Europe · Southern Europe · Sovereign state
Current time in Cyprus
A single time zone at UTC+03:00. Currently observing daylight saving time.
Friday, June 5, 2026
About Cyprus's time
A single time zone.
Cyprus has a split timezone situation — the island officially uses Eastern European Time (UTC+2:00 / UTC+3:00 with DST), but since 2016, the northern de facto state of Northern Cyprus has followed Turkey's time zone, creating an informal offset difference and a unique time zone divide across the country.
Next clock change
2026 Sunday · clocks fall back
Clocks fall back by one hour · in 5 months.
Daylight saving schedule
Major cities
Cities of Cyprus.
History
How Cyprus keeps time.
Cyprus has used Eastern European Time (UTC+2:00 standard, UTC+3:00 daylight saving) since independence in 1960. While the Republic of Cyprus follows EU DST rules, Northern Cyprus — administered by the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus — aligned with Turkey in 2016, effectively shifting its time by an hour relative to the south. This divides Cyprus into two asynchronous clock settings until the biannual time change date differences create a de facto two-time-zone island.
Did you know?
Things about Cyprus's time.
The island has only Asia/Nicosia (UTC+3:00) as its official IANA zone, but Northern Cyprus now observes Turkey's UTC+3:00 permanently since 2016, making it effectively a different offset from the Republic’s EEST transitions. This is one of the only places in Europe with a practical time zone split due to geopolitical division — similar to Spain’s historical Franco-era time or China’s single-zone-with-exceptions model, but unique in the Mediterranean. None of the zones use unusual offsets like Nepal or Chatham Islands; all follow whole-hour shifts.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Cyprus's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Does Cyprus have more than one time zone?
- Only officially uses Asia/Nicosia (UTC+3:00) for the whole country, but Northern Cyprus effectively uses Turkey time, creating a de facto split across the island.
- Does Cyprus observe daylight saving time?
- Yes, the Republic of Cyprus observes DST, advancing to UTC+3:00 in summer. Northern Cyprus follows Turkey, which now stays on UTC+3:00 permanently, so their clocks no longer change together.
- What is the time difference between north and south Cyprus?
- It fluctuates throughout the year due to DST rules. In summer they match (UTC+3:00), but during winter the south reverts to UTC+2:00 while the north stays UTC+3:00, creating a temporary 1-hour difference.
- Are there special time zones in Cyprus?
- No unusual offsets — just standard Eastern European Time transitions. The main anomaly is the political division affecting timekeeping, not the offset itself.
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