Asia · Eastern Asia · Sovereign state
Current time in Taiwan
A single time zone at UTC+08:00.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
About Taiwan's time
A single time zone.
Taiwan operates on a single timezone, National Standard Time (UTC+08:00), observed across the entire island. Daylight saving time hasn't been regularly observed since 1979.
Major cities
Cities of Taiwan.
History
How Taiwan keeps time.
Taiwan first adopted time standardization during the Japanese colonial period (1895‑1945), when the island used Japan's Central Standard Time at UTC+9:00. After World War II, as the Republic of China administration took control, the offset was adjusted to UTC+8:00 in 1945 to better align with mainland China's time system.
Over the years, Taiwan has occasionally experimented with daylight saving time, most notably implementing it between 1960‑1961 and later briefly in 1975‑1979. However, since 1979, the island has permanently discontinued DST, maintaining consistent UTC+08:00 year‑round. Economic coordination with neighboring regions influenced some adjustments, but UTC+08:00 has remained stable since the early 2000s.
Did you know?
Things about Taiwan's time.
- **Geographic misalignment**: Taiwan's location results in solar noon occurring slightly earlier than clock noon. Solar noon typically falls around 11:40–11:45 in Taipei, due to the single UTC+08:00 zone covering a narrow east‑west island. - **No DST**: Since abandoning DST in 1979, clocks change only due to international coordination with neighboring regions, but UTC+08:00 remains fixed. - **East Asian coordination**: Mainland China also uses UTC+08:00, facilitating business and travel alignment despite political separation.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Taiwan'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 Taiwan?
- It is always UTC+08:00 in Taiwan. You can check the exact time using a reliable time conversion tool—no need to adjust for DST.
- Does Taiwan observe daylight saving time?
- No. Taiwan discontinued DST permanently in 1979. Clocks only change in rare historical situations but remain UTC+08:00 year‑round.
- How does Taiwan’s time compare to nearby countries?
- Taiwan shares UTC+08:00 with mainland China and the Philippines, making coordination across these regions seamless without time adjustments.
- Is there a significant time difference with Japan?
- Japan uses UTC+09:00 and maintains DST historically discontinued, so Taiwan is typically 1 hour behind Japan.
- What should travelers keep in mind about time in Taiwan?
- Just note that Taiwan uses a single timezone without DST, so your schedule stays consistent—no need to adjust watches!
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