Americas · Central America · Sovereign state
Current time in Guatemala
A single time zone at UTC-06:00.
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
About Guatemala's time
A single time zone.
Guatemala operates on a single time zone, Central Standard Time (UTC-6), year-round with no daylight saving time changes — keeping things simple for a country of its size.
Major cities
Cities of Guatemala.
History
How Guatemala keeps time.
Guatemala adopted Central Standard Time (UTC-6) on October 5, 1918, replacing local mean time. Prior to this, local mean time varied by longitude, but as rail and telegraph networks expanded, a unified national time became necessary. Guatemala observed daylight saving time (UTC-5) during four short periods, in 1973–74, 1983, 1991 and 2006, and has stayed on UTC-6 year-round since October 2006.
Did you know?
Things about Guatemala's time.
Guatemala sits geographically in the UTC-6 band, so its clocks happen to align fairly well with solar noon — unlike some of its Central American neighbors, such as Honduras or El Salvador, which are positioned slightly east of their meridians. This means sunrise and sunset times follow a predictable rhythm that fits naturally with local agricultural and social customs. Guatemala's single time zone with no DST makes scheduling across the entire country straightforward, which is especially useful given its compact east-west span.
Convert
Guatemala to the world's clocks.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Guatemala's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Does Guatemala observe daylight saving time?
- No. Guatemala uses Central Standard Time (UTC-6) year-round with no seasonal clock changes.
- What time zone is Guatemala in?
- Guatemala uses Central Standard Time (CST), which is UTC-6.
- How many time zones does Guatemala have?
- Just one. The entire country operates on the same time.
- What time is it in Guatemala relative to the US?
- Guatemala matches US Central Time in winter (both UTC-6). During US daylight saving time, when Chicago moves to UTC-5, Guatemala is one hour behind: when it's 3 PM in Chicago, it's 2 PM in Guatemala City.
- Is Guatemala on the same time as its Central American neighbors?
- Yes, Guatemala shares Central Standard Time (UTC-6) with Honduras, El Salvador, Belize, and Nicaragua.
Source: IANA tzdb2026d · Reviewed
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