Americas · Central America · Sovereign state
Current time in Nicaragua
A single time zone at UTC-06:00.
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
About Nicaragua's time
A single time zone.
Nicaragua uses a single time zone, Central Standard Time (UTC−6), all year round. There’s no Daylight Saving Time, so clocks stay consistent throughout the year.
Major cities
Cities of Nicaragua.
History
How Nicaragua keeps time.
Nicaragua gradually aligned itself with Central Standard Time in the 20th century for regional and economic consistency with neighboring countries.
In 1934, the country moved from Managua Mean Time (UTC−05:45) to UTC−6 as its official time. This shift was part of broader efforts to standardize communications, transportation, and trade across Central America.
Nicaragua switched to UTC−5 in 1973–75, 1992 and 1993–96, and used daylight saving time in 1979–80 and 2005–06. It has stayed on UTC−6 year‑round since October 2006.
Did you know?
Things about Nicaragua's time.
Nicaragua’s single, fixed time zone keeps things simple: the whole country is always on UTC−6, with no clock changes.
Managua (86°W) sits east of the UTC−6 reference meridian (90°W), so the sun reaches its highest point around 11:45 by the clock, and sunrise and sunset come slightly early.
On the Caribbean coast, farther east, sunrise comes earlier still by the clock, but there’s no separate time zone; the entire country follows Managua’s time.
Nicaragua shares its time zone with neighboring Central American countries like Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Belize, simplifying cross‑border travel and communication.
Convert
Nicaragua to the world's clocks.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Nicaragua's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- What time zone does Nicaragua use?
- Nicaragua uses Central Standard Time (CST), which is UTC−6, all year round. There’s no Daylight Saving Time.
- Does Nicaragua observe Daylight Saving Time?
- No. Nicaragua does not observe Daylight Saving Time; clocks stay on UTC−6 throughout the year.
- Is the time the same across all of Nicaragua?
- Yes. The entire country uses Central Standard Time (UTC−6) with no internal time differences.
- How does Nicaragua’s time compare to the US?
- Nicaragua is on Central Standard Time (UTC−6), which matches US Central Standard Time in winter. When the US Central states move to CDT (UTC−5) in summer, they are one hour ahead of Nicaragua.
- What is the best time to call Nicaragua from Europe?
- Nicaragua has no daylight saving time, so it is 7 hours behind Central European Time (CET) in winter and 8 hours behind in summer (CEST). For a call at 07:00 in Nicaragua, dial from Paris or Berlin at 14:00 in winter or 15:00 in summer.
- Do Nicaragua and Costa Rica share the same time zone?
- Yes. Both countries use Central Standard Time (UTC−6) all year, so their clocks always show the same time.
Source: IANA tzdb2026d · Reviewed
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