Americas · Caribbean · Sovereign state
Current time in Cuba
A single time zone at UTC-04:00. Currently observing daylight saving time.
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
About Cuba's time
A single time zone.
Cuba operates on a single timezone that shifts between standard time and daylight saving time throughout the year, keeping the island united under one clock.
Next clock change
2026 Sunday · clocks fall back
Clocks fall back by one hour · in 2 weeks.
Daylight saving schedule
Major cities
Cities of Cuba.
History
How Cuba keeps time.
Cuba has maintained a relatively straightforward timezone history compared to many countries. Before standardization, local communities followed solar time based on their geographic position. In the early 20th century, Cuba adopted a unified national timezone aligned with UTC-5 (Eastern Standard Time in North America). The country went through various changes in daylight saving policies over the decades, occasionally suspending DST during periods of political or economic change, including after the revolution in 1959. In recent decades, Cuba has generally followed a pattern of observing DST from spring to fall, with occasional adjustments. Notably, Cuba stayed on daylight saving time year-round from spring 2004 to October 2006. For many years DST transitions were announced late and inconsistently, causing significant confusion. In 2013, Cuba finally began following a regular DST schedule; DST now typically starts on the second Sunday in March (clocks move forward to UTC-4) and ends on the first Sunday in November (clocks move back to UTC-5), roughly aligning with the United States and Canada.
Did you know?
Things about Cuba's time.
Cuba’s single timezone covers the entire archipelago, making it simple for logistics on the island but putting Havana's clocks about 30 minutes ahead of solar time in winter and about 90 minutes ahead during DST—so sunrise and sunset come late by the clock. A particularly notable quirk was the erratic scheduling of DST in the 2000s, where the government sometimes made last-minute announcements of when clocks would change, disrupting travel and business coordination with the United States, whose own schedule (since 2007) follows more precise rules. Since 2013 Cuba has changed its clocks on the same dates as the United States, so apart from an hour or two on changeover nights it matches U.S. Eastern Time all year.
Convert
Cuba to the world's clocks.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Cuba's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- What timezone does Cuba use throughout the year?
- Cuba uses Cuba Standard Time (UTC-5) and, during daylight saving time, Cuba Daylight Time (UTC-4).
- Does Cuba observe daylight saving time?
- Yes, Cuba does observe daylight saving time. DST is in effect for part of the year, during which clocks move forward one hour and the offset becomes UTC-4. Outside of DST, the offset returns to UTC-5.
- How is time written in Cuba? “AM/PM” or 24-hour format?
- Cuba commonly uses the 24-hour time system, especially in official schedules, public transport timetables, and media. Some informal usage of AM/PM may occur in casual conversation, particularly among people in contact with the United States, but 24-hour time is the norm.
- How does Cuba’s time compare to the U.S. East Coast?
- Cuba is on the same clock time as the U.S. East Coast (New York, Miami, Washington, D.C.) all year: both use UTC-5 in winter and UTC-4 in summer, and since 2013 both have changed clocks on the same dates (second Sunday in March, first Sunday in November), though Cuba switches around midnight, an hour or two before the U.S. does.
- Can I expect confusion when scheduling calls to or from Havana?
- It’s possible, especially if you assume Cuba follows the U.S. schedule exactly. Although it generally aligns with U.S. DST, there have historically been last-minute changes or mismatches. When planning business calls or travel, confirm the current offset rather than relying on a fixed difference.
- Are there ever multiple time zones in Cuba?
- No. The whole country, including smaller islands and the main island, uses a single timezone. You won’t encounter different clocks from one province to another within Cuba.
- How does late clock time affect daily life in Havana?
- Because clock time is ahead of solar time—especially during DST—sunrise and sunset feel late by the clock. Evenings can feel extended in terms of daylight, while mornings may feel darker when people wake up, similar to other regions that rely heavily on DST.
Source: IANA tzdb2026d · Reviewed
Free · Developer API
This country, as JSON.
Its default time zone, zone and city counts and DST summary, from one endpoint.
Also in the API: time zones by coordinates, conversions that flag daylight saving gaps, and abbreviations decoded.
Moving off WorldTimeAPI? Our drop-in replacement needs no key.