DST Starts in Europe Sunday, March 26, 2017
By Anne Buckle. Published 17-Feb-2017
On Sunday, March 26, 2017, clocks will be set forward 1 hour in most of Europe when Daylight Saving Time (DST) starts.
Summer time starts in most of Europe.
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Most countries in Europe will set their clocks forward 1 hour at 01:00 UTC. Local time for the change is different in each time zone; see table below for more details.
USA & Canada start DST March 12, 2017
More Light in the Evening
In local time, sunrise and sunset will be about 1 hour later on Sunday, March 26, 2017 than the day before, resulting in more daylight in the evening.
Changes at the Same Time
European countries synchronize their DST, which starts on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Sunday of October. Participating countries are:
- The European Union (EU), including Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
- Most other European countries, including Norway and Switzerland.
European Countries Without DST
Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Iceland, Russia, and Turkey don't use DST and remain on standard time all year.
Turkey Scraps DST
Last year Turkey decided to end DST permanently. On March 26, the country will keep observing the same local time, which is 3 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+3).
The occupied territory of Northern Cyprus follows mainland Turkey, and so when the rest of Cyprus adds 1 hour for DST, the whole island will have the same local time.
Local Times in Europe for DST Start
| Time Zone During DST | DST Starts | Standard Time Zone (no DST) |
|---|---|---|
British Summer Time (BST), used in the UK during summer. UTC offset: +1 hour | DST starts at 01:00 (1 am) local time. | UTC offset: None |
Western European Summer Time (WEST), used in the Canary Islands, the Faroe Islands, and Portugal. UTC offset: +1 hour | DST starts at 01:00 (1 am) local time. Clocks are set ahead 1 hour to 02:00 (2 am). | UTC offset: None |
Central European Summer Time (CEST), used in countries including Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland. UTC offset: +2 hours | DST starts at 02:00 (2 am) local time, when clocks are set ahead 1 hour to 03:00 (3 am). | UTC offset: +1 hour |
Eastern European Summer Time (EEST), used in countries including Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, and Romania. UTC offset: +3 hours | DST starts at 03:00 (3 am) local time, when clocks are set ahead 1 hour to 04:00 (4 am). | UTC offset: +2 hours |