Africa · Northern Africa · Sovereign state
Current time in Algeria
A single time zone at UTC+01:00.
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
About Algeria's time
A single time zone.
Algeria observes a single timezone year-round at UTC+01:00 (Central European Time) with no daylight saving time changes, giving the country consistent clocks all year.
Major cities
Cities of Algeria.
History
How Algeria keeps time.
After gaining independence from France on July 5, 1962, Algeria briefly kept Central European Time (UTC+1), which it had used since 1956, but switched to UTC+0 in April 1963.
In the 1970s Algeria switched back and forth: it observed summer time in 1971 and 1977, moved to UTC+1 in October 1977 (with summer time at UTC+2 in 1978), returned to UTC+0 in October 1979 with summer time in 1980, and settled on UTC+1 in May 1981.
Since May 1981, Algeria has kept Central European Time (UTC+1) year-round without daylight saving time. That matches Tunisia and several West and Central African countries on UTC+1, and puts Algeria one hour ahead of Morocco, which uses UTC+0.
Did you know?
Things about Algeria's time.
Algeria's UTC+1 offset means the country's clocks run about one hour ahead of what might be expected based purely on the geographic spread of the Sahara over most of the country's territory. The vast majority of Algeria's population lives along the Mediterranean coast, where the UTC+1 alignment with neighboring Tunisia and the former colonial metropole (France) facilitates business, trade, and communication links across the Mediterranean.
The absence of daylight saving time is notable. Algeria has not used daylight saving time since 1980. This means traveling to France or Central Europe for part of the year involves a time difference during DST months (when those zones spring forward) that doesn't exist in others.
Algeria is the largest African country, yet its population is heavily concentrated in the Tell coastal region, falling roughly within 5° of longitude of Algiers (about 3°E to 8°E). Even Algeria's easternmost areas, near 12°E, are only about 48 minutes ahead of UTC by the sun, so the whole country keeps its clocks ahead of solar time.
Convert
Algeria to the world's clocks.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Algeria's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Does Algeria ever observe daylight saving time?
- No, Algeria has not observed DST since 1980. The country stays on Central European Time (UTC+1) year-round. Algeria matches France in winter, and is one hour behind it while France is on summer time.
- What time zone does Algiers use?
- Algiers keeps year-round Central European Time (UTC+1), so it's always 1 hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time and matches wintertime Paris/Berlin.
- How does Algeria time compare with Morocco?
- Algeria (UTC+1) is always one hour ahead of Morocco, which has kept UTC+0 all year since September 2026.
- How does Algeria's time compare with Tunisia and France?
- Algeria is always on the same time as Tunisia: both use UTC+1 all year. It matches standard (wintertime) France but is one hour behind during France’s DST period from late March through late October.
- Is it easy to plan a call between Algeria and sub-Saharan Africa?
- It's straightforward—Algeria sits at UTC+1. Countries like Ghana or Senegal are UTC+0 (one hour behind), Nigeria, Niger and western DR Congo (Kinshasa) share UTC+1, southern Africa is UTC+2, and East Africa is UTC+3.
- Was Algeria ever on a different timezone during French colonial rule?
- Yes. Like France, Algeria used Paris Mean Time until 1911, then UTC+0 (with summer time in some years), and moved to UTC+1 in 1940. But in 1946 it returned to UTC+0 while France kept UTC+1. It moved to UTC+1 in 1956, returned to UTC+0 in 1963, switched between the two in the late 1970s and has used UTC+1 year-round since May 1981.
- What does Algeria time mean for remote workers and businesses?
- UTC+1 works naturally with much of Western/Central Europe during European winter months. During European DST (approx. late March–late October), Algeria is an hour "behind" Central European time, which can slightly compress overlap but still allows several overlapping working hours for most sectors.
Source: IANA tzdb2026d · Reviewed
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