Schengen calculator for New Zealanders
New Zealand passport holders can visit the Schengen Area without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. A popular way to stretch a long trip is to slip out to non-Schengen countries like Albania or Montenegro — which pauses the count but does not reset it.
Facts checked 5 October 2026. Entry rules change. Confirm them with the official source linked in each section before you travel.
Count your Schengen days now
Add your past stays and a planned trip. Stay180 shows the days you have used in the last 180 and the last day you can stay. Free, no account needed.
Does the 90/180 rule apply to New Zealanders?
Yes. New Zealand is on the EU's visa-exempt list, and the New Zealand government says the 90-day limit applies to the Schengen Area as a whole, not per country.
Your passport must be valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave, and under Schengen rules it must have been issued within the last 10 years.
Sources: Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, Annex II (visa-exempt nationalities); MFAT: New Zealanders travelling to Germany; Schengen Borders Code, Article 6
Worked example: a detour through Albania
You spent 75 days in Greece and Italy from 20 April to 3 July 2026, crossed to Albania for three weeks, and want to return to Italy by ferry on 25 July.
| Stay | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Greece and Italy | 20 Apr – 3 Jul 2026 | 75 |
| Total | 75 |
Planned entry: 25 July 2026
Days in the 180-day window on that date: 75 of 90
Last legal day of a continuous stay: 8 August 2026 (15 days)
The three weeks in Albania did not use any days, but they did not give any back either. On 25 July all 75 days still sit inside the window.
Your first day, 20 April, does not leave the window until mid-October, so the return to Italy can last only 15 days: the last legal day is 8 August 2026.
Figures computed with the same engine as the Stay180 calculator. Enter these stays yourself to see the day-by-day timeline.
Switzerland, Germany and Denmark
Three agreements are confirmed by the country concerned: Switzerland (up to 90 days there regardless of other Schengen time, then leave Schengen directly from Switzerland), Germany (up to 90 days in Germany, other Schengen time not counted) and Denmark (up to three months from first entry into Denmark).
Blogs list more countries for New Zealanders; we could not confirm them officially. New Zealand's own advice is to check with the embassy of the country concerned.
Sources: Swiss Embassy in New Zealand: entry formalities; German Embassy Wellington; Danish Immigration Service: visa-free visits; SafeTravel NZ: EU and UK travel changes
At the border as a New Zealand traveller
Each time you leave Schengen for a non-Schengen country and come back, EES logs an exit and a new entry. The days outside are not counted, but nothing is reset: on re-entry, the system looks back 180 days exactly as before.
- Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Türkiye and the UK are outside Schengen. Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania are inside.
- Your EES registration (fingerprints and photo) is done once and reused on later crossings.
- If you plan to use the Swiss agreement, keep evidence of your time in Switzerland, such as accommodation receipts and tickets.
Sources: EU: EES FAQ; EU: data held by the EES; Swiss Embassy in New Zealand: entry formalities
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 New Zealanders 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
- 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.
- Read your days used in the last 180, and the last day you can stay if you entered today.
- 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.
Find your leave-by date
Built for New Zealanders and anyone else on a visa-free short stay.
Common questions
- Does going to Albania or Croatia reset my Schengen days?
- Albania is outside Schengen, so days there do not count, but leaving does not reset anything. Croatia joined Schengen in 2023, so days in Croatia count toward your 90 like any other Schengen country.
- How do I count Schengen days when I keep leaving and coming back?
- Add every Schengen stay to the calculator, including arrival and departure days. For any date, it looks back 180 days and counts the days you were inside. Days spent outside Schengen simply are not counted.
- Can I use the Swiss agreement after my 90 Schengen days?
- Switzerland says New Zealanders may stay up to 90 days there regardless of earlier Schengen time, but must then leave Schengen directly from Switzerland. Confirm with the Swiss embassy before you plan around it.
For the full rules for your passport — passport validity, EES and every bilateral agreement we could confirm — read Schengen rules for New Zealanders.