Americas · North America · Sovereign state
Current time in Mexico
Spans 6 time zones from UTC-07:00 to UTC-05:00, a 2-hour difference. 4 of 11 zones currently in DST.
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
About Mexico's time
6 time zones.
Mexico spans four standard time zones, from UTC-05:00 in Quintana Roo to UTC-08:00 in Baja California — and since a 2022 reform, most of the country no longer observes daylight saving time.
Next clock change
2026 Sunday · clocks fall back
Clocks fall back by one hour · in 2 weeks.
Affects 4 of 11 zones.
Daylight saving schedule
By time zone
Time zones of Mexico.
6 time zones
Remote territories & research stations
Major cities
Cities of Mexico.
History
How Mexico keeps time.
Mexico adopted standard time on 1 January 1922, initially putting central Mexico on UTC-07:00; the capital moved to UTC-06:00 in 1927 and, after a brief return to UTC-07:00, settled on UTC-06:00 in 1932. For decades, the country broadly followed a system that reflected its geographic span across western, central, and southeastern regions.
A major shift came in 1996, when Mexico adopted daylight saving time nationwide; most of the country kept it every summer until 2022.
The most dramatic recent change was in 2022, when Mexico abolished nationwide daylight saving time for most of the country. Only municipalities along the U.S. border continued observing it to match U.S. border time, starting and ending clocks shifts in sync with their American neighbors. As a result, only areas near the U.S. — like Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez, and Mexicali — spring forward and fall back.
Did you know?
Things about Mexico's time.
Mexico's time zones tell a story of national unity meeting borders that won't budge. Most of the country lives on UTC-06:00 and stays there year-round — no clock changes, no daylight saving rituals.
But step into Cancún, and you're on UTC-05:00 year-round (Eastern Standard Time). That matches the eastern U.S. in winter, but Cancún is an hour behind New York while the U.S. is on daylight saving time. Head up to Tijuana, and suddenly you're back in the daylight saving cycle again — matching whatever Los Angeles is doing each spring and fall.
Baja California uses Pacific Time (UTC-08:00, or UTC-07:00 in summer) to stay aligned with San Diego and Los Angeles. And since the 2022 reform, only border municipalities observe DST — meaning most Mexicans never touch their clocks.
Convert
Mexico to the world's clocks.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Mexico's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Does Mexico observe daylight saving time?
- Most of Mexico does not — since October 2022, daylight saving time was abolished nationwide. Only municipalities within about 20 km of the U.S. border continue to observe it, syncing with their American neighbors when clocks spring forward and fall back.
- What time zone is Cancún in?
- Cancún is in the Zona Sureste (Southeastern Zone) at UTC-05:00 and does not observe daylight saving time. This means Cancún stays on Eastern Standard Time year-round, making it convenient for visitors from the eastern U.S.
- Why doesn't most of Mexico change clocks anymore?
- In October 2022, Mexico passed a new law that ended daylight saving time for the vast majority of the country because of its health effects and limited energy savings. Only border towns that coordinate with U.S. cities continue adjusting clocks, creating an uneven time-keeping patchwork along the frontier.
- Is there any part of Mexico that doesn't observe daylight saving time?
- Yes — the vast majority of Mexico doesn't observe daylight saving time anymore. Since the 2022 reform, only border municipalities observe DST; the rest of the country stays on permanent standard time year-round.
- What about Tijuana and other border cities?
- Border cities like Tijuana stay in sync with their U.S. counterparts and continue to observe daylight saving time. When California springs forward, so do these Mexican border municipalities, but only in border-adjacent areas.
- Does Mexico City change for daylight saving?
- No. Mexico City stays on UTC-06:00 year-round. Since the 2022 reform, central Mexico no longer observes daylight saving time — a welcome change after decades of springing forward and falling back with the seasons.
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.
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