What time is it in Cyprus?
EET / EEST · Asia/Nicosia
Back to CyprusNow in Nicosia
EET UTC+02:00
UTC+02:00
UTC+03:00 in summerEastern European Standard Time
Cyprus runs on Eastern European Time, two hours ahead of UTC, and on Eastern European Summer Time, three hours ahead, from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. The time zone database carries two entries for the island, Asia/Nicosia and Asia/Famagusta, a trace of the winter of 2016 when the north followed Turkey onto UTC+3. Since October 2017 the two entries share the same offsets, so a clock in Nicosia and one in Kyrenia agree all year.
Today
Daylight in Nicosia today
DayLive
12:00
- Sunrise
- 06:38First light 06:13
- Sunset
- 18:36Last light 19:01
- Day length
- 11 h 57 min−3 min on yesterday
- Solar noon
- 12:37Sun at 53°, its highest
Plan a call
Find an hour that works in Cyprus 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 Cyprus is from other places
Neighbours
- United KingdomLondon−2 h
- IsraelJerusalemSame time
- TürkiyeAnkaraSame time
Around the world
- New York−7 h
- Los Angeles−10 h
- São Paulo−6 h
- MoscowSame time
- Dubai+1 h
- Delhi+2:30 h
- Beijing+5 h
- Tokyo+6 h
- Sydney+7 h
Clock changes
When the clocks change in Cyprus
Next change
Sunday, 25 October 2026
Clocks go back one hour: at 04:00 it becomes 03:00 EET, UTC+02:00. The night is an hour longer.
| Year | Clocks go forward | Clocks go back |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 29 March 03:00 → 04:00 | 25 October 04:00 → 03:00 |
| 2027 | 28 March 03:00 → 04:00 | 31 October 04:00 → 03:00 |
| 2028 | 26 March 03:00 → 04:00 | 29 October 04:00 → 03:00 |
| 2029 | 25 March 03:00 → 04:00 | 28 October 04:00 → 03:00 |
| 2030 | 31 March 03:00 → 04:00 | 27 October 04:00 → 03:00 |
Until 1921 the island kept a local offset of 2 hours 13 minutes ahead of Greenwich, before settling on UTC+2. Summer time has been kept every year since 1975, and since Cyprus joined the European Union on 1 May 2004 its dates follow the Union's directive: forward at 03:00 on the last Sunday in March, back at 04:00 on the last Sunday in October, at the same instant as every other member. The one break came in the north. On 13 September 2016 the Turkish Cypriot council of ministers approved a bill to keep summer time all year, days after Turkey did the same, and on 30 October 2016 the north stayed on UTC+3 while the rest of the island went back to UTC+2. Protests by Turkish Cypriot teachers followed, after two schoolgirls and a bus driver were killed on the way to school in the dark that December, and on 29 October 2017 the north set its clocks back with everyone else.
Cyprus was one of the member states that backed permanent summer time when the European Commission proposed ending the seasonal change in 2018, a choice that would have left the island on UTC+3 through the winter. Parliament approved the plan on 26 March 2019. Without the Council's approval, still not given, Directive 2000/84/EC remains in force and Cyprus changes its clocks every March and October.
Daylight
Sunrise and sunset through the year in Nicosia
- Sunrise
- 06:38
- Sunset
- 18:36
- Daylight
- 11 h 57 min
- Change
- −3 min
Longest day of 2026: 19 June, 14 h 32 min.
Computed for 35.17, 33.37 at sea level with the NOAA solar equations, to the nearest minute, taking no account of hills.
Writing the time
- Clock
- 12-hour
- Short date
- 5/3/26
- Long date
- 5 Μαρτίου 2026
- Week starts
- Monday
- Zone names
- EET / EEST
- Time zone database
- Nicosia
History
How the clocks in Cyprus got here
- 1890
- To 1920.Local mean time, UTC+02:13, before the standard zone.
- 1921
- The move from local mean time, UTC+02:13, to UTC+02:00.
- 1922
- To 1974.UTC+02:00 all year, no summer time.
- 1975
- To today.UTC+02:00 in winter, UTC+03:00 in summer time.
From the IANA time zone database, Asia/Nicosia, as the build machine carries it.
Common questions
Questions about the time in Cyprus
What time zone is Cyprus in?
Eastern European Time, UTC+2, in winter and Eastern European Summer Time, UTC+3, from late March to late October. The time zone database lists two zones, Asia/Nicosia for most of the island and Asia/Famagusta for the north, but since October 2017 both keep identical offsets and change on the same nights.
When do the clocks change in Cyprus in 2026?
The clocks went forward on Sunday 29 March 2026, from 03:00 to 04:00, and go back on Sunday 25 October, from 04:00 to 03:00. Both changes happen at 01:00 GMT. In 2027 the dates are 28 March and 31 October.
Does Northern Cyprus have a different time from the rest of the island?
Not now, though it did for one winter. In September 2016 the north decided to follow Turkey, which had abandoned clock changes and stayed on UTC+3. When the rest of Cyprus went back to UTC+2 on 30 October 2016, the north did not, and the island had two times until the following spring brought everyone back to UTC+3. After protests led by Turkish Cypriot teachers, the north rejoined the seasonal change and set its clocks back on 29 October 2017. That episode is why the time zone database still keeps a separate Asia/Famagusta entry, which today carries the same offsets as Asia/Nicosia.
Is Cyprus on the same time as Greece and Turkey?
Greece, yes, all year: both are on UTC+2 in winter and UTC+3 in summer, and both change under the same European rule. Turkey stopped changing its clocks in September 2016 and stays on UTC+3, so it matches Cyprus from late March to late October and is an hour ahead for the rest of the year.
What is the time difference between Cyprus and the UK?
Two hours, all year round. The United Kingdom and Cyprus both move their clocks at 01:00 GMT on the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October, so the gap does not shift: 10:00 in London is 12:00 in Nicosia, summer and winter alike.
Would Cyprus keep summer time if the EU stopped the clock changes?
That was its stated preference. When the European Commission proposed ending the seasonal change, Cyprus was listed with France, Germany and Poland among the states favouring permanent summer time, which for Cyprus would mean UTC+3 all year. Denmark, the Netherlands and Finland leaned towards permanent winter time. The European Parliament backed the proposal in March 2019, but the Council of the European Union has never approved it, so the choice has not had to be made.
Cyprus has 2 zones; this page reads the capital’s. All figures