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Daylight Saving Time (DST)

The clocks change twice a year moving from winter (standard) time to summer time and back. Find out when, and how France's time relates to the rest of the world.

In 1996 the European Union (EU) standardized an EU-wide Summertime, or Daylight Saving Time (DST).

The EU's version of Daylight Savings runs from the last Sunday in March (when the clocks go forward by an hour) through to the last Sunday in October (when they go back by an hour).

In 2012 clocks go forward by one hour on the night of 24-25 March
Clocks go back one hour on the night of 27-28 October

If dealing with other countries, it can be helpful to know how the different varieties of DST (for those countries that use the system) map on to each other. Most countries adjust their clocks at some time between midnight and 03:00; in the EU, clocks change at 01:00 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Reference map and chart of zone and up-to-date changes: WorldTimeZone.com
The time right now: TimeAndDate.com

Note: Many countries and territories change days of transitions to DST from year to year and some do not employ it every year.

Continent	Country	Beginning and ending days
Europe	European Union and rest of Europe (except Iceland)	Start: 02:00 last Sunday in March End: 02:00 last Sunday in October
	Russia	Start: 02:00 last Sunday in March End: 02:00 last Sunday in October
	Greenland (regional; changes annually)	Start: 22:00 mid to late March End: 22:00 last Saturday in October or first Sunday in November (depending on location)
North & Central America	United States (except Arizona and Hawaii), Canada, Bahamas, Bermuda, St-Pierre, Miquelon, Turks and Caicos	Start: 02:00 second Sunday in March End: 02:00 first Sunday in November
	Mexico (except Sonora)	Start: 02:00 first Sunday in April End: 02:00 last Sunday in October
	Cuba (subject to change)	Start: 00:00 mid to late March End: 01:00 end of October
South America	Brazil (some states): Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Parana, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Goias, Matto Grosso, Matto Grosso do Sul, Distrito Federal	Start: 00:00 on third Sunday in October End: 00:00 on third Sunday in February
	Chile	Start: 00:00 between August and October End: 00:00 between March and May
	Falkland Islands	Start: 02:00 first Sunday in September End: 02:00 third Sunday in April
	Paraguay	Start: 00:00 third Sunday in October End: 00:00 second Sunday in March
	Uruguay	Start: 00:00 third Sunday in October End: 00:00 second Sunday in March
Africa
	Namibia	Start: 02:00 first Sunday in September End: 02:00 first Sunday in April
	Tunisia	Changes annually; DST may not be observed
Asia
	Israel (changes annually)	End: September or October Start: March or April
	Lebanon	Start: Last Sunday in March End: Last Sunday in October
	Syria (may change annually)	Start: First Friday in April End: Last Thursday in October
Australasia	Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria, Lord Howe Island	Start: 03:00 first Sunday in October End: 03:00 first Sunday in April
Australasia	New Zealand, Chatham Island	Start: 03:00 last Sunday in September End: 03:00 first Sunday in April

Related Information

For general information on the history of Daylight Saving Time see website WebExhibits.org
For information on Daylight Saving Time around the world, see Time and Date.com