Asia · Southern Asia · Sovereign state
Current time in Bhutan
A single time zone at UTC+06:00.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
About Bhutan's time
A single time zone.
Bhutan uses a single time zone, UTC+06:00, centered on its capital Thimphu. The country does not observe daylight saving time.
Major cities
Cities of Bhutan.
History
How Bhutan keeps time.
Bhutan adopted its standard time at UTC+06:00 (based on 90°E) to align with its geographic location and maintain consistency with neighboring India, which uses UTC+05:30, and China, which spans multiple zones but unifies under UTC+08:00. This offset was formalized in the mid-20th century as Bhutan modernized its infrastructure and administration. The country has not made significant changes to its timekeeping since then, and no daylight saving time has ever been implemented due to its relatively stable daylight patterns near the Tropic of Cancer.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Bhutan's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- What is the time difference between Bhutan and India?
- Bhutan is 30 minutes ahead of India. Since Bhutan uses UTC+06:00 and India uses UTC+05:30, when it is 10:00 in New Delhi, it is 10:30 in Thimphu.
- Does Bhutan observe daylight saving time?
- No, Bhutan has never observed daylight saving time. Its time remains UTC+06:00 year-round.
- Why does Bhutan use UTC+06:00 instead of UTC+05:30 like India?
- Although Bhutan is geographically closer to India's meridian (82.5°E), it chose UTC+06:00 (90°E) likely for administrative simplicity and to distinguish its national time from India’s, despite the slight solar misalignment.
- Is there more than one time zone in Bhutan?
- No. Bhutan uses a single time zone—UTC+06:00—across the entire country.
- How does Bhutan’s time compare to neighboring countries?
- Bhutan is 30 minutes ahead of India (UTC+05:30), 2 hours behind China (UTC+08:00), and 1 hour ahead of Bangladesh (UTC+06:30).
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