By Carole Rosenblat
(CNN) — Christina and Eric Schwendeman’s travels had them bouncing around Asia for several months early last year. In the spring, the American retirees returned to their home base in Italy for a few months.
But because of 90-day restrictions on stays, the couple spent the next three months on the go in England, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Turkey, Jordan and Cyprus. And then they circled back to Italy in October for the rest of the year.
The Schwendemans are doing what’s known as the Schengen Shuffle.
In a nutshell, it’s moving around to stay on the right side of limits that allow citizens of most countries to spend a maximum of 90 out of every 180 days in Europe’s Schengen Area, or zone, currently made up of 29 member countries.
Some shufflers like the constant change of scene, while others are moving around mostly out of necessity as they try to secure longer-term residency. Facebook groups and other online communities have sprung up around shuffling, allowing expats navigating all sorts of situations to compare notes and share strategies. Staying within the 90-day limits can be challenging — and fulfilling.
The Schwendemans moved to Italy in 2022 from Naples, Florida, on elective residency visas, which are open to applicants who will not be working and are moving to Italy long-term. But after two years, the couple changed course.
“We decided, as our two-year residency permits were expiring, that we would prefer to shuffle between Italy and the rest of the world, rather than renew them,” says Christina.
“We love Italy, but we realized we still wanted to travel for the majority of the year. We still spend about 170 days per year, almost all of our allowable Schengen time, in Italy.”
What is the Schengen Area?
That “allowable Schengen time” maxes out at 90 days in any 180-day period — a total of roughly 180 days per year.
The Schengen Area, established in 1985, is an agreement between member countries, guaranteeing free movement between member countries — meaning no border controls or required passport stamps.
The 90/180 rule doesn’t require the maximum 90 days in the Schengen Area to be consecutive but entails careful math to be sure travelers don’t stay longer than 90 days in any rolling 180-day period. When entering the area, officials look back 180 days from the current date to ensure visitors haven’t exceeded 90 total days in the zone.
Citizens of various countries visiting Europe, including Americans, have it a lot easier than people from many other nations. While European countries require citizens of some countries to obtain a visa before entering, this isn’t the case for US citizens.
Upon entering through a Schengen country’s immigration from outside the area, a visitor’s passport is usually stamped, their information is entered into immigration system computers and then they’re good to go. (Stamps will soon be eliminated, and entry will be tracked solely electronically through the Entry/Exit System (EES) and European Travel Information and Authorization System — ETIAS. The latter is expected to be implemented later this year.
This stamp allows for a stay of up to 90 days in the area. Any longer risks a fine of several thousand dollars and a ban of up to five years.
Why shuffle?
Americans Emily Wilson and Chris Prudhomme, along with their seven-year-old Norwich Terrier, Denver, have traveled to Spain, Turkey, Austria, England, Thailand, Portugal and California, all in t