Apologies in advance for doing your heads in with this visa query. My brain is fried! It's a question about the Schengen zone ’90 days in 180 days’ rules. I've read everything on it and it's still making no sense. The online Schengen zone calculator is not helping. Informal advice from my workplace (Int. Org.) is don’t worry about it, nobody checks. But I’m worried! And the Australian embassy gave me nothing. This is about a family member, let’s say M (Australian citizen). If anyone is an expert of, or interested in, visa enquiries, please help!
M first arrived in France 28 April 2017, and she returned to Aus. 11 June 2017. That’s 45 days. (Assuming the 180 day period begins when she arrived on 28 April 2017, that means that this 180 day period ends 28 October 2017).
Then, M returned to France 26 August (so still within that 180 day period) and will leave 5 November (So technically that is illegal. It is a little more than 90 days, and over the 180 days).
Does this mean, that M should return to Australia on 9 October? That would make it 45 days from the start of her second arrival on 26 August (totalling 90 days in 180 days, and still within the 180 day period).Does this also mean that she can technically return on 29 October 2017? Because then the 180 days will be reset?
If this is correct, the stupid online Schengen zone calculator doesn't work!