Time zone · Asia
AST
Arabian Standard Time
Arabian Standard Time (AST, UTC+03:00) is the everyday clock across six Gulf and Arabian Peninsula countries—Yemen, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia—with no daylight saving changes to track. That makes AST one of the most steady timekeeping anchors in the region, whether you’re scheduling a call to Riyadh, Doha, Aden, or Kuwait City.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
Current offset
UTC+03:00
Standard · +03
Daylight saving
Not observed
Year-round standard time
IANA zones
6
None observe daylight saving
DST offset
—
No summer variant
About AST
A fixed, year-round offset.
Arabian Standard Time (AST, UTC+03:00) is the everyday clock across six Gulf and Arabian Peninsula countries—Yemen, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia—with no daylight saving changes to track. That makes AST one of the most steady timekeeping anchors in the region, whether you’re scheduling a call to Riyadh, Doha, Aden, or Kuwait City.
IANA zones · the technical identifiers
The 6 zones that resolve to AST.
For software, always store the IANA identifier — never the abbreviation alone. The database keeps these zones distinct because their rules can, and historically did, diverge.
Cities currently on AST
The same hour, city by city.
6 cities · all UTC+03:00
Where AST is used
6 countries.
Same offset · UTC+03:00
Other zones at UTC+03:00 right now.
These named zones share AST's offset today. When daylight saving rules differ, they drift apart for part of the year.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about AST, daylight saving, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Which countries follow Arabian Standard Time?
- Six countries follow Arabia Standard Time without daylight saving: Yemen, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
- Does AST have daylight saving time?
- No. AST never moves for daylight saving. The offset stays the same all year, which can simplify cross-Gulf schedules.
- Why do so many Gulf countries share this time zone?
- They sit near similar longitudes and benefit from consistent clocks across borders for trade, logistics, media schedules, and telecommunication.
- Is AST the same as Gulf Standard Time in other tools?
- AST and Gulf Standard Time often refer to the same UTC+03:00 belt. Some labels use “Gulf Standard Time” as a more marketing-friendly term, but in practice they map to the same Arabia Standard Time regions.
- How does AST compare to major European time zones?
- AST is usually two hours ahead of London (outside of British Summer Time) and one hour ahead of Central European Time. That makes late morning in Europe and early afternoon in many AST cities align well, while late afternoon in AST rolls over into middle of the day in the US.
- How many IANA time zones are in AST?
- There are six IANA zones grouped under AST today: Asia/Aden, Asia/Baghdad, Asia/Bahrain, Asia/Kuwait, Asia/Qatar, and Asia/Riyadh.
- Is the time in Riyadh, Doha, and Dubai always the same?
- Riyadh and Doha both use AST (UTC+03:00). Dubai is in the UAE, there the official IANA zone is Asia/Dubai, also at UTC+03:00 but a 'different' named zone. (The time is synchronous but the label differs.)
- What’s a practical rule of thumb for global teams working with AST?
- Treat AST as a fixed UTC+03:00 anchor. That means you can set your world clock or meeting tool once without worrying about midyear shifts, making sprint planning, support rotations, and broadcast times easier to coordinate with Gulf partners.
Free · Developer API
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