EES) has been fully operational at every external Schengen border since 10 April 2026. It replaces passport stamps for Canadians on short stays: your first entry records your passport, four fingerprints and a facial image, and every later entry and exit is logged. The system counts your days and flags an overstay automatically.

ETIAS is a separate, online travel authorisation that visa-exempt travellers will need once it starts. It will cost €20 and last three years or until your passport expires. At our last check, on 5 October 2026, it was not yet running, and the EU has said it will announce the start date several months in advance. Neither system changes the 90/180 rule itself.

Sources: EU: EES FAQ; European Commission: EES fully operational (10 April 2026); EU: what is ETIAS; European Commission: ETIAS will cost EUR 20; EU: ETIAS timeline explained

Check your own dates in three steps

1. Open the calculator and add every Schengen stay from the last six months, with the day you arrived and the day you left. Both count.
2. Read your days used in the last 180, and the last day you can stay if you entered today.
3. Use the planner to try a future trip. It checks every day of the trip against its own 180-day window, which is exactly what EES does at the border.

Common questions

Can Canadian snowbirds spend the whole winter in Spain?

Only up to 90 days in any 180 without a Spanish visa. A stay from early January to the end of March is close to the limit, and those days keep counting for 180 days. Longer winters need a Spanish national visa.

When do my winter days stop counting?

Each day stops counting exactly 180 days after it happened. Days from a stay that began on 10 January start dropping out on 9 July, one per day, in the same order you used them.

Does Canada's agreement with Denmark give me more Schengen days?

No. It lets Canadians stay up to three months in Denmark counted from first entry into Denmark or another Nordic country. It adds no days elsewhere in Schengen. Confirm with Danish authorities before relying on it.

For the full rules for your passport — passport validity, EES and every bilateral agreement we could confirm — read Schengen rules for Canadians.