Europe · Southern Europe · Sovereign state
Current time in Portugal
A single time zone at UTC+01:00. Currently observing daylight saving time.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
About Portugal's time
A single time zone.
Portugal has three distinct time zones covering mainland Portugal, Madeira, and the Azores islands. The mainland uses Western European Time with daylight saving, while Madeira and the Azores sit slightly offset from each other as Atlantic island territories.
Next clock change
2026 Sunday · clocks fall back
Clocks fall back by one hour · in 5 months.
Daylight saving schedule
By time zone
Time zones of Portugal.
1 time zones
Remote territories & research stations
Major cities
Cities of Portugal.
History
How Portugal keeps time.
Portugal adopted Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+00:00) in 1911, shortly after the country became a republic. This was part of a broader effort to modernize and align with international standards, particularly for rail and maritime coordination.
During World War II, Portugal briefly experimented with Central European Time (UTC+01:00) from 1942 to 1945, likely influenced by its complex geopolitical position. After the war, the country reverted to GMT until adopting permanent Western European Time with daylight saving in the 1980s, aligning more closely with neighboring Spainâdespite the fact that geographically, Portugal is west of Spain and would naturally sit in a UTCâ01:00 zone.
Did you know?
Things about Portugal's time.
All three zones observe DST, shifting one hour ahead in summer (WEST to WEST+1, etc.). The Azores are notably further west than mainland Portugal, resulting in UTCâ01:00 standard time, while Madeira sits at UTC+00:00, making island-to-island travel a minor time-zone hop.
Geographically, Portugal is almost entirely west of the prime meridian (Lisbon is at ~9°W), yet it uses UTC+00:00 to UTC+01:00âmeaning solar noon occurs well after clock noon. This has practical effects: lunch and dinner times feel late by the clock, a pattern shared with neighbors like Spain.
Madeira and the Azores, being Atlantic archipelagos, have smaller populations but represent important outposts for Portuguese timekeeping in different oceanic regions.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Portugal'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 current time in Lisbon?
- Europe/Lisbon observes Western European Time (GMT+1) during standard time and Western European Summer Time (GMT+2) during daylight saving (typically late March to late October).
- How do Portugalâs island time zones differ from Lisbon?
- Madeira is GMT+0/+1 (one hour behind Lisbon), while the Azores are GMTâ1/+0 (two hours behind Lisbon). All observe daylight saving, maintaining these differences year-round.
- Does Portugal observe daylight saving time?
- Yes. Mainland Portugal, Madeira, and the Azores all shift forward one hour in spring and back in autumn, following EU guidelines.
- Why is Portugal on UTC+00:00/UTC+01:00 when itâs so far west?
- Portugal chose GMT for historical and political reasonsâalignment with maritime standards and later with neighboring Spain. Geographically itâs closer to UTCâ01:00, but time zones are shaped by policy, not just longitude.
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