Current time in Spain
13:00:00CEST
Thursday 1 October 2026
Mainland Spain is 1 hour ahead of the UK right now.
In the UK it is 12:00 BST. Your device: 12:00 (Same as UK).
Spain time zones
Spain has two time zones. Mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands, Ceuta and Melilla use Central European Time (CET, UTC+1) in winter and CEST (UTC+2) in summer, IANA zone Europe/Madrid. The Canary Islands use Western European Time (WET, UTC+0) and WEST (UTC+1) in summer, zone Atlantic/Canary, which is the same as UK time.
| Region | Local time | Zone | Difference from UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga | 13:00 | CEST | +1 h |
| Majorca, Ibiza, Menorca | 13:00 | CEST | +1 h |
| Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote | 12:00 | WEST | Same as UK |
| Ceuta and Melilla | 13:00 | CEST | +1 h |
Why Spain is on Central European Time
Madrid lies west of Greenwich, so on geography alone Spain would share the UK's time. Spain did use GMT until 16 March 1940, when the clocks went forward an hour to match Central European Time, and they never went back. That is why sunrise comes late in a Spanish winter and summer sunsets in Madrid are close to 10pm.
Time difference between the UK and Spain
Mainland Spain is 1 hour ahead of the UK all year and the Canaries match 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 | Mainland Spain | Canary Islands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January to 29 March 2026 | GMT (UTC+0) | CET: 1 hour ahead | WET: same time |
| 29 March to 25 October 2026 | BST (UTC+1) | CEST: 1 hour ahead | WEST: same time |
| 25 October 2026 to 28 March 2027 | GMT (UTC+0) | CET: 1 hour ahead | WET: same time |
| 28 March to 31 October 2027 | BST (UTC+1) | CEST: 1 hour ahead | WEST: same time |
| 31 October 2027 to 26 March 2028 | GMT (UTC+0) | CET: 1 hour ahead | WET: same time |
Best times to call Spain from the UK
| UK time | Spain | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | 10:00 | Morning in Spain |
| 12:00 | 13:00 | Before the Spanish lunch break |
| 17:00 | 18:00 | Spanish working afternoon |
| 20:00 | 21:00 | Before a late Spanish dinner |
Spanish days often run later than British ones, with lunch and dinner both later, so the UK afternoon and early evening tend to work well.
Converting the time
Holiday flights show local times. A 7am flight from Gatwick that takes 4 hours 15 minutes lands in Tenerife at 11:15am, because the Canaries are on UK time. A 2-hour 30-minute flight to Málaga leaving at 7am lands at 10:30am Spanish time. Use the time zone converter for other places, 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 FranceCET and CEST, one hour ahead all year.
- Time in GermanyCET and CEST, one hour ahead all year.
- 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 Tenerife on the same time as the UK?
Yes. The Canary Islands, including Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, are on the same time as the UK all year.
Is Majorca on the same time as mainland Spain?
Yes. The Balearic Islands use the same time as Madrid, 1 hour ahead of the UK.
Why is Spain an hour ahead of the UK?
Spain moved its clocks forward to Central European Time on 16 March 1940 and never moved them back, even though Madrid is west of Greenwich.
Is Spain going to stop changing the clocks?
Not yet. In October 2025 the Spanish prime minister called for the EU to end seasonal clock changes, but the EU has not agreed, so Spain changes its clocks as usual in 2026 and 2027.