Time zone · Africa
CET
Central European Standard Time
Central European Time (CET) is the beat behind most of Western Europe—from Berlin to Algiers—synchronizing the workday and the siesta alike. Across its 35 member zones, daylight saving nudges most clocks forward in spring, yet a couple like Algeria and Tunisia keep their hours steady year-round.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
Current offset
UTC+01:00
Standard · CET
Daylight saving
Not observed
Year-round standard time
IANA zones
2
None observe daylight saving
DST offset
—
No summer variant
About CET
A fixed, year-round offset.
Central European Time (CET) is the beat behind most of Western Europe—from Berlin to Algiers—synchronizing the workday and the siesta alike. Across its 35 member zones, daylight saving nudges most clocks forward in spring, yet a couple like Algeria and Tunisia keep their hours steady year-round.
IANA zones · the technical identifiers
The 2 zones that resolve to CET.
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 CET
The same hour, city by city.
2 cities · all UTC+01:00
Where CET is used
2 countries.
Same offset · UTC+01:00
Other zones at UTC+01:00 right now.
These named zones share CET's offset today. When daylight saving rules differ, they drift apart for part of the year.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about CET, daylight saving, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Why do most CET zones spring forward in March?
- To capture extra evening light, aligned with EU-wide daylight saving tradition—only a few North African outliers skip the shift.
- Is Algiers really representative of all CET?
- It anchors the standard offset, but the region spans from Arctic Longyearbyen to African coasts, so local noon can feel worlds apart.
- How many minutes of daylight does DST actually add?
- That depends on latitude—but the calendar flips uniformly, even if Stockholm gains more sunshine than Madrid.
- Can two CET cities disagree on the hour?
- Absolutely: during DST, Berlin hits UTC+02:00 while Algiers stays UTC+01:00—so lunchtime arrives at different moments.
- What happens if CET cancels daylight saving?
- A permanent UTC+00:00 or UTC+01:00 would reshape schedules across Europe, forcing trade-offs between morning light and evening energy.
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 →