US citizens can visit France visa-free for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period. France is part of the 29-country Schengen Area, so those 90 days are shared with every other Schengen country — time in Spain, Italy or Germany counts against the same allowance. The single most-searched version of this question, though, is the harder one: can I stay for six months? The short answer is yes, but not on the visa-free rule. Here is how both paths work.
Check your remaining Schengen days
Add your trips and see exactly how many of your 90 days are left. No account needed.
The 90/180 rule, applied to France
On any given day, look back over the previous 180 days and count how many you spent anywhere in the Schengen Area. If that total reaches 90 you must leave and wait for enough days to roll off the back of the window before returning. Both your entry day and your exit day count as days of presence. The window is continuous, not a calendar reset, which is the mistake the calculator above exists to prevent.
Can a US citizen stay in France for 6 months?
Not on the visa-free rule — 90 days is the hard ceiling for that. To spend six months in France you need a long-stay visa (visa de long séjour, type D), applied for before you travel through the French consulate that covers your US state of residence. The common categories are:
- Long-stay visitor visa (VLS-T « visiteur »): for staying without working, if you can show sufficient funds and accommodation. Popular for extended stays, sabbaticals and slow travel.
- Student visa: for enrolment at a French institution.
- Work or talent visas: tied to employment or the Passeport Talent scheme.
A long-stay visa takes you outside the 90/180 count for the duration it covers. It is the correct — and only — legal route to a continuous six-month stay in France as a US citizen.
What changes in 2026: ETIAS and EES
Two EU systems arrive in 2026. ETIAS is a pre-travel authorisation US citizens will need for visa-free Schengen trips — an online application and a small fee, not a visa, and it does not change the 90-day limit. The Entry/Exit System (EES) replaces passport stamps with automated biometric entry/exit records and counts your days for you at the border. The practical effect: an accidental overstay is now detected automatically and immediately, so an accurate running count is no longer optional.
Track it so you never have to guess
If you are combining France with other Schengen countries, or making several trips a year, the maths gets fiddly fast. Days Monitor for iPhone logs each trip once and keeps your 90/180 count current automatically, including future-trip planning. It is free to download.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a US citizen stay in France without a visa?
Can I stay in France for 6 months as an American?
Does time in other Schengen countries count against my French days?
Do US citizens need ETIAS to visit France in 2026?
How do I track my 90/180 days for France?
Track Your Schengen Days
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