Using visa-free time to test a place

How the Schengen days are counted

A 90-day stay in Portugal that begins on 1 April 2027 has to end on 29 June 2027. The day you enter counts as the first day of stay and the day you leave counts as the last, so both are full days. Subtract one date from the other on a calendar and you get 89, which is how a plan ends up a day over.

The rule is a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period, counting back 180 days from each day of your stay. The word "any" is the catch. The window moves, so on every day of a stay the last 180 days are checked again. An uninterrupted absence of 90 days allows a new stay of up to 90.

A worked example, our own arithmetic rather than the Commission's. Say you spend 1 April to 30 May 2027 in Portugal, which is 60 days, and return on 1 August. Staying to 30 August brings the 180-day total to exactly 90, and 31 August makes it 91.

The count covers the whole area, not one country. There are 29 countries in it, and Cyprus and Ireland are not among them. Days in Italy and days in France are added to days in Portugal. Time spent under a residence permit or a long-stay visa does not count towards the 90, and the Commission's short-stay calculator should not be given those dates. Use it with your real ones. [V1] [V2]

What the Entry/Exit System and ETIAS change

Since 10 April 2026 a border system has your dates. The Entry/Exit System (EES) is the automated register of non-EU nationals on short stays. It records your name, travel document data, fingerprints and a facial image, plus the date and place of each entry and exit. Its progressive start began on 12 October 2025, and it became fully operational on 10 April 2026, replacing the stamping of passports and letting overstayers be detected automatically.

The 90 in 180 rule itself did not change. What changed is that a miscount is no longer hidden by a missing stamp, so keep your own list of dates and check it against the calculator.

ETIAS has not started. The system is not in operation and no applications are being collected, and the EU says it will announce the start date several months before launch. It is a travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers entering 30 European countries for up to 90 days, with a listed fee of EUR 20. Plan around what is in force today. [V3] [V4]

Mexico and Costa Rica: up to 180 days, set at the border

Six months is the ceiling in Mexico, not the promise. The migration law gives a visitor without permission for paid work a stay of no more than 180 days from entry. Canada's advice is that the maximum is not granted automatically: the immigration officer decides the exact length and may ask for the purpose of the trip, where you are staying, your funds and your return or onward flight. You can't extend beyond the number of days you told the officer on arrival, so plan around the number on your stamp or receipt.

Costa Rica puts the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand in the group that enters without a visa, with a maximum of 180 calendar days (guidelines of November 2025). An extension is granted only to people given fewer than 90 days, and then for up to 90. Entry needs proof of funds of at least US$100 for each month of stay and a ticket out. Australia's travel advice gives a shorter figure for its own citizens: no visa for a tourist visit of less than 90 days. The two differ, so ask the officer how many days you have been given.

The Costa Rica against Mexico page sets the two side by side. [V5] [V6] [V7] [V11] [V12]

Thailand and Malaysia: shorter by default

Thailand ended its 60-day visa exemption on 15 September 2026. Sixty countries and territories, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States, now get up to 30 days. The stay can be extended by up to 30 days, solely at the discretion of the immigration officer, and visitors must carry 20,000 baht per person in cash or the equivalent. Entry through land borders under the exemption is generally limited to twice a calendar year. Limits on air arrivals, and whether repeated entries get questioned: not published; ask the embassy.

Malaysia is longer. As of February 2026, Canadians and Americans can stay 90 days for tourism or business without a visa in advance, and Australians can usually get a 90-day tourism visa on arrival, with a visa to arrange beforehand for business, volunteer work, study or research. For New Zealand passports the stay length is not published; ask the Malaysian mission. The short-term social visit pass is given on arrival for purposes such as tourism and meetings, and an extension comes only on special consideration, for example illness or an accident.

The Malaysia against Thailand page covers the longer routes. [V8] [V9] [V13] [V14] [V15] [V16]

A visit is not residence

Say you keep your job with a company at home and work from a rented flat during the trial. Whether that is allowed depends on the entry category. Mexico's law describes the 180-day visitor stay as being without permission to carry out paid activities. Costa Rica allows tourists rest, recreation or other leisure, and business or professional purposes only where the activity brings no pay or profit within Costa Rica. Canada's advice for Thailand sends anyone who wants to work to the Thai authorities for the right visa. How a remote job for a foreign employer is treated: not published; ask the consulate.

Days can also create a tax position that has nothing to do with your visa. In Thailand a resident is anyone staying for periods adding up to more than 180 days in a calendar year, and residents are taxed on foreign income brought into the country. On our arithmetic a 30-day exemption plus a 30-day extension is 60 days, so three such stays in one year reach 180. Our article on the Australian FIFO roster sets out how Thailand, Malaysia and Portugal each count days. Your home country has its own test too. [V5] [V11] [V10] [T1]

Turning a stay into a residence permit

A US passport holder who spends a visa-free 90 days in Spain can apply for a telework residence permit from inside the country, without a prior telework visa. That is one route, and it does not read across to the others.

Mexico is stricter. Visitors, except those staying for humanitarian reasons or with a link to a Mexican or a legal resident of Mexico, cannot change their stay category and must leave when the authorised period ends. Costa Rica lets people who entered as tourists ask to change category under the legal requirements, unless the guidelines say otherwise for that case.

Portugal requires a long-stay visa to enter and stay for more than 90 days, and its residency checklist is written for a visa application at a consular post, with proof of regular status where you apply. Whether you could switch from inside Portugal, Thailand or Malaysia is not published; ask the consulate before you count on a switch. The Portugal and Spain comparison covers their longer routes. [V5] [V11] [V17] [V18] [V19]