Americas · Central America · Sovereign state
Current time in Guatemala
A single time zone at UTC-06:00.
Friday, June 5, 2026
About Guatemala's time
A single time zone.
Guatemala operates on a single time zone, Central Standard Time (UTC-6), year-round with no daylight saving time changes — keeping things simple for a country of its size.
Major cities
Cities of Guatemala.
History
How Guatemala keeps time.
Guatemala officially adopted Central Standard Time (UTC-6) on November 25, 1918, standardizing timekeeping across the agricultural nation. Prior to this, local mean time varied by longitude, but as rail and telegraph networks expanded, a unified national time became necessary. Guatemala experimented briefly with daylight saving time for a few years in the early 2000s but has otherwise maintained a consistent offset throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.
Did you know?
Things about Guatemala's time.
Guatemala sits geographically in the UTC-6 band, so its clocks happen to align fairly well with solar noon — unlike some of its Central American neighbors, such as Honduras or El Salvador, which are positioned slightly east of their meridians. This means sunrise and sunset times follow a predictable rhythm that fits naturally with local agricultural and social customs. Guatemala's single time zone with no DST makes scheduling across the entire country straightforward, which is especially useful given its compact east-west span.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Guatemala's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Does Guatemala observe daylight saving time?
- No. Guatemala uses Central Standard Time (UTC-6) year-round with no seasonal clock changes.
- What time zone is Guatemala in?
- America/Guatemala, also known as Central Standard Time (CST), which is UTC-6.
- How many time zones does Guatemala have?
- Just one. The entire country operates on the same time.
- What time is it in Guatemala relative to the US?
- Guatemala is one hour behind the US Central Time zone. When it's 3 PM in Chicago, it's 2 PM in Guatemala City.
- Is Guatemala on the same time as its Central American neighbors?
- Yes, Guatemala shares Central Standard Time (UTC-6) with Honduras, El Salvador, Belize, and Nicaragua.
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