Europe · Southeast Europe · Sovereign state
Current time in Albania
A single time zone at UTC+02:00. Currently observing daylight saving time.
Thursday, October 15, 2026
About Albania's time
A single time zone.
Albania keeps things simple with a single time zone and follows Central European time, switching between UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 in summer when daylight saving kicks in.
Next clock change
2026 Sunday · clocks fall back
Clocks fall back by one hour · next week.
Daylight saving schedule
Major cities
Cities of Albania.
History
How Albania keeps time.
Albania adopted standard time in 1914, aligning with Central European Time (CET, UTC+1) during World War I under Austro-Hungarian influence, as the occupying forces imposed their timekeeping standards across the region. After periods of political upheaval and shifting alliances through the 20th century—including Italian and German occupations during World War II—Albania broadly maintained CET as its standard time.
Albania observed daylight saving time during World War II (1940–1943) and then not again until 1974. It has changed clocks every year since 1974, and since 1984 it has followed the European schedule, now moving clocks forward on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October.
Did you know?
Things about Albania's time.
At about 19–21°E, Albania lies east of the 15°E meridian that Central European Time is based on, so the sun rises and sets earlier by the clock than in most CET countries. In December the sun rises around 7:00 AM and sets around 4:10 PM. Neighboring Greece, at similar longitudes but on UTC+2, sees sunrise and sunset an hour later by the clock.
Albania’s full adoption of EU-style daylight saving time—even though it’s not yet an EU member—shows its practical alignment with European schedules for trade, travel, and communication. There are no internal time zone exceptions; from the coastal areas near Greece to the mountainous northeast, the whole country runs on the same time.
Convert
Albania to the world's clocks.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Albania's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Does Albania observe daylight saving time?
- Yes. Albania observes daylight saving time each year from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, switching from CET (UTC+1) to CEST (UTC+2).
- What is the time difference between Albania and New York?
- Albania is 6 hours ahead of New York for most of the year, since both switch to daylight saving time. The gap drops to 5 hours for two to three weeks in March and for one week around the end of October, because the US and Europe change their clocks on different dates.
- Is Albania on the same time as Greece?
- No. Albania uses Central European Time (UTC+1/+2), while Greece uses Eastern European Time (UTC+2/+3), so Greece is always 1 hour ahead of Albania. Both change their clocks on the same dates.
- What time zone does Albania use?
- Albania uses Central European Time (CET, UTC+1) in winter and Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+2) in summer.
- When do clocks change in Albania?
- Clocks go forward one hour at 2:00 AM on the last Sunday in March and fall back at 3:00 AM on the last Sunday in October.
- Are there multiple time zones in Albania?
- No. Despite regional differences in longitude and climate, Albania uses a single time zone nationwide.
- Why does Albania use CET instead of EET?
- Albania has used Central European Time since it first adopted standard time in 1914. Its northern and eastern neighbors (Montenegro, Kosovo and North Macedonia) also use CET; only Greece, to the south, is on Eastern European Time.
Source: IANA tzdb2026d · Reviewed
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This country, as JSON.
Its default time zone, zone and city counts and DST summary, from one endpoint.
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