How much time do i have to spend out of a EU country before I can re-enter without a visa?

Question

I want to go Germany this fall and I know I can stay 90 days without a visa but how long do I have to stay out before I can come back in? Can I go to Italy for the weekend then go back to Germany? or do I have to wait a certain number of days? thanx

ps - I am canadian

Answer 1

No, the Visa Waiver Program (which you are travelling under as an Canadian) works on the same premise as the Schengen agreement where you can only travel for 90 days max, and then must return to your home country for a futher 90 days before returning/reapplying

The 90 days (exception for UK) is a total amount for the countries under this agreement and exiting for a few days and returning does not mean that it starts over again

E.g. if you stay in Germany for 80 days and then leave outside of the area for 5 days (you may need a visa in which case for this country) then when you come back, you still have 10 days remaining on your "balance" before you have to return to Canada

P.S. Italy is part of the EU and part of the Visa Waiver Program so it wouldn't work anyway