Schengen 90/180 rule
How long can you stay in Malta?
You can spend up to 90 days in Malta within any rolling 180-day period. The allowance is shared across all 29 Schengen countries, not granted per country, and both your arrival and departure days count as full days.
- Schengen rules since
- 2007
- EU member
- Yes
- Short-stay limit
- 90 days in any 180
- Both travel days
- Counted in full
Free calculator
Check the days you have left
Add your recent stays — in Malta or anywhere else in the Schengen Area — and see exactly how many days remain and whether your next trip fits.
Open the Schengen calculatorWorth knowing about Malta
An island with no land borders, so every entry and exit is recorded at an airport or seaport — your count is unusually clean here.
Malta has applied the Schengen rules since 2007 and is a member of the European Union. Either way, the same rolling window applies: 90 days in any 180.
The mistake people make counting Malta
An island with no land borders, so every crossing is recorded cleanly at the airport or seaport. That makes Maltese entries unusually easy to reconstruct later, but no less countable.
Arriving in Malta
Malta has no land borders, so every entry and exit happens at an airport or seaport and is recorded cleanly. That makes your travel history here easier to reconstruct than almost anywhere else in the area — useful if you ever need to prove your dates.
Staying in Malta for longer than 90 days
Once the 90 days are gone, the short-stay route is finished until old days age out. Travellers who want to settle in Malta for longer usually look at the Nomad Residence Permit, which takes them out of the 90/180 count for Malta entirely. Both are national decisions, so check the current requirements with the relevant consulate before you plan around them.
Where to go when your days run out
Days only come back 180 days after you spend them, so an absence stops the count rising rather than clearing it. From Malta, these are the realistic places to wait — all outside the Schengen Area, so none of their days touch your 90:
- Tunisia — outside the Schengen Area, so your count pauses while you are there.
- United Kingdom — outside the Schengen Area, so your count pauses while you are there.
- Turkey — outside the Schengen Area, so your count pauses while you are there.
Check each destination’s own entry rules before you book, and see how to time a reset trip so the absence actually buys you days.
Malta: common questions
How long can I stay in Malta without a visa?
Up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period, provided your nationality is visa-exempt. That allowance is shared across all 29 Schengen countries, so days spent elsewhere in the area count against the same total.
Is Malta in the Schengen Area?
Yes. Malta has applied the Schengen rules since 2007 and is an EU member state. Days spent there count towards the 90-day limit.
Do days in neighbouring countries count separately?
Malta has no land borders, so every arrival and departure is recorded at an airport or seaport. Days spent in any other Schengen country still draw on the same 90-day allowance.
Can I reset my 90 days by leaving Malta?
No. Leaving does not reset anything — each day stops counting exactly 180 days after you spent it. Travelling to a non-Schengen country such as Tunisia stops days accruing, but it does not give back the days you have already used.
RoamPin is a travel-day tracking and planning tool, not legal or immigration advice. Entry decisions rest with border authorities — always confirm your situation with official sources.