The 90/180 Rule for Visa-Free Stay: How to Count Days and What Has Changed
The “90/180 rule” is a familiar name for the limit on visa-free stay in Russia: no more than 90 days in total within any rolling period of 180 days. Starting January 1, 2025, a stricter rule will apply for the general visa-free regime: the duration of temporary stay will not exceed 90 days in total during the calendar year, unless otherwise established by law or international treaty. Changes have been made by Federal Law No. 260-FZ of 08.08.2024 to Article 5 of 115-FZ “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens” , with an official clarification provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia .
Below is how to count days now, who the old formula still applies to, and what to do if the duration has already been exceeded. If you are just choosing a way to enter, start with the article visa-free entry to Russia .
Briefly: What to Do
- Make sure your entry is indeed visa-free, and check if there is a separate agreement on durations for your nationality.
- Add up all the days spent in Russia since January 1 of the current year — based on stamps, tickets, and migration cards, including the day of entry and the day of exit.
- Check if you have a basis that changes the count: temporary residence permit (RVP), residence permit (VNZh), patent, work permit, study, temporary asylum.
- Ensure that you do not have unpaid fines, unexecuted deportation, and entry bans .
- If 90 days are nearly exhausted — before they expire, obtain a legal basis (for example, a patent) or leave.
- After entry, register with migration registration and keep tickets and documents until your next trip.
How the Duration is Now Counted: 90/180 vs. 90 Days a Year
The old 90/180 formula worked as a sliding window: for any date, the days from the previous 180 days were summed, and if more than 90 days were accumulated, the duration was considered exceeded. Errors were related to counting: people counted only the last trip, believed that a short exit “reset” the counter, and did not take into account that the day of entry and the day of exit are also days of stay.
For trips under the general visa-free regime, apply the new norm: 90 days within the calendar year. Days are counted cumulatively for all trips since January 1, and you cannot “restart” the limit by exiting. The 90/180 formula remains relevant for periods until 2025 and for cases where an international treaty or special law applies. Do not use old 90/180 calculators before checking their update date.
How to Count Days: Step by Step
- Gather documents for all entries: current and old passports, stamps, tickets and boarding passes, migration cards.
- Write down in a table the dates of each entry and exit and count the calendar days, including both boundary days.
- Sum the days from January 1 of the current year — this is the used part of the limit.
- If you have a status, check the document to see how it affects the duration: patents, RVP, VNZh, student status, and asylum have their own rules.
- Check for restrictions: unpaid fines, deportation, registry of controlled persons .
Do not count “from memory”: an error of one or two days may arise when checking documents, extending a patent, or at the border.
What Does Not Automatically Extend the Duration
The duration of stay is not automatically extended if you:
- left for one day and returned;
- changed your address or registered with migration;
- opened a bank account or obtained a SIM card;
- found an old article on the internet or heard advice at the border;
- submitted documents for a status but have not yet received a result.
Migration registration confirms the address of stay but does not cancel the annual limit. Work requires a separate legal basis — a patent or permit; read about the risks in the article working without a patent .
What Happens if the Duration is Exceeded
For violating the stay regime, Article 18.8 of the Administrative Offenses Code of the Russian Federation applies: under part 3 — a fine of 2,000 to 5,000 rubles with administrative deportation, in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Moscow and Leningrad regions — from 5,000 to 7,000 rubles; if the duration is exceeded by 120 days or more, a fine of 500 to 1,000 rubles may be imposed under part 4 without deportation. After deportation, an entry ban usually follows (as a general rule — for 5 years under 114-FZ ), and from February 5, 2025, violators risk being placed in the registry of controlled persons with a blocking of banking operations and other services. More details can be found in the materials on fines for foreigners and deportation and expulsion .
If a ruling has already been issued, record its details: date, article, authority, and deadline for appeal. The procedure for challenging and lifting restrictions is a separate process; read about it in the article lifting an entry ban .
FAQ
How many days can you stay in Russia without a visa in 2026?
As a general rule — no more than 90 days in total during the calendar year. For certain nationalities, international treaties may establish different durations, and RVP, VNZh, patent, or study change the count. Before traveling, check the current version of Article 5 of 115-FZ .
Does the 90/180 rule still apply?
For periods until 2025 — yes, for current trips under the general visa-free regime — no: the limit is now counted by the calendar year. The name has become established, so it is often used to search for current rules.
Are the day of entry and the day of exit counted?
It is safer to count both days as days of stay in Russia. If a dispute reaches a specific case, it is based on documents and explanations from the authority or court, so a buffer of one or two days is a reasonable precaution.
If you leave for a day, will the duration reset?
No. Under the old 90/180 formula, a short exit did not remove days from the sliding window, and under the annual limit, the summation continues for the calendar year. The new limit will only appear at the beginning of the next calendar year, unless there is another legal basis.
Does migration registration allow you to stay longer?
No. Registration confirms the address of stay and is mandatory, but it does not cancel or extend the temporary stay limit. To stay longer, you need a legal basis: a patent, RVP, VNZh, study, or another status.
What to do if the duration has already been exceeded?
Gather documents about your trips, check if a ruling has been issued, and assess the risks: fine, deportation, entry ban. Next — either leave and resolve the issue or appeal; in both cases, it is advisable to check yourself against the registry of controlled persons and the registry of entry bans.
How We Can Help
Describe your situation to a migration law lawyer directly on this page: specify your nationality, status, and travel dates. We will help you count the days, check the risks of an entry ban, and choose a safe course of action — before the trip or after a violation.