What time is it in Moldova?
EET / EEST · Europe/Chisinau
Back to MoldovaNow in Chișinău
EET UTC+02:00
UTC+02:00
UTC+03:00 in summerEastern European Standard Time
Moldova runs on Eastern European Time, UTC+2, and moves to Eastern European Summer Time, UTC+3, from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. A single zone covers the country, filed in the time zone database as Europe/Chisinau, the capital's name written without its diacritics. The switch comes at 02:00 local time in spring and 03:00 in autumn, which is midnight UTC and an hour earlier than in Romania next door.
Today
Daylight in Chișinău today
DayLive
12:00
- Sunrise
- 06:58First light 06:28
- Sunset
- 18:52Last light 19:22
- Day length
- 11 h 54 min−3 min on yesterday
- Solar noon
- 12:55Sun at 41°, its highest
Plan a call
Find an hour that works in Moldova 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 Moldova is from other places
Neighbours
- RomaniaBucharestSame time
- UkraineKyivSame time
Around the world
- London−2 h
- 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 Moldova
Next change
Sunday, 25 October 2026
Clocks go back one hour: at 03:00 it becomes 02:00 EET, UTC+02:00. 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 |
Summer time has run in two long stretches. From 1932, the year Romania introduced it, to 1941 the clocks moved between UTC+2 and UTC+3, and in 1942 and 1943 between UTC+1 and UTC+2. From 1945 to 1980 there was no change at all and the clock stood at UTC+3 all year; summer time came back in 1981 at UTC+4 and ran to 1989. The offset returned to UTC+2 in 1990, and winter at UTC+2 with summer at UTC+3 has held every year since 1991.
Daylight
Sunrise and sunset through the year in Chișinău
- Sunrise
- 06:58
- Sunset
- 18:52
- Daylight
- 11 h 54 min
- Change
- −3 min
Longest day of 2026: 18 June, 15 h 54 min.
Computed for 47.02, 28.84 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 martie 2026
- Week starts
- Monday
- Zone names
- EET / EEST
- Time zone database
- Chisinau
History
How the clocks in Moldova got here
- 1890
- To 1917.Local mean time, UTC+01:55, before the standard zone.
- 1918
- The move from local mean time, UTC+01:44, to UTCundefined.
- 1919
- To 1930.Local mean time, UTC+01:44, before the standard zone.
- 1931
- The move from local mean time, UTC+01:44, to UTC+02:00.
- 1932
- To 1939.UTC+02:00 in winter, UTC+03:00 in summer time.
- 1940
- To 1941.UTC+02:00 in winter, UTC+03:00 in summer time.
- 1942
- Clocks on UTC+01:00, UTC+02:00 at different times of the year.
- 1943
- Clocks on UTC+01:00, UTC+02:00 at different times of the year.
- 1944
- Clocks on UTC+01:00, UTC+02:00, UTC+03:00 at different times of the year.
- 1945
- To 1980.Summer time kept through the winter: UTC+03:00 all year.
- 1981
- To 1989.Clocks on UTC+03:00, UTC+04:00 at different times of the year.
- 1990
- Clocks on UTC+02:00, UTC+03:00, UTC+04:00 at different times of the year.
- 1991
- To today.UTC+02:00 in winter, UTC+03:00 in summer time.
From the IANA time zone database, Europe/Chisinau, as the build machine carries it.
Common questions
Questions about the time in Moldova
What time zone is Moldova in?
Eastern European Time, UTC+2, in winter and Eastern European Summer Time, UTC+3, from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. The time zone database gives the whole country one entry, Europe/Chisinau, so the clock in Chișinău shows the time everywhere in the country.
When do the clocks change in Moldova in 2026?
They went forward on Sunday 29 March 2026, from 02:00 to 03:00, and go back on Sunday 25 October, from 03:00 to 02:00. The 2027 dates are 28 March and 31 October. Both changes fall at midnight UTC, an hour before the countries that follow the European Union rule make theirs.
Why do Moldova's clocks change an hour before Romania's?
Romania follows the European Union rule, under which every country on Eastern European Time switches at 01:00 UTC, which is 03:00 local time in March. Moldova keeps the same Sundays but switches at 00:00 UTC, at 02:00 local time. For one hour on each changeover night the two neighbours therefore show different times: in March Moldova is an hour ahead of Romania, and in October an hour behind it. The rest of the year their clocks agree.
What time did Moldova keep before 1990?
UTC+3, with no seasonal change, from 1945 to 1980. Summer time returned in 1981, when the clocks went forward to UTC+4 each year until 1989. In 1990 the country went back to UTC+2, the offset it had kept in the 1930s, and the present pattern of UTC+2 and UTC+3 has held since 1991.
What is the time difference between Moldova and London?
Two hours for almost the whole year: 09:00 in London is 11:00 in Chișinău. Both change on the same Sundays, but not at the same instant. The United Kingdom switches at 01:00 UTC with the rest of Europe and Moldova an hour earlier, so on each changeover night the gap is briefly three hours in March and one hour in October.
How are dates and times written in Moldova?
With the 24-hour clock and the day before the month. The short form separates day, month and year with full stops, as in 05.03.2026, and the long form spells the month in Romanian, as in 5 martie 2026. The week starts on Monday.