Oceania · Polynesia · Sovereign state
Current time in Samoa
A single time zone at UTC+13:00.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
About Samoa's time
A single time zone.
Samoa uses a single timezone, UTC+13:00, and does not observe daylight saving time. Notably, it once skipped an entire day in 2011 when it moved across the International Date Line.
Major cities
Cities of Samoa.
History
How Samoa keeps time.
Samoa underwent a dramatic timezone change on December 29, 2011, when it shifted from UTC-11:00 to UTC+13:00, effectively skipping Friday, December 30, 2011. This change meant that Samoa went directly from Thursday, December 29 (in UTC-11) to Saturday, December 31 (in UTC+13), losing a calendar day in the process.
The primary motivation behind this shift was economic and social alignment with Australia, New Zealand, and other key trading partners and family connections in the Asia-Pacific region. Previously, Samoa’s timezone placed it on the opposite side of the International Date Line from these nations, complicating business and communication.
The decision was reversed in principle its earlier history: Samoa had originally been west of the date line after colonial agreements in the 19th century. The 2011 move essentially returned it to a position east of the dateline, aligning with its modern geographic and economic realities.
Did you know?
Things about Samoa's time.
Samoa’s 2011 timezone jump is one of the most dramatic examples of a country changing time zones for practical reasons—losing an entire day to better sync with regional partners.
Today, Samoa is permanently in UTC+13:00, making it one of the first places on earth to enter a new year. Its neighbor American Samoa remains in UTC-11:00, creating a 24-hour time difference between two places only about 100 km apart—a unique anomaly in the world.
Samoa does not observe daylight saving time, so its UTC+13:00 offset is constant year-round, providing consistency for travel and business planning.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Samoa's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Did Samoa really skip a day?
- Yes. On December 29, 2011, Samoa moved from UTC-11:00 to UTC+13:00, skipping December 30, 2011 entirely. It went straight to December 31.
- Why did Samoa change its timezone?
- To better align its working days with major trading partners like Australia and New Zealand, and to be on the same calendar day as relatives in other Pacific nations.
- Does Samoa observe daylight saving time?
- No. Samoa stays on UTC+13:00 year-round.
- What’s the time difference between Samoa and American Samoa?
- 24 hours. Samoa is UTC+13:00 and American Samoa is UTC-11:00, so they are exactly one day apart despite being close geographically.
- Is Samoa one of the first places to enter a new year?
- Yes. Being in UTC+13:00 and not observing DST, Samoa is among the earliest locations to welcome January 1st each year.
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