What time is it in Cuba?

At a glance

Time zone

America/Havana

Standard

UTC−5 (CST)

Daylight

UTC−4 (CDT)

Zones in country

1

The basics

1. 1

   One zone, whole country

   Cuba is about 1,250 km long — far enough that sunrise in Baracoa comes well before sunrise in Pinar del Río — but the entire republic, including the Isla de la Juventud, keeps a single official time. There is no in-country time change to plan for on a cross-island trip.

2. 2

   UTC−5 in winter, UTC−4 in summer

   Standard time is five hours behind Coordinated Universal Time. During daylight saving, from March to November, the offset narrows to four hours. Those eight months of daylight time cover most of the year, so UTC−4 is the more common state, not the exception.

3. 3

   The same as US Eastern Time, nearly always

   Cuba changes its clocks on the same two dates as the United States, so Havana matches New York, Miami and Toronto for all but a few hours a year. If you are calling Florida, you are almost certainly calling at the same clock time you see at home.

4. 4

   24-hour clock in writing, 12-hour in speech

   Timetables, tickets and official notices in Cuba are usually written in 24-hour form, while people speaking will say las tres de la tarde rather than las quince. Both refer to the same clock; only the notation differs.

Daylight saving: the rule, and the hour that catches people out

Cuba observes daylight saving time and has for decades. The dates are aligned with the United States, but the moment of the change is not: Cuba moves its clocks at midnight, whereas the United States moves them at two in the morning. For those two hours, twice a year, Havana and New York are genuinely an hour apart — which is exactly when an early flight or a booked call goes wrong.

• ·Clocks go forward one hour on the second Sunday in March, at 00:00 local time.
• ·Clocks go back one hour on the first Sunday in November, at 00:00 local time.
• ·Between those dates Cuba is UTC−4; outside them it is UTC−5.
• ·The United States changes on the same two dates but at 02:00 local, so for a couple of hours each switchover Cuba and US Eastern Time do not match.

Cuba compared with other cities, right now

Why it matters on the ground

• ·Domestic flights and long-distance buses run to the printed timetable rather than to the clock on your phone, which may still be on your home network's time — set your phone manually if it has not picked up the local zone.
• ·Sunset is early by European standards: even in midsummer the light goes well before nine, so plan drives between towns to finish in daylight.
• ·Booking calls home is easier than most Caribbean destinations if you are in North America and harder if you are in Europe, where the gap runs to five or six hours.
• ·Casa particular check-ins are usually arranged for a stated hour rather than a window, and hosts wait — being an hour out because of a switchover weekend is a real way to lose a booking.

Frequently asked questions

What time is it in Cuba right now?

The live clock at the top of this page shows the current time in Havana, which is the time everywhere in Cuba. The country is on UTC−5 in winter and UTC−4 from March to November.

How many time zones does Cuba have?

One. The whole country, including the Isla de la Juventud, keeps a single official time — there is no regional variation to account for when travelling from Havana to Santiago de Cuba.

Does Cuba observe daylight saving time?

Yes. Clocks go forward one hour on the second Sunday in March and back one hour on the first Sunday in November, both at midnight local time. During those months Cuba is UTC−4 rather than UTC−5.

Is Cuba the same time as New York or Miami?

Almost always, yes. Cuba switches to and from daylight saving on the same two dates as the United States, so Havana normally matches US Eastern Time. The exception is the changeover itself: Cuba moves its clocks at midnight and the United States at 2 a.m., so for those couple of hours the two are an hour apart.

What is Cuba's UTC offset?

UTC−5 during standard time and UTC−4 during daylight saving time. Because daylight saving runs from March to November, the island spends roughly two thirds of the year on UTC−4.

What is the time difference between Cuba and the UK or Spain?

It varies through the year because Britain, Spain and Cuba all change their clocks on different dates. The comparison table on this page calculates it live rather than quoting a fixed figure, which would be wrong for several weeks each year.

What time zone name does Cuba use?

The IANA zone is America/Havana. In English it is often written Cuba Standard Time (CST, UTC−5) and Cuba Daylight Time (CDT, UTC−4) — not to be confused with the US Central time abbreviations, which are also CST and CDT.