What time is it in North Macedonia?
CET / CEST · Europe/Skopje
Back to North MacedoniaNow in Skopje
CET UTC+01:00
UTC+01:00
UTC+02:00 in summerCentral European Standard Time
North Macedonia runs on Central European Time, srednoevropsko vreme in Macedonian, one hour ahead of UTC, and moves to Central European Summer Time, UTC+2, between the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October. One zone, listed in the time zone database as Europe/Skopje, covers the whole country; across the southern and eastern borders the clocks read an hour later, because Greece and Bulgaria keep Eastern European Time.
Today
Daylight in Skopje today
DayLive
12:00
- Sunrise
- 06:27First light 05:59
- Sunset
- 18:22Last light 18:50
- Day length
- 11 h 55 min−3 min on yesterday
- Solar noon
- 12:25Sun at 46°, its highest
Plan a call
Find an hour that works in North Macedonia 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 North Macedonia is from other places
Neighbours
- AlbaniaTiranaSame time
- BulgariaSofia+1 h
- GreeceAthens+1 h
- SerbiaBelgradeSame time
- KosovoPristinaSame 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 North Macedonia
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 |
Summer time was first kept from 1941 to 1945, during the Second World War, and then dropped; it returned in 1983, when the country was a republic of Yugoslavia, and has been observed every year since. The clocks go forward and back at 01:00 UTC on the last Sundays of March and October, the instant the European Union uses, although North Macedonia is not a member.
Daylight
Sunrise and sunset through the year in Skopje
- Sunrise
- 06:27
- Sunset
- 18:22
- Daylight
- 11 h 55 min
- Change
- −3 min
Longest day of 2026: 20 June, 15 h 15 min.
Computed for 42.00, 21.43 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
- 5.3.26
- Long date
- 5 март 2026 г.
- Week starts
- Monday
- Zone names
- CET / CEST
- Time zone database
- Skopje
History
How the clocks in North Macedonia 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/Skopje, 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 North Macedonia
What time zone is North Macedonia in?
Central European Time, UTC+1, for the winter months, and Central European Summer Time, UTC+2, from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. There is a single zone for the whole country, entered in the time zone database as Europe/Skopje, so a clock in Skopje shows the time for every town in the country.
When do the clocks change in North Macedonia 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, and in 2028 the clocks change on 26 March and 29 October. Both changes happen overnight between Saturday and Sunday.
Is North Macedonia an hour behind Greece?
Yes, all year. Greece keeps Eastern European Time, UTC+2 in winter and UTC+3 in summer, and changes its clocks on the same Sundays as North Macedonia, so the one-hour gap never closes. Bulgaria is on the same time as Greece: when it is noon in Skopje it is 13:00 in Sofia and Athens. Travellers crossing either border reset their watches forward by an hour.
When did North Macedonia start using summer time?
During the Second World War, from 1941 to 1945. After the war it was abandoned for almost four decades and came back in 1983, while the country was part of Yugoslavia. Summer time has been kept every year since then, with the clocks moving twice a year.
Does North Macedonia change its clocks on the same day as the European Union?
Yes. Though not a member state, North Macedonia follows the European rule: summer time starts at 01:00 UTC on the last Sunday in March and ends at 01:00 UTC on the last Sunday in October. In Skopje that is 02:00 local time in spring and 03:00 in autumn, the same moment as in every member state.