Asia · Eastern Asia · Sovereign state
Current time in Taiwan
A single time zone at UTC+08:00.
Thursday, October 15, 2026
About Taiwan's time
A single time zone.
Taiwan operates on a single time zone, Taipei Standard Time (UTC+08:00), and does not observe daylight saving time.
Major cities
Cities of Taiwan.
History
How Taiwan keeps time.
Taiwan's adoption of China Standard Time (UTC+08:00) is rooted in both geography and political history. Under Japanese colonial rule (1895–1945), the island used UTC+08:00 (Japan's Western Standard Time) from 1896, and switched to Japan Standard Time (UTC+09:00) only in 1937. After Japan's defeat in World War II, when the Republic of China assumed control of Taiwan in 1945, the government reclassified the island under the Chungyuan (Central Standard Time) zone tied to UTC+08:00. This reflected the ROC’s administrative framework at the time, which divided mainland China into multiple time zones. In 1949, when the ROC government retreated to Taiwan, it continued using UTC+08:00 nationwide, simplifying timekeeping and symbolically maintaining alignment with the previous central zone. Taiwan has kept UTC+08:00 as its standard time since then; it observed daylight saving time in 1946–1961, 1974–1975 and 1979, and has not changed clocks since. Periodic discussions about energy savings or regional coordination occasionally surface, but the single time zone remains a stable fixture of daily life on the island.
Did you know?
Things about Taiwan's time.
One of the most notable aspects of Taiwan’s timekeeping is the absence of regional exceptions — from bustling Taipei to southern Kaohsiung or mountainous Alishan, every clock shows the same time. This unity simplifies scheduling for island-wide broadcasts, transportation, and national services. Taiwan last used daylight saving time in 1979 and has kept the same clock time all year since. The consistent UTC+08:00 also helps align financial markets and tech industries closely with key partners like Hong Kong, Singapore, and parts of Australia. Taiwan’s time zone choice reflects a blend of practicality and historical continuity, making it predictable and easy to navigate for both residents and international collaborators.
Convert
Taiwan to the world's clocks.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Taiwan's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Does Taiwan observe daylight saving time?
- No, Taiwan does not observe daylight saving time. Clocks stay on Taipei Standard Time (UTC+08:00) year-round.
- Is there more than one time zone in Taiwan?
- No, all of Taiwan uses one time zone: Taipei Standard Time (UTC+08:00).
- How does Taiwan’s time compare to nearby countries like Japan and China?
- Taiwan is one hour behind Japan (UTC+09:00) and the same as mainland China (UTC+08:00), despite being geographically closer to Japan.
- Were there ever multiple time zones in Taiwan?
- No, since 1945, Taiwan has used only one time zone; previously under Japanese rule, it briefly followed Tokyo time (UTC+09:00), but the shift to UTC+08:00 after WWII unified the island under a single standard.
- What time does the stock market open in Taipei?
- The Taiwan Stock Exchange opens at 9:00 AM local time (UTC+08:00).
- Do any parts of Taiwan unofficially use different times?
- No, even remote areas like Kinmen and Penghu Islands follow the official UTC+08:00; there are no unofficial regional variations.
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.