Asia · Western Asia · Sovereign state
Current time in United Arab Emirates
A single time zone at UTC+04:00.
Thursday, October 15, 2026
About United Arab Emirates's time
A single time zone.
The United Arab Emirates uses a single, straightforward time zone — UTC+04:00, known as Gulf Standard Time — with no daylight saving time changes throughout the year.
Major cities
Cities of United Arab Emirates.
History
How United Arab Emirates keeps time.
The time zone database records the area that is now the UAE switching from local mean time to UTC+04:00 in 1920, decades before the country was formed in 1971.
The country uses Gulf Standard Time (UTC+04:00), the same as neighboring Oman; Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait are an hour behind on UTC+03:00.
The offset has not changed since 1920, and the UAE has never observed daylight saving time.
Did you know?
Things about United Arab Emirates's time.
All seven emirates — from Abu Dhabi to Ras Al Khaimah — operate on the same UTC+04:00 time. This simplifies logistics and daily life without the complications of internal time boundaries.
Because the UAE lies west of 60°E, the meridian UTC+04:00 is based on, solar noon usually comes after 12:00 on the clock: roughly 12:03 to 12:33 in Dubai, depending on the time of year.
At about 24–26°N, day length in the UAE varies by only about three hours between December and June, which leaves little to gain from daylight saving time.
Convert
United Arab Emirates to the world's clocks.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about United Arab Emirates's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- What is the standard time zone in the UAE?
- The entire United Arab Emirates operates on Gulf Standard Time, which is UTC+04:00 (abbreviated GST).
- Does the UAE observe daylight saving time?
- No, the UAE maintains UTC+04:00 year-round with no daylight saving time changes.
- Is the time the same across all emirates?
- Yes, all seven emirates — Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah — are on the same time, UTC+04:00.
- What UTC offset should I use from Dubai?
- Dubai is on Gulf Standard Time, which is always UTC+04:00.
- Does the UAE have multiple time zones?
- No, the UAE has a single time zone: Gulf Standard Time (UTC+04:00).
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.
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