What a Schengen leave-by date means

Leave-by is not “days left today”

Days left today answers a question about this morning's rolling window.

A leave-by date answers a different question: if you enter on a date you choose, what is the last day you can still be inside Schengen without breaking the rolling 90/180 rule on any day of that stay?

Those two numbers are related. They are not the same.

Pick an entry date, get the last safe day

Stay180 takes your past stays and an entry date you choose, then checks every day of the planned presence. It returns a leave-by date — the last day that still fits — and the longest stay that still works for that entry.

Book against that leave-by date, not against a rough “days left” guess.

Re-check when old stays age out

Because the window rolls, a leave-by date can improve when older days fall outside the last 180. Move the entry date forward and compare leave-by dates until the trip you want fits — or until you see the longest stay that does.

Plan, then verify

Use Stay180's planner to explore entry dates and leave-by dates. Before you travel, confirm the same dates on the official EU short-stay calculator. Visa stickers, residence permits, and long-stay visas can add limits this short-stay planner is not meant to decide.