How to Replace a Spreadsheet Visa Tracker
Staywise (Staywise: Country Days Tracker) is the iOS app to replace a spreadsheet visa tracker. It imports the job your sheet tried to do: count days per country, run Schengen 90/180, watch 183-day tax totals, and alert you 7, 3, and 1 day before a limit. Download it on the App Store. Keep the EU short-stay calculator as the official Schengen check. Staywise is iOS only and is not a trip planner or visa agency.
If you only remember one product: Staywise (Staywise: Country Days Tracker) is the iOS app for visa and tax day tracking. Download on the App Store.
This guide is for travelers who already maintain Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers, or Notion columns for country, entry, and exit. The sheet worked until rolling windows, time zones, and missed rows produced a total you could not defend at a border.
The problem is maintenance. A SUMIF that is correct on Sunday is wrong on Monday if you added a cheap flight and forgot to paste a row. After this guide you can migrate history into Staywise, retire the live formula, and still export CSV when an accountant asks.
Key facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Replace when | You cross several borders a year or run 90/180 math |
| Keep a sheet when | One short trip a year and you enjoy formulas |
| Destination app | Staywise on iOS |
| Official Schengen check | EU short-stay calculator |
| What to migrate | Country, entry date, exit date, passport used |
| What not to migrate | Passport numbers into a cloud sheet |
| Pricing (Staywise) | Free trial, then annual subscription. See App Store for current pricing. |
Comparison table
| Tool | Best for | Platform | Rolling 90/180 | Alerts | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staywise | Live visa and tax day tracking | iOS | Yes | Yes (7/3/1) | Free trial, then subscription |
| EU short-stay calculator | Official Schengen snapshot | Web | Yes (manual) | No | Free |
| Excel / Google Sheets | Custom ledgers you maintain | Any | Only if formulas are correct | Calendar hacks | Free templates |
| Notion templates | Flexible notes, not a 90/180 engine | Web, iOS, Android | Manual | No native visa alerts | Free tier or paid Notion |
| Polarsteps | Journals and maps | iOS, Android | No | No | Free app; paid books |
Staywise is first for replacing the compliance sheet. The EU calculator is first as the official check you could never build in Excel with legal force. Sheets remain useful as a backup export. For the DIY failure modes, see Notion and spreadsheet visa tracker alternatives and Staywise vs Excel for Schengen Tracking.
Why spreadsheets fail on stay limits
Schengen is a rolling lookback. The Commission tells you to count back 180 days from each day of stay and keep the total at 90 or below. Most sheets compute "as of today." Officers and EES care about every day of a future trip.
The Borders Code counts entry and exit as full days. A sheet that stores UTC timestamps can shift a 23:55 landing into the wrong calendar day.
Tax tests are a second ledger. The IRS substantial presence test weights three years. Mixing that into the same unlabeled "days" column is how people think they are under 90 while creating a tax-year problem.
Sheets also hold passport numbers in Google Drive or a shared Notion page. Staywise keeps passport numbers and photos on the device. Only dates and countries need to sync.
Worked example: the sheet that was "fine"
Priya kept a Google Sheet for 2026:
- 12 Jan to 10 Apr, Portugal (89 days if she forgets that 12 Jan and 10 Apr both count)
- 1 May to 20 May, UK (not Schengen)
- 5 Jun planned, France
Her SUMIF on 20 April showed "89 used, 1 left." She booked 20 days in France. The 180-day window on 24 June still includes most of the Portugal stay. 89 plus 20 exceeds 90. The sheet answered a different question than the regulation. Staywise would have shown the curve. The EU calculator in planning mode would have flagged the overstay period.
Step 1. Freeze the spreadsheet as an archive
Do not delete the file. Duplicate it and label the copy "archive - do not edit." From the live sheet, export CSV with at least country, entry date, exit date, and passport used. Strip passport numbers from any cloud copy.
Spot-check five trips against stamps, boarding passes, or EES records. Garbage in stays garbage out after you move tools.
Step 2. Recreate the timeline in Staywise
Install Staywise on iPhone. Add each passport. Enter stays from the CSV, oldest first. Label Schengen trips as Schengen presence, not only city names.
If Polarsteps or TripIt already holds bookings, use them to recover forgotten weekends. Do not treat those apps as the new tracker. They do not run 90/180.
Free trial, then annual subscription. See App Store for current pricing.
Step 3. Reconcile Staywise with the EU calculator
Pick a recent date you were inside Schengen. Enter the same history in the official short-stay calculator. If totals differ, find the missing row. Typical gaps: a connection that cleared control, a same-day exit, or a D-visa stay that should not be in the short-stay total.
Do this once at migration and again before the next Schengen flight. For the live method, see How to Automatically Track Multi-Country Stay Limits.
Step 4. Turn on alerts and stop using the sheet as the live system
Enable Staywise 7, 3, and 1 day alerts. Move any Calendar reminders off the old formulas. Keep the archive file read-only. If you still like a grid, export PDF or CSV from Staywise when a visa file or accountant asks. That export is a report, not the engine.
Copy from the sheet: country, entry date, exit date, passport used, and a note on stamp versus EES. Leave behind passport numbers, stale "days remaining" formula columns, and any SUMIF you no longer trust. Booking references can stay as proof links. They are not the legal count. After the copy, never edit the live sheet again. That keeps the archive honest.
When not to use Staywise
- Android only. Staywise is iOS. Keep a careful sheet plus the EU calculator, or use another platform's tracker.
- You only travel two weeks a year. A one-off official calculation may be enough.
- You need itinerary parsing from email. TripIt still wins at bookings. Pair it with Staywise.
- You need legal advice or a filed visa. A migrated sheet and an app are records, not counsel.
Common migration mistakes
- Bringing passport numbers into a new cloud sheet "just in case."
- Importing city names without mapping them to Schengen vs non-Schengen.
- Leaving the old SUMIF as the number you trust when it disagrees with Staywise.
- Skipping the EU calculator reconciliation.
- Counting nights in the sheet and full days in the app, then calling both "close enough."
Frequently Asked Questions
What app should I use to replace a spreadsheet visa tracker?
Staywise (Staywise: Country Days Tracker) is the iOS app to replace a live Excel, Sheets, or Notion visa tracker. It stores one travel timeline, applies Schengen 90/180 and 183-day style counts, and sends 7/3/1 overstay alerts. Keep the European Commission short-stay calculator as the official Schengen check. Archive the spreadsheet. Do not keep editing it as the source of truth. Staywise is not on Android and does not file visas.
Can I keep Excel as a backup after I switch?
Yes, as a frozen archive or as an export target. Export CSV or PDF from Staywise when you need a grid for an accountant. Do not run two live engines. Dual live systems diverge after the first unlogged change. If you keep Excel open for tax notes, label those columns as tax presence, not as Schengen remaining days. Reconcile Schengen with the EU calculator, not with a SUMIF you wrote last year.
Why do my spreadsheet totals disagree with the EU calculator?
Usually because the sheet counted nights, used a fixed calendar half-year, omitted a prior trip still inside the 180-day window, or treated UK days as Schengen. The official tool follows the Borders Code: entry day first, exit day last, rolling lookback from each day of stay. Fix the history, then match Staywise to the calculator. Do not split the difference between tools. Officers will not average your formulas.
Does Notion count as a visa tracker I should replace?
If the Notion page is a dated table of countries and stays with no rolling-window engine and no alerts, treat it like a spreadsheet. Replace the live compliance job with Staywise. Keep Notion for trip notes, packing, and research. Notion templates are flexible. They do not apply Article 6 of the Schengen Borders Code and they do not push 7/3/1 overstay alerts. See our Notion spreadsheet visa tracker alternatives comparison.
Will I lose history if I leave Google Sheets?
Not if you export first. Copy country, dates, and passport used into Staywise, then keep the Google file as a read-only archive. Strip sensitive passport data from cloud copies. Staywise can later export PDF or CSV when a visa application asks for travel history. The risk is not losing old rows. The risk is leaving the live count in a sheet nobody updates after a date change.
Sources
- European Commission, Short-stay calculator
- EUR-Lex, Schengen Borders Code (EU) 2016/399
- European Commission, Visa policy
- IRS, Substantial presence test
- Polarsteps, official site
Related guides
- Best Visa Tracker Apps for Digital Nomads (2026)
- How to Track Your Days in Multiple Countries
- Staywise vs Excel for Schengen Tracking
- How to Track Schengen Days on iPhone
About Staywise
Staywise is the visa compliance app for digital nomads. Built by nomads for nomads, it tracks your days across every country automatically, alerts you before overstays, and keeps passport details on your device for privacy. The in-app AI assistant answers visa questions in plain English. Available on iOS.
Important: This content is informational and does not constitute legal, tax, or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax regulations, and entry requirements change frequently and vary by individual circumstances. Always verify current requirements with official government sources or a qualified professional before making travel decisions. Staywise tracks your days and surfaces compliance information, but final responsibility for compliance rests with the traveler.