Oceania · Polynesia · Dependency
Current time in Tokelau
A single time zone at UTC+13:00.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
About Tokelau's time
A single time zone.
Tokelau uses a single time zone, UTC+13:00, and does not observe daylight saving time. This places it among the first places on Earth to welcome each new day.
Major cities
Cities of Tokelau.
History
How Tokelau keeps time.
Tokelau's timekeeping has been shaped by its geographic position just west of the International Date Line and its political ties to New Zealand. Historically, Tokelau used UTC−11:00, aligning it with American Samoa and placing it on the eastern side of the date line. In 2011, Tokelau made a dramatic shift by moving its time zone to UTC+13:00, effectively skipping an entire day—December 30, 2011, was omitted from the calendar. This change aligned Tokelau with New Zealand (and its daylight saving time) and brought it to the same calendar day as its major economic and administrative partner. The shift was motivated by practical considerations: trade, communication, and governance were complicated by being a day behind New Zealand. The change also aligned Tokelau with Samoa, which made the same jump on the same date.
Did you know?
Things about Tokelau's time.
Tokelau is one of the first inhabited territories to experience each new day, sharing the UTC+13:00 zone with New Zealand during standard time and with Tonga year-round. Its 2011 date-line jump is one of the most dramatic timezone changes in modern history—residents went to sleep on December 29 and woke up on December 31, with December 30 erased from existence locally. Despite its small size and population of around 1,500 people, Tokelau's timezone decision had significant economic and social implications, simplifying interactions with New Zealand, which administers the territory. The country's three atolls—Atafu, Nukunonu, and Fakaofo—all share the same time, with no internal variation.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Tokelau's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- What time zone is Tokelau in?
- Tokelau uses UTC+13:00 year-round, with no daylight saving time adjustments.
- Did Tokelau skip a day?
- Yes, on December 30, 2011, Tokelau jumped from UTC−11:00 to UTC+13:00, skipping an entire calendar day to align with New Zealand's time zone.
- Is Tokelau the first place to see the new year?
- Tokelau is among the first inhabited places to enter the new year, along with New Zealand (during daylight saving time) and Tonga.
- Does Tokelau observe daylight saving time?
- No, Tokelau does not observe daylight saving time. It remains on UTC+13:00 throughout the year.
- Why did Tokelau change its time zone?
- The change in 2011 was made to align Tokelau with New Zealand, its administering country, simplifying trade, communication, and governance by being on the same calendar day.
- How many time zones does Tokelau have?
- Tokelau has only one time zone, UTC+13:00, shared across all three of its atolls.
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