Comparisons
The pairs people get wrong
Most day-count mistakes come from confusing two rules that look alike and do different jobs. These five pages put each pair side by side, with a table, real 2026 dates and the official source for every rule. For single-rule explanations, start at the guides hub; for one country's threshold, use the country index.
COMPARISON 01
EES official tool vs Schengen calculators
The EU tool reads the border's own record but ignores every stay begun before 10 April 2026. Calculators plan; the tool verifies.
Read the comparisonCOMPARISON 02
90/180 rule vs the 183-day rule
An immigration limit and a tax residency test, on different clocks, applied by different authorities, with different costs for getting it wrong.
Read the comparisonCOMPARISON 03
Tax residency vs immigration residence
A residence permit does not make you a tax resident, and tax residency needs no permit. Where treaty tie-breakers fit, and the US exception.
Read the comparisonCOMPARISON 04
Four ways to track travel days
Passport stamps, a spreadsheet, calendar reconstruction and automatic apps, with the real weakness of each, including automatic tracking.
Read the comparisonCOMPARISON 05
Calendar year vs rolling window
Why 1 January clears the count in Spain and clears nothing in Portugal, and which countries use which window.
Read the comparisonCalculators
Run the rules on your own dates
FREE TOOL
Schengen 90/180 calculator
Applies the rolling 180-day window to your trips and shows remaining days and the earliest return date.
Open calculatorFREE TOOL
183-day calculator
Totals presence days per country in either mode, calendar year or any 12 months.
Open calculatorFREE TOOL
Substantial Presence Test calculator
Runs the weighted three-year US formula on your day counts to see if you meet the test.
Open calculatorBackground
The rules themselves
A comparison assumes you already know both sides. If you do not, these explain each rule on its own terms first.
INDEX
All guides
Ten guides to travel-day and residency rules, each with worked examples and real dates.
Open the guides hubGUIDE
The Schengen 90/180 rule
How the rolling 180-day window works and why the counter never resets when you leave.
Read the guideGUIDE
The 183-day rule
How 183 days triggers tax residency, and what happens when two countries both claim you.
Read the guide