Schengen DaysHow long can Ukrainian citizens stay in Europe?
Ukrainian citizens with a biometric passport can travel visa-free to the Schengen Area for short stays — but “short” has a precise legal meaning: at most 90 days in any rolling 180-day period, shared across the whole area. Here is how the rule works for Ukrainian travellers and how to stay within it.
Visa-free, but capped at 90/180
Since 2017 Ukrainian nationals holding a valid biometric passport can enter the Schengen Area without a short-stay visa. This is a right to travel, not to stay indefinitely: you may spend up to 90 days within any 180 consecutive days. The 90 days are a single total for the entire Schengen Area — days in Poland, Germany and Spain all add up together. Both your entry day and your exit day count as full days.
Note that this covers ordinary tourism, family and business visits. Different rules — such as national temporary-protection or long-stay residence status — sit outside the 90/180 short-stay limit; if that applies to you, check with the relevant country's authorities.
How to count your 90 days
On any date, look back over the previous 180 days (that day plus the 179 before it) and add up every day you were physically inside the Schengen Area. If the total is 90 or fewer, you are within the rule; your remaining days are 90 minus that total. Because the 180-day window moves forward every day, older days gradually “fall off” the back and free up allowance — so leaving and re-entering does not reset your count. A calculator that mirrors the official EU method removes the guesswork.
ETIAS from 2026 — what changes
From 2026, visa-free travellers, including Ukrainian citizens, will need an ETIAS travel authorisation linked to their passport before arriving. ETIAS controls whether you may enter; it does not add extra days and does not change the 90/180 limit. Separately, the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) now logs every entry and exit automatically, so your 90/180 total is calculated digitally at the border rather than from passport stamps. Keeping your own accurate record matters more than ever.
Frequently asked questions
Do Ukrainians need a visa for the Schengen Area?
For short stays, no — Ukrainian citizens with a valid biometric passport travel visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. From 2026 they will additionally need an ETIAS authorisation, which is not a visa.
Does ETIAS give Ukrainian travellers more than 90 days?
No. ETIAS is a pre-travel authorisation that permits entry; it does not extend the stay limit. The 90-days-in-180 cap still applies in full.
Do days in different Schengen countries count separately for Ukrainians?
No. All Schengen countries share one 90-day total, so time in Poland, Germany, Italy and elsewhere adds up together toward the same 90/180 limit.
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