Africa · Eastern Africa · Sovereign state
Current time in Tanzania
A single time zone at UTC+03:00.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
About Tanzania's time
A single time zone.
Tanzania keeps things simple with a single timezone: East Africa Time (UTC+3). No daylight saving time means the clocks never change, wherever you are in the country.
Major cities
Cities of Tanzania.
History
How Tanzania keeps time.
Tanzania follows East Africa Time (EAT, UTC+03:00), a timezone shared by several countries in the region, including Kenya and Uganda. The country has maintained consistent use of UTC+03:00 through various name changes—from Tanganyika Territory (1919–1961) through independence to present-day Tanzania—without significant deviations. Unlike some regions where political border changes prompted timezone reorganization, Tanzania's portion of EAT has been remarkably stable since standardization across British East Africa in the early-to-mid 20th century.
Did you know?
Things about Tanzania's time.
### Includes Zanzibar and Remote Regions
Tanzania's single timezone covers not only the mainland but also the semi-autonomous Zanzibar Archipelago and the far-flung western regions near Lake Victoria. Despite a significant east-west distance, all official and regional clocks align at UTC+03:00.
### Consistent with Neighbors
East African unity is reflected in time: Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia (plus Eritrea and Somalia) all use the same UTC+03:00 zone. This simplifies cross-border trade, travel, and communications—there’s no need to adjust clocks when crossing most regional borders.
### Late Sunrise and Sunset
Dar es Salaam sits at approximately 6.8°S, 39.3°E. Solar noon there is typically around 11:30 AM UTC (2:30 PM EAT), meaning sunrise and sunset times feel similar to coastal East locals. Western areas near the border with Rwanda and Burundi (around 38°E) experience solar noon closer to 1:00 PM local clock time, pushing the natural cycle later relative to wall time.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Tanzania's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Do I need to adjust my watch when flying from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam?
- No—both Nairobi and Dar es Salaam are in the same UTC+03:00 (EAT) timezone, so there’s no time change.
- Is there any daylight saving time in Tanzania?
- No, Tanzania does not observe daylight saving time. The clocks stay the same year-round.
- What timezone does Zanzibar follow?
- Zanzibar shares Tanzania’s single national timezone of UTC+03:00 (East Africa Time).
- Can I schedule calls with East Africa and the Arab region easily?
- Yes! EAT (UTC+03:00) aligns well with Gulf Standard Time countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE (UTC+04:00), making scheduling within a one-hour window straightforward.
- How does EAT compare to Europe time?
- East Africa Time (EAT) is ahead by 2 hours of Central European Time (CET) in standard time or 1 hour ahead of Central European Summer Time (CEST).
- Does the whole country really follow the same time?
- Yes—Tanzania uses one timezone for the entire nation. Whether you’re on the Serengeti Plains or a Zanzibar beach resort, it’s still EAT (UTC+03:00).
- Is English the official timezone name?
- The standard designation is East Africa Time (EAT), represented by the UTC offset +03:00 rather than a shorter code like EAT.
- Why doesn’t Tanzania split into multiple time zones?
- Tanzania’s east-west expanse is modest by global standards (about 1,000 km longitude difference), so using a single zone is convenient for administration, transport, and daily life across rural and urban areas alike.
Free · Developer API
Time, as JSON.
Every IANA time zone with live offsets, DST status, and the countries and cities that use them — clean, dependable JSON. Sign up free and get an API key in seconds.
countries, cities, convert, DST transitions coming next.
Get your free API key →