World Clock
United Kingdom

Updated Mar 2026

Current Time in United Kingdom

Q: What time is it in United Kingdom right now?

United Kingdom spans 1 timezone: GMT. Use the live clocks on this page for the exact local time in each major city.

Q: How many timezones does United Kingdom have?

United Kingdom uses 1 timezone: GMT. Not all regions observe daylight saving time on the same schedule.

Q: When is the best time to call someone in United Kingdom?

Aim for 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM local time in the specific city you are calling. Because United Kingdom spans 1 timezone, the right call window depends on the city, not just the country. Use the Best Time to Call calculator for an exact overlap window.

Live clocks for every United Kingdom city — UTC offsets, DST status, and inter-city time gaps.

London, United Kingdom

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GMT DST observed

Full London Details

This country’s timezone structure

The UK — GMT in winter, BST in summer

The UK observes GMT (UTC+0) in winter and BST (UTC+1) in summer, flipping on the last Sunday of March and October. The DST transition is called "British Summer Time" formally but casually "the clocks going forward / back". London anchors the European trading day for financial services, sits 5 h ahead of New York and 5.5 h behind Mumbai. Business hours 9 AM - 5:30 PM typically; the City of London 's trading floors open at 8 AM.

Regional context

Timezones across Europe

Europe stretches across four main timezones — GMT/BST (UK, Ireland, Portugal), CET/CEST (most of continental Europe), EET/EEST (Greece, Finland, the Baltics), and MSK (Russia's westernmost cities). Most countries observe DST in unison — last Sunday of March to last Sunday of October — creating clean 1-hour steps between neighbouring zones. Icelandic and Russian cities are exceptions with no seasonal shift.

United Kingdom's Timezone System Explained

The United Kingdom uses Greenwich Mean Time (GMT, UTC+0) in winter and British Summer Time (BST, UTC+1) in summer. England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland all observe the same change on the same schedule.

DST in 2025: clocks spring forward one hour at 1:00 AM on Sunday 30 March, and fall back one hour at 2:00 AM on Sunday 26 October. This follows the European Union convention of the last Sunday in March and last Sunday in October, which the UK retained after Brexit.

London is the world's reference timezone anchor — GMT was established here and UTC is calibrated against it. During BST (late March to late October), London aligns with Paris, Berlin, and Amsterdam (all on CEST at UTC+1). During GMT (late October to late March), London is one hour behind continental Europe.

Key gaps from London: New York is 5 hours behind GMT (4 hours behind BST). Los Angeles is 8 hours behind GMT (7 hours behind BST). Dubai is 4 hours ahead of GMT year-round. Mumbai (IST) is 5.5 hours ahead of GMT. Sydney (AEDT) is 11 hours ahead during Australian summer, 9 hours ahead during Australian winter.

United Kingdom Cities by Timezone

1 timezone · 10 cities · live times

GMT

10 cities

Time differences may shift seasonally when cities observe different daylight saving schedules.

Frequently Asked Questions

Timezones, DST rules, and scheduling in United Kingdom

What time is it in United Kingdom right now?

United Kingdom spans 1 timezone — GMT — so there is no single answer. The live clocks above show the exact time in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool, Edinburgh.

How many timezones does United Kingdom have?

United Kingdom uses a single timezone: GMT. The whole country follows the same clock year-round.

Does United Kingdom observe daylight saving time?

Yes. The UK switches from GMT (UTC+0) to British Summer Time (BST, UTC+1) on the last Sunday of March, and reverts on the last Sunday of October. In 2025: clocks go forward on 30 March at 1:00 AM, and fall back on 26 October at 2:00 AM.

What is the time difference between London and New York?

London is normally 5 hours ahead of New York (EST). The gap shrinks to 4 hours when the UK moves to BST (last Sunday March). It returns to 5 hours when the US falls back (first Sunday November) — creating a brief window in autumn where both are 'back' but only 4 hours apart.

Is the UK on the same time as Europe?

No. The UK (GMT/BST) is always 1 hour behind Paris, Berlin, Rome, and Madrid (CET/CEST). Both change clocks on the same dates (last Sunday in March and October), so the 1-hour gap is constant year-round.

Does the UK observe daylight saving time?

What is the time difference between London and Dubai?

London (GMT, UTC+0) is 4 hours behind Dubai (GST, UTC+4) in winter. During BST (UTC+1), London is 3 hours behind Dubai. Since the UAE has no DST, the gap changes only when the UK adjusts its clocks.

What is the time difference between London and Sydney?

Sydney (AEST, UTC+10) is 10 hours ahead of London (GMT) in winter. The gap fluctuates between 9 and 11 hours across the year as both countries observe daylight saving time on different schedules.

When is the best time to call someone in United Kingdom?

Aim for 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM local time in the specific city. Because United Kingdom spans 1 timezones, the overlap window from your location differs between cities. Open any city page above for its full scheduling guide.

How accurate are the live clocks on this page?

All clocks update every second using your browser's timezone engine with current DST rules applied automatically. The displayed times match the official local time in each city — no manual refresh needed.