Current time in Geneva

How to interpret a city's local time

Geneva uses the Europe/Zurich time zone. All Swiss cantons share one civil clock, irrespective of their official languages. CET applies in winter and CEST in summer. Switzerland's Federal Institute of Metrology, METAS, realises the UTC(CH) time scale; Heure Exacte is a separate private service, not an official METAS publication.

Civil time cannot always be calculated by adding a fixed number of hours to UTC. Individual authorities set standard time, possible daylight-saving rules and transition dates. The IANA time-zone database documents these decisions for representative regions. Web browsers use the data to convert a single UTC instant to the applicable local clock time.

Two cities may have matching clocks today yet follow different rules later in the year. That is why this page names the geographical IANA zone, not just today's UTC offset. The calendar date matters as well: on opposite sides of the International Date Line it can differ from the date observed in Switzerland.

Compare with Switzerland accurately

Geneva and Paris normally show the same local time. London runs one hour behind when the coordinated European clock-change rules are in force. The usual difference to New York can change briefly in spring or autumn because the United States adjusts its clocks on other dates. International appointments should always state the full date.

Switzerland uses Central European Time (CET, UTC+1) in winter and Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+2) during its daylight-saving period. Its official time scale, UTC(CH), is realised and disseminated by METAS. The difference between Switzerland and Geneva may vary when one region changes clocks before another, or does not change them at all.

For international appointments, specify the full date, city and IANA time-zone identifier. During an autumn clock change, the same local hour can occur twice. Recording the underlying UTC instant removes that ambiguity for software and time-sensitive communications.

Daylight saving and local rules

Under current rules, daylight saving begins on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Sunday of October. Do not use today's UTC offset as if it applied to every date: future appointments may occur under a different seasonal offset.

Frequently asked questions

What time is it in Geneva right now?

The clock at the top displays civil time in Geneva according to your browser's time-zone data for Europe/Zurich. To check how your browser is calibrated against the time server, visit the Accuracy page.

Does Geneva change its clocks during the year?

Under current rules, daylight saving begins on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Sunday of October. Do not use today's UTC offset as if it applied to every date: future appointments may occur under a different seasonal offset.

Why show Europe/Zurich rather than a fixed UTC offset?

A numerical offset describes a specific moment; the zone identifier Europe/Zurich describes rules that may produce another offset on a future date. Government decisions can change these rules, so time-zone data must be kept current.