What time is it in Gibraltar?
CET / CEST · Europe/Gibraltar
Back to GibraltarNow in Gibraltar
CET UTC+01:00
UTC+01:00
UTC+02:00 in summerCentral European Standard Time
Gibraltar sets its clocks by Spain rather than by Britain. Winter time is Central European Time, UTC+1; on the last Sunday in March the territory moves to Central European Summer Time, UTC+2, and it returns on the last Sunday in October. The territory is a single zone, Europe/Gibraltar in the time zone database. Like every other British Overseas Territory, it does not keep British Summer Time.
Today
Daylight in Gibraltar today
DayLive
12:00
- Sunrise
- 08:13First light 07:48
- Sunset
- 20:10Last light 20:36
- Day length
- 11 h 57 min−2 min on yesterday
- Solar noon
- 14:12Sun at 52°, its highest
Plan a call
Find an hour that works in Gibraltar 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 Gibraltar is from other places
Neighbours
- SpainMadridSame 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 Gibraltar
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 summer time in Gibraltar from 1916 to 1957 as an hour added to Greenwich Mean Time. In the war years 1941 to 1945, and again in 1947, the gain rose to two hours, the years Britain kept Double Summer Time. From 1958 to 1981 the clocks stood at GMT+1 all year: level with Spain for five months, and with the United Kingdom during its seven months of British Summer Time. In 1982 Gibraltar moved to Central European Time with a summer hour, the arrangement it keeps.
Daylight
Sunrise and sunset through the year in Gibraltar
- Sunrise
- 08:13
- Sunset
- 20:10
- Daylight
- 11 h 57 min
- Change
- −2 min
Longest day of 2026: 16 June, 14 h 37 min.
Computed for 36.14, -5.35 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 March 2026
- Week starts
- Monday
- Zone names
- CET / CEST
- Time zone database
- Gibraltar
History
How the clocks in Gibraltar got here
- 1890
- To 1915.UTC+00:00 all year.
- 1916
- To 1939.Clocks on UTC+00:00, UTC+01:00 at different times of the year.
- 1940
- Clocks on UTC+00:00, UTC+01:00 at different times of the year.
- 1941
- To 1944.UTC+01:00 in winter, UTC+02:00 in summer time.
- 1945
- Clocks on UTC+00:00, UTC+01:00, UTC+02:00 at different times of the year.
- 1946
- Clocks on UTC+00:00, UTC+01:00 at different times of the year.
- 1947
- Clocks on UTC+00:00, UTC+01:00, UTC+02:00 at different times of the year.
- 1948
- To 1956.Clocks on UTC+00:00, UTC+01:00 at different times of the year.
- 1957
- Clocks on UTC+00:00, UTC+01:00 at different times of the year.
- 1958
- To 1981.UTC+01:00 all year, no summer time.
- 1982
- To today.UTC+01:00 in winter, UTC+02:00 in summer time.
From the IANA time zone database, Europe/Gibraltar, as the build machine carries it.
Common questions
Questions about the time in Gibraltar
What time zone is Gibraltar in?
Winter is on Central European Time (UTC+1) and summer, from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, on Central European Summer Time (UTC+2). The whole territory is one zone, listed as Europe/Gibraltar. That puts it on the same clock as Spain and an hour ahead of the United Kingdom, although Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory.
When do the clocks change in Gibraltar in 2026?
Summer time began at 02:00 on Sunday 29 March 2026, when clocks jumped to 03:00, and ends at 03:00 on Sunday 25 October, when they fall back to 02:00. A year later the spring change falls on 28 March 2027 and the autumn one on 31 October. The change happens at 01:00 UTC, the moment used across Spain and the rest of the European Union, so Gibraltar and Spain always change together.
Why is Gibraltar not on Greenwich Mean Time like Britain?
Because it moved off the British pattern in 1958. From then until 1981 Gibraltar kept GMT+1 all year, which matched Spain in winter and Britain only during British Summer Time. In 1982 it switched to Central European Time with a summer hour, and it has been on the Spanish clock since. None of the fourteen British Overseas Territories observes British Summer Time.
What is the time difference between Gibraltar and London?
One hour, with Gibraltar ahead. The United Kingdom changes to and from British Summer Time on the last Sundays of March and October, the same nights Gibraltar changes, so the gap holds all year: at 12:00 in London it is 13:00 on the Rock.
Is Gibraltar on the same time as Spain?
Yes. Gibraltar keeps Central European Time and Central European Summer Time in line with Spain, its only land neighbour, and the two change on the same Sundays. Crossing the border therefore does not move a watch, while arriving from London or Dublin does, by an hour in both winter and summer.
Is Gibraltar on permanent summer time?
In effect, by the sun. Gibraltar lies further west than much of the United Kingdom, so a clock at UTC+1 runs ahead of its solar time even in winter, and at UTC+2 in summer it is two hours ahead, which amounts to double summer time. The legal zone is still Central European Time.
When did Gibraltar change to Central European Time?
In 1982. Before that it spent 24 years on GMT+1 with no seasonal change at all, and before 1958 it followed the British pattern of Greenwich Mean Time with a summer hour, two in some wartime years. Since 1982 the offset has been UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 in summer, with the change made on the last Sundays of March and October.