StaymarkThe short answer
A British passport holder can spend up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period in France without a visa, for tourism, visiting family, or business meetings. That allowance is not just for France: it covers the whole Schengen area, so days in France and days in France, Spain, Italy or any other Schengen country all come out of the same 90.
How the 90 days are counted
The day you arrive and the day you leave both count as full days. On any date, look back over the previous 180 days: the days you spent anywhere in the Schengen area must add up to 90 or fewer. There is no reset on 1 January and no fresh allowance per country; each day simply drops out of the window 180 days after you spent it.
Working, studying or living in France for longer than this needs a visa or permit from France itself; the 90/180 rule only covers short visits.
What is specific to France
Mainland France and Corsica are in the Schengen area. France's overseas departments and territories, such as Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion and French Polynesia, are not part of the Schengen area and have their own entry rules, so days there do not use your Schengen allowance.
Monaco has open borders with France, and visitors are treated as being in the Schengen area there.
Passport stamps and the Entry/Exit System
The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) replaces passport stamps with a digital record of each entry and exit, so border officers can see exactly how many days you have used. A separate pre-travel authorisation, ETIAS, is due to follow. Check the EU's official site for the current status before you travel.
Questions
Does the 90-day limit reset when I leave France?
No. The limit is for the whole Schengen area over a rolling 180 days. Leaving for another Schengen country changes nothing; leaving the area altogether only lets old days age out of the window.
Do my days in France count towards the same 90 as other Schengen countries?
Yes. Every Schengen country shares one allowance.
Sources
- European Commission: Schengen short-stay rules and calculator
- GOV.UK foreign travel advice: France entry requirements
- EU official site for EES and ETIAS
Staymark counts days against published rules. This guide is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice; rules change, so check the official sources above before you travel.