Time zone · Asia
AST
Arabian Standard Time
Arabian Standard Time (AST) is UTC+03:00 all year, used in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Yemen. None of these countries observes daylight saving time; Iraq was the last to drop it, in 2007.
Thursday, October 15, 2026
Current offset
UTC+03:00
Standard · +03
Daylight saving
Not observed
Year-round standard time
IANA zones
6
None observe daylight saving
DST offset
—
No summer variant
About AST
A fixed, year-round offset.
Arabian Standard Time (AST) is UTC+03:00 all year, used in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Yemen. None of these countries observes daylight saving time; Iraq was the last to drop it, in 2007.
IANA zones · the technical identifiers
The 6 zones that resolve to AST.
For software, always store the IANA identifier — never the abbreviation alone. The database keeps these zones distinct because their rules can, and historically did, diverge.
Cities across AST
Local time, city by city.
33 cities
Where AST is used
6 countries.
Same offset · UTC+03:00
Other zones at UTC+03:00 right now.
These named zones share AST's offset today. When daylight saving rules differ, they drift apart for part of the year.
Convert
AST to the world's clocks.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about AST, daylight saving, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- How many zones in AST have observed DST in the past?
- One: Iraq observed daylight saving time until 2007. Since then, all six member zones (Yemen, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia) have kept UTC+03:00 all year.
- Why is AST considered stable for global business?
- Because none of its countries observes daylight saving time, AST stays at UTC+03:00 all year, making it a reliable reference point for scheduling across the Gulf region.
- How does AST's consistency benefit remote collaboration?
- AST never changes, so the only seasonal shifts to track are on the other side: London, for example, is 3 hours behind AST in winter and 2 hours behind in summer.
- Are there any plans for AST to adopt DST?
- None of the six member zones have announced plans to introduce daylight saving transitions, so AST remains one of the most predictable regions for long-term planning.
- Which countries are in the AST region?
- Arabian Standard Time covers six member zones: Yemen, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, all maintaining a consistent UTC+03:00 offset.
Source: IANA tzdb2026d · Reviewed
Free · Developer API
This time zone, as JSON.
Its defining offset, DST status and member counts, from one endpoint.
Also in the API: time zones by coordinates, conversions that flag daylight saving gaps, and abbreviations decoded.
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