Current time in Poland
13:00:00CEST
Thursday 1 October 2026
Poland is 1 hour ahead of the UK right now.
In the UK it is 12:00 BST. Your device: 12:00 (Same as UK).
Poland time zone
Poland uses Central European Time (CET, UTC+1) in winter and Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+2) in summer; in Polish, czas środkowoeuropejski and czas letni. The IANA zone is Europe/Warsaw, and it covers the whole country, from Szczecin to Białystok. Poland has been on Central European Time since 1922.
Poland is wide from west to east, so the sun rises about half an hour earlier in Białystok than in Szczecin, even though their clocks match.
Time difference between the UK and Poland
Poland is 1 hour ahead of the UK all year. Both sides follow the same rule. EU Directive 2000/84/EC starts summer time at 01:00 UTC on the last Sunday of March and ends it at 01:00 UTC on the last Sunday of October, and the UK's Summer Time Order 2002 uses the same instants. The clocks change at exactly the same moment, so the gap never moves.
| Period | UK | Poland |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January to 29 March 2026 | GMT (UTC+0) | CET (UTC+1): 1 hour ahead |
| 29 March to 25 October 2026 | BST (UTC+1) | CEST (UTC+2): 1 hour ahead |
| 25 October 2026 to 28 March 2027 | GMT (UTC+0) | CET (UTC+1): 1 hour ahead |
| 28 March to 31 October 2027 | BST (UTC+1) | CEST (UTC+2): 1 hour ahead |
| 31 October 2027 to 26 March 2028 | GMT (UTC+0) | CET (UTC+1): 1 hour ahead |
Poland raised the question of ending seasonal clock changes during its presidency of the Council of the EU in 2025. The European Commission is studying it, but no decision has been made, so the clocks will change as usual in 2026 and 2027.
Best times to call Poland from the UK
For the many Polish families in the UK, these are the times that usually work.
| UK time | Poland | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 07:00 | 08:00 | Before work: morning in Poland |
| 12:00 | 13:00 | UK lunch break, early afternoon in Poland |
| 18:00 | 19:00 | After work in the UK, evening at home in Poland |
| 20:00 | 21:00 | Still a sociable hour in Poland |
Converting the time
If the family sits down to Wigilia, the Christmas Eve supper, at 6pm in Kraków on Thursday 24 December 2026, join the video call at 5pm UK time. A flight from Luton to Warsaw that leaves at 9am and takes 2 hours 30 minutes lands at 12:30pm Polish time. For other places use the time zone converter, or the meeting planner for calls across several countries.
Related pages
- World clockLive times in 25 cities and their gap from the UK.
- Time in GermanyCET and CEST, one hour ahead all year.
- Time in FranceCET and CEST, one hour ahead all year.
- Time in TurkeyUTC+3 all year since 2016.
- GMT time nowThe UK's winter time, and the base for every offset on this page.
- When the UK clocks changeExact dates for 2026, 2027 and 2028.
Frequently asked questions
Is Poland 1 hour ahead of the UK all year?
Yes. Poland and the UK change their clocks at the same moment, so Poland is always 1 hour ahead.
What time zone is Poland in?
Central European Time (CET, UTC+1) in winter and Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+2) in summer.
When do the clocks change in Poland?
On the same dates as in the UK: back on 25 October 2026, forward on 28 March 2027 and back on 31 October 2027.
Is Warsaw the same time as Kraków?
Yes. The whole of Poland uses one time zone.