Europe with kids · The paperwork before the adventure
Swiss mountains. Italian gelato. A beach day in Portugal that you really, really don’t want to end. Europe has a way of making our family wish we could stay just a little longer!
Before you start connecting all those wonderful places on a map, though, there is one travel rule to understand: most U.S. tourists can spend up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period across the Schengen Area’s 29 countries. That is one shared allowance for the whole area.
Let’s get your dates sorted so you can get back to the fun part. With five kids, I know there is already plenty on your planning list!
Rules checked October 6, 2026. This guide focuses on short visits by U.S. passport holders. Your nationality, residence status and reason for traveling can change the requirements.
Official government guidance opens in a new tab, so you can keep your place here.
Oh, the things we learn along the way
When we first planned to take our kiddos through Europe during our full-time travels in 2019, “Schengen” was a new word for me. We were figuring out life on the road with five kids while running our businesses. There was a LOT to learn.
And I have absolutely made paperwork mistakes. On a trip to India, I hadn’t realized we needed to apply in advance. We ended up changing our flight at a large cost to us. Ouch. That is not the kind of travel memory you hope to bring home!
So, if you’re staring at the words “rolling 180-day period” and wondering what on earth that means for your summer vacation, you are in good company. Here is what I wish I had understood before planning our first big European adventure.
One area. So many adventures.
Schengen is a group of European countries that normally have no passport checks at their shared borders. That makes a trip through several countries wonderfully convenient. You can be dreaming about Paris one week and the mountains in Switzerland the next!
But those easy crossings do not give you a new tourist allowance in each country. For counting short visits, think of Schengen as one big travel area. Countries can also temporarily bring back internal border checks, so keep your travel documents with you.
The official Schengen list contains 29 countries:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Europe, the European Union and Schengen are different things. Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein are in Schengen but are not EU members. Ireland, Cyprus and the United Kingdom are outside Schengen and have their own entry rules. Bulgaria and Romania became full Schengen members on January 1, 2025.
The two numbers to remember
For each day you are in Schengen, look back over 180 days, including that day. Your total short-stay days in that window must not exceed 90. Earlier holidays count too!
This is where moving between countries can trip us up. France to Italy? Still Schengen. Italy to Portugal? Still Schengen. A weekend outside the area? Your earlier days do not disappear when you come back.
Imagine a continuous trip with 14 calendar days in France, followed by another 14 calendar days in Italy. That is 28 Schengen days, assuming those are separate days and you have no earlier visits in the relevant window.
A day spent crossing from France into Italy counts once. It does not count twice just because you visited two countries.
There are a few details I would put right beside the family calendar:
Use the European Commission’s official short-stay calculator with your actual dates, including previous visits. The Schengen Borders Code sets out how entry and exit days are counted.
My practical advice? Leave a little room in the itinerary if you’re getting close to the limit. I would much rather have a few spare days than add a calendar crisis to a delayed flight with tired kids.
Yes, even the smallest traveler
With seven of us, “check the passports” is a whole task. Pull out every single one before booking. Finding a problem at the kitchen table is so much better than finding it at the airport!
For ordinary short tourist visits, U.S. passport holders are generally visa exempt for up to 90 days in any 180 days, provided they meet the entry conditions. That does not cover every purpose or every passport. The French government’s guidance for U.S. travelers explains the short-visit rule and the visa requirement for longer stays in France.
The EU’s passport and entry guidance says non-EU visitors’ passports must have been issued within the previous 10 years when entering and remain valid for at least three months after the planned departure from the Schengen Area. Children need their own passports and any required visas.
Keep accommodation details and onward or return plans easy to reach. If a child is traveling with one parent or another adult, check the relevant countries’ consent-document requirements too.
Start with the European Commission’s visa application guidance. For a multi-country trip, apply through the main destination’s consulate, based on the purpose or length of your stay. For a tourism-only trip with equal stays and no main destination, apply through the country where you first enter Schengen. Normally, use the consulate responsible for where you legally live.
Applications normally must be lodged between six months and 15 days before travel. Processing can take longer, so give yourself breathing room. Standard Schengen visa fees are €90 from age 12, €45 for ages 6–11, and waived for children under 6. Special rates, exemptions and service-centre charges can change the total.
And for my fellow business-owning parents: check the rules for what you actually plan to do. Working, studying or volunteering may need different permission from a holiday. Our experience juggling businesses and travel is not a substitute for the destination’s requirements.
Two acronyms. Different jobs.
If these names are starting to blur together, I get it. Here is the useful distinction.
At the border · Operating now
The Entry/Exit System became fully operational on April 10, 2026. For eligible non-EU short-stay travelers, it electronically records entries, exits and biometric information, replacing routine passport stamping.
Children under 12 do not provide fingerprints, although they may still be registered and photographed. Allow time for the process and follow the border officer’s instructions.
Before travel · Not operating yet
As checked October 6, 2026, ETIAS is not operating and applications are not being collected. The EU says it will announce the start date several months before launch.
The published fee is €20. Under-18s and over-70s are exempt from the fee, but that does not automatically exempt them from applying. It will not give you extra Schengen days.
Have a residence permit or long-stay visa? Check the official EES exemptions and the ETIAS guidance above. Qualifying documents can change whether these systems apply to you. Bring the document along with your passport; an EES exemption does not remove the border check.
A tiny favor to your future traveling self: check those official pages again near departure. An old blog post—or even a saved screenshot—can miss a change.
When a holiday turns into a bigger dream
Oh, I understand this question. During our full-time travels, fitting everything we wanted to see into 90 days felt so hard. We were trying to build a life we loved, and Europe gave us plenty of reasons to linger.
At one point, we relied on an older France–U.S. bilateral agreement for a longer stay in France. As our departure got closer, I started to panic about how our time would be counted. We were allowed to leave, but that experience is not a plan I can hand another family and promise will work.
Get current guidance for your own family before booking a longer stay. France’s current official guidance says U.S. passport holders need a visa for stays in France longer than 90 days. If you are considering any special arrangement, ask the relevant consulate for written advice about your exact dates and route.
An agreement involving one country does not mean you can freely add time everywhere in Schengen.
Our move began with a Portuguese D7 visa and a residence process. After our appointment in Portugal, we received residence cards. It was a separate process from taking a long vacation.
Portuguese residence permission lets us live in Portugal under its conditions. It does not make us EU citizens or give us unlimited residence rights throughout Europe. The EU guidance for people already living in the EU explains that valid Schengen residence permits or long-stay visas generally allow short visits to other Schengen countries for a combined total of up to 90 days in 180, subject to the conditions. Living or working elsewhere can require separate permission.
If your family is dreaming of a move, I am cheering you on! Start with the destination’s current national visa and residence requirements, and give the paperwork the time it needs.
For the parent keeping track of it all
The paperwork deserves your attention, but please don’t let it scare you away from the adventure. We have learned so much by taking our kids into new places. A little preparation makes it easier to enjoy being there together.
Now for the fun part
Once you have your dates sorted, here are a few places we have loved exploring with the kids.
Our family’s ideas for a city that became home, with practical tips for exploring together.
We fell in love so quickly that we started looking at property. For real!
Hot springs, beautiful drives and room to adjust the plan to your own kiddos.
Make the journey part of the adventure, with the things we learned along the way.
Happy planning, friends. I hope your trip gives you stories your family will be telling for years!
Xoxo,
Leslie
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