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How long can I stay in Germany?

Destination · EuropeChecked Updated

In Germany the question that comes up is not only how long, but whether you have to register. Renting a flat triggers the Anmeldung, the address registration, and the deadline depends on where you normally live.

Germany

As a visitor
90days in any 180

Up to 90 days in any 180-day period.1

Visa
US citizens and British citizens need no visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.2
Tax line
A stay in Germany of more than six months in a row counts as your habitual abode, from its first day.3

CalculatorAdd your trips and see how many Schengen days you have left

Anmeldung, and when it reaches a visitor

Germany has a count of its own, and it is about where you sleep rather than which passport you hold. Moving into a home in Germany normally means registering it with the local registration office within two weeks.4 If you normally live abroad and are not registered in Germany, that duty applies only once three months have passed.5

So a visitor who keeps a home abroad can sublet in Berlin or Munich for a season without registering. The Schengen count runs regardless.

Worked example

A summer sublet in Berlin

  1. You sublet a flat in Berlin from 1 September to 9 November 2027: 70 days, the day you arrive and the day you leave included.6How we count: 1 September to 9 November 2027, both days included, is 70 days.
  2. You live abroad and stay less than three months, so the registration duty never reaches you.5
  3. The Schengen count does: with no other days in the window, 70 used leaves 20 until those days slide out of the 180.1How we count: 90 minus the 70 days of the sublet.

Questions people ask

How can I stay in Germany longer than 90 days?

An EU residence permit or a long-stay visa lets you stay longer than 90 days, outside this count.7

Does Switzerland or Austria count toward my 90 days?

29 countries share the count: 25 EU members, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.8

Can I stay in Germany without registering my address?

If you normally live abroad and are not registered in Germany, that duty applies only once three months have passed.5

Your own count

Two clocks start when you move into a German flat: the registration one and the Schengen one. They count the same days to different lines.

Staytill, the iPhone app that counts your days in Germany and how many you have left Schengen 90/180 rule: how to count your daysGermany tax residency: the 6-month rule

Sources

6 laws and 2 official pages, each with its exact words
  1. Schengen Borders Code, Art. 6(1) · EUR-Lex, Publications Office of the European Union · read 25 Oct 2026
    Exact words For intended stays on the territory of the Member States of a duration of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period, which entails considering the 180-day period preceding each day of stay
  2. Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, Art. 4(1) and Annex II · EUR-Lex, Publications Office of the European Union · read 26 Oct 2026
    Exact words Nationals of third countries listed in Annex II shall be exempt from the requirement set out in Article 3(1) for stays of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period.
  3. Fiscal Code (AO), § 9 sentence 2 · Federal Ministry of Justice, Gesetze im Internet · read 26 Oct 2026
    Exact words Als gewöhnlicher Aufenthalt im Geltungsbereich dieses Gesetzes ist stets und von Beginn an ein zeitlich zusammenhängender Aufenthalt von mehr als sechs Monaten Dauer anzusehen; kurzfristige Unterbrechungen bleiben unberücksichtigt. An unbroken stay of more than six months is always, and from its start, a habitual abode in Germany; short interruptions are disregarded.
  4. Federal Registration Act, § 17(1) · Federal Ministry of Justice, gesetze-im-internet.de · read 26 Oct 2026
    Exact words Wer eine Wohnung bezieht, hat sich innerhalb von zwei Wochen nach dem Einzug bei der Meldebehörde anzumelden. Anyone who moves into a dwelling must register with the registration office within two weeks of moving in.
  5. Federal Registration Act, § 27(2) · Federal Ministry of Justice, gesetze-im-internet.de · read 26 Oct 2026
    Exact words Für Personen, die sonst im Ausland wohnen und im Inland nicht nach § 17 Absatz 1 gemeldet sind, besteht diese Pflicht nach Ablauf von drei Monaten. For people who otherwise live abroad and are not registered in Germany under § 17(1), this duty [to register] applies once three months have passed.
  6. Schengen Borders Code, Art. 6(2) · EUR-Lex, Publications Office of the European Union · read 25 Oct 2026
    Exact words the date of entry shall be considered as the first day of stay on the territory of the Member States and the date of exit shall be considered as the last day of stay
  7. European Commission, short-stay calculator · European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs · read 25 Oct 2026
    Exact words If you hold an EU residence permit or long-stay visa, you are not subject to the 90/180-day rule, as these documents allow you to stay longer than 90 days.
  8. European Commission, Schengen area · European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs · read 25 Oct 2026
    Exact words The Schengen area is composed of 29 countries: 25 EU Member States and 4 non-EU countries (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein)
Checked against Schengen Borders Code, Art. 6 · Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 · Fiscal Code (AO), § 9 · Bundesmeldegesetz on 25 Oct 2026 Updated 26 Oct 2026

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