What time is it in Croatia?
CET / CEST · Europe/Zagreb
Back to CroatiaNow in Zagreb
CET UTC+01:00
UTC+01:00
UTC+02:00 in summerCentral European Standard Time
A single zone covers the whole of Croatia: Central European Time, one hour ahead of UTC, in winter, and Central European Summer Time, two hours ahead, from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. In spring the clocks jump from 02:00 to 03:00; in autumn they fall back from 03:00 to 02:00. The time zone database names the zone after the capital, Europe/Zagreb.
Today
Daylight in Zagreb today
DayLive
12:00
- Sunrise
- 06:49First light 06:20
- Sunset
- 18:43Last light 19:13
- Day length
- 11 h 54 min−3 min on yesterday
- Solar noon
- 12:46Sun at 43°, its highest
Plan a call
Find an hour that works in Croatia and elsewhere
The two rows are the same day, hour for hour. Pick a city, then an hour, and the line between the rows marks the office hours both sides share.
Time difference
How far Croatia is from other places
Neighbours
- Bosnia and HerzegovinaSarajevoSame time
- HungaryBudapestSame time
- MontenegroPodgoricaSame time
- SerbiaBelgradeSame time
- SloveniaLjubljanaSame time
Around the world
- London−1 h
- New York−6 h
- Los Angeles−9 h
- São Paulo−5 h
- Moscow+1 h
- Dubai+2 h
- Delhi+3:30 h
- Beijing+6 h
- Tokyo+7 h
- Sydney+8 h
Clock changes
When the clocks change in Croatia
Next change
Sunday, 25 October 2026
Clocks go back one hour: at 03:00 it becomes 02:00 CET, UTC+01:00. The night is an hour longer.
| Year | Clocks go forward | Clocks go back |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 29 March 02:00 → 03:00 | 25 October 03:00 → 02:00 |
| 2027 | 28 March 02:00 → 03:00 | 31 October 03:00 → 02:00 |
| 2028 | 26 March 02:00 → 03:00 | 29 October 03:00 → 02:00 |
| 2029 | 25 March 02:00 → 03:00 | 28 October 03:00 → 02:00 |
| 2030 | 31 March 02:00 → 03:00 | 27 October 03:00 → 02:00 |
The time zone database records a first spell of summer time from 1941 to 1945, during the Second World War, and none at all from 1946 to 1982. It returned in 1983, while Croatia was a republic of Yugoslavia, which was the last country in Europe to bring summer time in. Switzerland, in 1981, had been the one before it. Until 1995 the clocks went back on the last Sunday of September, and from 1996 on the last Sunday of October, the date the European Union rules still set.
Croatia joined the European Union on 1 July 2013, so it keeps the Union's clock-change dates and would be bound by a change to them, and the European Parliament voted on 26 March 2019 to end the seasonal change from 2021, leaving each member state to pick summer or winter time for good, but the Council of the European Union has never approved the directive. Parliament debated it again on 23 October 2025, and no date was set.
Daylight
Sunrise and sunset through the year in Zagreb
- Sunrise
- 06:49
- Sunset
- 18:43
- Daylight
- 11 h 54 min
- Change
- −3 min
Longest day of 2026: 19 June, 15 h 44 min.
Computed for 45.81, 15.98 at sea level with the NOAA solar equations, to the nearest minute, taking no account of hills.
Writing the time
- Clock
- 24-hour
- Short date
- 05. 03. 2026.
- Long date
- 5. ožujka 2026.
- Week starts
- Monday
- Zone names
- CET / CEST
- Time zone database
- Zagreb
History
How the clocks in Croatia got here
- 1970
- To 1982.UTC+01:00 all year, no summer time.
- 1983
- To today.UTC+01:00 in winter, UTC+02:00 in summer time.
From the IANA time zone database, Europe/Zagreb, as the build machine carries it. The database keeps this zone's own history from 1970 only; the years before are told above from the sources.
Common questions
Questions about the time in Croatia
What time zone is Croatia in?
Central European Time, written CET and set at UTC+1, for the winter months, and Central European Summer Time, CEST or UTC+2, from late March to late October. The country has no second zone and no region on a different rule, and the time zone database lists all of it under the single entry Europe/Zagreb.
When do the clocks change in Croatia in 2026?
They went forward an hour on Sunday 29 March 2026, at 02:00, and go back on Sunday 25 October, when 03:00 becomes 02:00 again. The 2027 dates are 28 March and 31 October. Both follow the EU rule of the last Sunday of the month.
When did Croatia start using summer time?
In 1983, as a republic of Yugoslavia, which was the last European country to adopt it. Switzerland had done so two years earlier. The time zone database also shows summer time in 1941 to 1945, and nothing between 1946 and 1982. Until 1995 the clocks went back on the last Sunday of September; since 1996 it has been the last Sunday of October.
Is Croatia on the same time as Slovenia and Hungary?
Yes. Slovenia and Hungary, its two neighbours inside the European Union, keep Central European Time at UTC+1 and move to UTC+2 on the same March and October Sundays as Croatia, and so does Italy across the Adriatic. A clock in Zagreb and one in Ljubljana never disagree.
How do Croatians write and say the time?
In writing, Croatian uses the 24-hour clock, and hours and minutes may be separated by either a colon or a full stop, so 14:30 and 14.30 are both correct. Speech is different: people use the 12-hour clock and add a phrase when it could be misread, ujutro for the morning, prijepodne before noon, poslijepodne for the afternoon and navečer for the evening. There is no equivalent of a.m. and p.m.
Will Croatia stop changing the clocks?
Not yet. The European Parliament voted in March 2019 to stop the twice-yearly change and let each member state keep one time all year, but the Council has not approved it, and a debate in Parliament on 23 October 2025 produced agreement in principle and no date. Until the Council acts, Croatia changes its clocks in March and October like every other EU member.
What is the time difference between Croatia and London?
Croatia is one hour ahead of London all year round. The United Kingdom moves its clocks on the same Sundays in March and October, so the gap never widens or narrows: noon in London is 13:00 in Zagreb in January and in July alike.