# How long can I stay in each country as a tourist? Canonical source: [How long can I stay in each country as a tourist?](https://daysabroad.app/guides/travel/how-long-can-i-stay) Author: Daniel Andrade, Zebra Labs Reviewed: 2026-05-11 How long you can legally stay as a tourist depends on **your passport**, the **destination country**, and the **purpose of your visit**. The numbers below are for visa-exempt tourists from major Western passports (US, UK, EU, Canadian, Australian) entering for tourism. Always verify with the destination's official immigration source before traveling, rules change. ## At a glance, tourist stay lengths | Destination | Maximum tourist stay | Window | |---|---|---| | **Schengen Area** (29 EU/EEA countries) | 90 days | Rolling 180 days | | **United Kingdom** | 6 months | Per entry | | **United States** (ESTA) | 90 days | Per entry | | **Canada** | 6 months | Per entry (officer's discretion) | | **Australia** (eVisitor / ETA) | 3 months | Per entry | | **Japan** | 90 days | Per entry | | **Mexico** | Up to 180 days | Per entry (officer's discretion) | | **Thailand** (visa exemption) | 60 days | Per entry, extendable 30 days | | **Indonesia** (VOA / e-VOA) | 30 days | Per entry, extendable 30 days | | **Vietnam** (e-visa) | 90 days | Per entry | | **Brazil** | 90 days | Per 12-month period | | **Argentina** | 90 days | Per entry | | **Colombia** | 90 days | Per calendar year (extendable to 180) | | **Costa Rica** | 90 days | Per entry | | **South Africa** | 90 days | Per entry | | **South Korea** (K-ETA) | 90 days | Per entry | | **UAE** | 30 days (US/EU passports auto-issued on arrival) | Per entry, extendable | | **Turkey** | 90 days | Per 180 days | | **Georgia** | 365 days | Per entry (one of the longest in the world) | The single most important distinction: **"per entry" vs. "rolling window."** - **Per-entry** systems reset every time you leave and re-enter. The UK, US ESTA, Canada, and most others use this. Visa-running (leave and immediately return) is technically allowed but border officials can refuse entry if it looks abusive. - **Rolling-window** systems do not reset on exit. Schengen 90/180 is the classic example, your past 180 days follow you wherever you go. ## The Schengen Area, 90 days in any 180 This is the rule that catches the most travelers because it covers 29 countries and uses a rolling window. You can stay up to **90 days in any rolling 180-day period** total, across all Schengen member states combined. Both arrival and departure days count. The window slides forward every day; there is **no January 1 reset**. Schengen countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland. Not in Schengen: Ireland, the UK, Cyprus. See the [Schengen 90/180 rule explainer](/guides/visas/schengen-90-180-rule) for the exact mechanics, or use the Schengen Calculator for a quick check. ## United Kingdom, up to 6 months per entry Most visa-exempt nationalities (US, EU, Canadian, Australian, etc.) can enter the UK as a **Standard Visitor** for up to **6 months per entry**. There is no formal annual limit, but staying longer than ~6 months a year on visitor stamps will eventually prompt border-officer scrutiny. From 2025, an **Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)** is required pre-arrival for visa-exempt visitors. Apply online before your trip. ## United States, 90 days under ESTA, longer with B-1/B-2 Visa-waiver-program nationals (most Western Europeans, Japanese, Koreans, Australians, etc.) can enter the US for up to **90 days per entry under ESTA**. Multiple entries are allowed but officers can refuse re-entry if visits look like de facto residence. A **B-1/B-2 visa** (business / tourism) issued in advance allows entries of typically up to **6 months per entry**, multi-entry, often valid 10 years. Each entry is officer-discretionary. US **tax residency** under the [Substantial Presence Test](/guides/tax-residency/substantial-presence-test-us) is a separate question from visa stay length, you can be a perfectly legal tourist and accidentally become a US tax resident at the same time. ## Canada, up to 6 months at officer's discretion Visa-exempt nationals can stay up to **6 months per entry**. The actual length granted is at the border officer's discretion, they can grant less, or rarely, more. Canadian eTA is required pre-arrival for visa-exempt fliers (not required at land borders). ## Mexico, the famous 180 days (now often less) Mexico historically gave tourists an automatic **180-day FMM** (tourist permit). In recent years, officers at major airports increasingly grant 30, 60, or 90 days instead, fully at their discretion. The 180 is a **maximum**, not an entitlement. Border-running every 180 days as a de facto perpetual resident has become much harder. Mexico's INM has visibly tightened. ## Thailand, 60 days visa-exempt, extendable Most Western passports get **60 days on arrival visa-exempt** (increased from 30 in 2024), extendable once at an immigration office for an additional **30 days**. Beyond that, a proper long-stay visa (DTV digital nomad visa, Education visa, LTR visa) is needed. ## Patterns that catch travelers out 1. **Counting "I left, so it resets."** True in per-entry systems. **Not true** in rolling-window systems like Schengen. 2. **Confusing tourist stay with tax residency.** Many countries let you stay 180 days as a tourist but consider you a tax resident at 183, and the boundaries are 3 days apart. 3. **Border-officer discretion.** Even when the maximum is generous (Canada, Mexico), the officer can grant less, especially if your visits look like residence-in-disguise. 4. **The "I'll just visa-run" plan in places that have stopped tolerating it.** Mexico, Bali, and several others actively shorten or refuse re-entries to perpetual visa-runners. 5. **Forgetting that "days" almost always count both entry and exit.** See [what counts as a day](/guides/travel/what-counts-as-a-day-for-visas). 6. **Not having proof of onward travel.** Many countries (Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia, the UK) ask for it at check-in or border. A refundable refundable onward ticket usually does. ## When you need a long-stay option instead If you regularly hit the tourist-stay ceiling somewhere you want to spend more time, the right answer is usually a **proper long-stay visa**: - **Digital nomad visas**, Portugal D8, Spain DNV, Italy DNV, Greece DNV, Croatia DNV, UAE virtual working program, Thailand DTV, Brazil DNV, Costa Rica Rentista, Mexico Temporary Resident. - **Retirement / income-based residency**, Portugal D7, Spain Non-Lucrative, Mexico Temporary Resident. - **Student visas**, most major destinations. - **Investment / golden visas**, fewer than there used to be (Portugal and Ireland have closed theirs to property; Spain closed all routes). A long-stay visa puts you on the immigration timeline of that country, which is **separate from the tourist day-count** and usually separate from the tax-residency timeline too. ## Related reading - [Schengen 90/180 rule explained](/guides/visas/schengen-90-180-rule) - [Schengen area explained](/guides/travel/schengen-area-explained) - [What counts as a day for visa purposes](/guides/travel/what-counts-as-a-day-for-visas) - [183-day rule by country](/guides/tax-residency/183-day-rule), for when tourist stays start mattering for tax > Tracking tourist stays across multiple countries with different windows by hand is a recipe for an overstay you didn't see coming. [DaysAbroad](/) keeps the count automatically per country, per window-type. ## Primary sources - [US Department of State, Visa Waiver Program](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/tourism-visit/visa-waiver-program.html) - [Gov.uk, Standard Visitor visa](https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor) - [European Commission, Visa policy](https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen-borders-and-visa_en) - [Mexico, INM (Instituto Nacional de Migración)](https://www.inm.gob.mx/) General information, not individual tax or immigration advice.