Rules differ in three ways that matter: the number of days, the period they are counted over (a rolling window, a calendar or tax year, or the years before you apply), and whether the day you leave and the day you arrive count. All three are in the tables below. For travel days in detail, see how each country counts travel days.
How long can you stay as a visitor?
Most visa-free visitors get 90 days in any 180 in the Schengen Area, 90 days per visit in the US on ESTA, and up to 6 months per visit in the UK.
| Rule | Limit | Counted over | Travel days | Check it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schengen Area (visa-free or short-stay visa) | 90 days | Any rolling 180 days | Entry and exit days count as days in Schengen | Schengen calculator |
| United States on ESTA (Visa Waiver Program) | 90 days | Per visit; side trips to Canada and Mexico don't reset it | From the day you are admitted | ESTA guide |
| United Kingdom (Standard Visitor) | 6 months | Per visit; no fixed yearly limit | Not specified | UK visitor guide |
| Ireland (visa-free visitors such as US, Canadian, Australian citizens) | Up to 90 days | Per visit, separate from Schengen | Not specified | Europe guide |
How long can you be away and keep residence?
UK settlement routes allow no more than 180 days abroad in any 12 months; Canadian and Australian permanent residents need 730 days in the country in every 5 years; NZ residents need 184 days in each of the last two years for a permanent resident visa.
| Rule | Limit | Counted over | Travel days | Check it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK ILR (most 5-year routes) | No more than 180 days abroad | Any rolling 12 months of the qualifying period | Not absences: only whole days abroad count | ILR calculator |
| UK long residence (10-year ILR) | Before 11 April 2024: no single absence over 184 days, 548 days in total. From 11 April 2024: 180 days in any 12 months | The 10-year qualifying period | Not absences | Long residence calculator |
| US green card | More than 180 days abroad: examined as seeking admission. 1 year or more: card alone no longer valid for re-entry | Per trip | Only full days abroad count | Green card calculator |
| Canada permanent residence | At least 730 days in Canada | Every 5-year period | Days in Canada | PR calculator |
| Australia Resident Return visa (5-year) | At least 730 days in Australia | The 5 years before applying | Days in Australia | RRV calculator |
| New Zealand permanent resident visa | At least 184 days in NZ in each year | Each of the 2 years before applying | Days in NZ | PRV calculator |
How much time do you need for citizenship?
Usually 3 to 6 years: 1,095 days in 5 years for Canada, 1,350 days in 5 years for New Zealand, 4 years for Australia, 5 years for the US and Ireland, and for the UK 5 years plus 12 months with ILR.
| Country | Time required | Absence limit | Travel days | Check it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 5 years as a permanent resident (3 if married to a US citizen), with 913 days present (548 on the 3-year route) | A trip over 6 months is presumed to break continuous residence; 1 year or more breaks it | Days in the US | N-400 calculator |
| United Kingdom | 5 years, plus 12 months with ILR (3 years for spouses of British citizens) | 450 days in 5 years and 90 in the last 12 months (spouses: 270 in 3 years) | Not absences | Citizenship calculator |
| Canada | 1,095 days present in the 5 years before applying; pre-PR days count as half, up to 365 | None beyond the day count | Days in Canada | Citizenship calculator |
| Australia | 4 years living in Australia, including 12 months as a permanent resident | 12 months away in total, and 90 days in the last 12 months | Days in Australia | Citizenship calculator |
| New Zealand | 1,350 days in the 5 years before applying, and 240 in each year | Set by the day counts | Days in NZ | Citizenship calculator |
| Ireland | 5 years of reckonable residence in the last 9, including 1 continuous year before applying | 70 days in the final year (+30 for exceptional reasons; over 100 ineligible) | Not absences: part days don't count | Citizenship calculator |
For the other requirements (language, tests, character), see citizenship requirements compared.
How many days make you a tax resident?
183 days is the most common threshold, but countries differ on whether they count a calendar year, a tax year or any 12 months, and whether 183 days itself is enough.
| Country | Day-count test | Counted over | Travel days | Check it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 183 weighted days: this year + 1/3 of last year + 1/6 of the year before, with at least 31 this year | Calendar years | Any part of a day counts | SPT calculator |
| United Kingdom | 183 days or more is always resident; fewer than 16 (or 46 if not recently resident) is non-resident; in between depends on UK ties | Tax year, 6 April to 5 April | A day counts if you're in the UK at midnight | SRT calculator |
| Canada | 183 days or more (deemed resident) | Calendar year | Check local guidance (our calculator counts any part of a day) | 183-day calculator |
| New Zealand | More than 183 days | Any 12 months | Check local guidance (our calculator counts any part of a day) | 183-day calculator |
| Spain | More than 183 days | Calendar year | Check local guidance (our calculator counts any part of a day) | 183-day calculator |
| Portugal | More than 183 days | Any 12 months starting or ending in the tax year | Check local guidance (our calculator counts any part of a day) | 183-day calculator |
| Thailand | 180 days or more | Calendar year | Check local guidance (our calculator counts any part of a day) | 183-day calculator |
Every country can also treat you as resident because of your home, family or economic ties, whatever your day count.
How long can Canadians be away and keep health coverage?
Ontario and Alberta allow up to 212 days away in 12 months (Alberta only for recurring vacations, if you tell AHCIP); Quebec allows fewer than 183 days away in a calendar year.
| Province | Rule | Counted over | Check it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario (OHIP) | At least 153 days in Ontario; more than 212 days away may mean reapplying | Any 12 months | Snowbird calculator |
| Alberta (AHCIP) | 183 days in Alberta, or up to 212 days away for recurring vacations if you tell AHCIP | A 12-month period | Snowbird calculator |
| Quebec (RAMQ) | Fewer than 183 days away, counting only trips over 21 days and not the travel days | Calendar year | Snowbird calculator |
How we keep this table accurate
Every row comes from the official source linked on its calculator or guide page, and the same rules run inside the calculators, which are covered by automated tests. We re-check the rules regularly and update this page when one changes. Pending changes, such as the UK's confirmed "earned settlement" reforms and the EU's ETIAS launch, are not shown until they take effect. See how our calculators work.