The Schengen 90/180 rule for Japanese citizens

The basics

Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains that the visa-free short stay in the Schengen area is at most 90 days, and that all short-stay days within the past 180 days are counted. Its pages add that once the EES is in place, leaving the Schengen area does not let you exceed 90 days in any 180.

• EES: since 10 April 2026 every entry and exit is recorded with fingerprints and a photo, and the system counts your days automatically.
• ETIAS: no official start date yet, and nothing to apply for.

Austria: stays up to six months

According to the ministry's Austria page, Japan and Austria have a visa-waiver arrangement under which stays of up to six months for tourism or visiting acquaintances do not need a visa. It applies to Austria only. The Austrian Embassy advises that for stays of 90 days or more, travellers should enter and leave Austria on direct flights from Japan or via countries outside the Schengen area; otherwise a Schengen visa may be needed.

Other countries

Japan also has arrangements with several other Schengen countries (for example Italy, Greece, Denmark, Portugal and Czechia), but those cover stays of up to three months, and the ministry's pages state that the Schengen 90/180 limit applies on top. They do not give extra days.

How to count your days

On every day you are in the Schengen area, count the days you spent there in that day and the 179 days before it. The total must never go above 90. Entry and exit days both count, and days in all 29 countries are added together. The 90180.app calculator does this for every day of every trip, including trips you are only planning, and tells you your latest exit date.

Before you travel, you can confirm with the EU's official EES tool, which uses your border record. It does not include stays that began before 10 April 2026.