Current time in Sydney

How to interpret a city's local time

Sydney uses Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST, UTC+10) during its local winter and Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT, UTC+11) during its local summer. Under current New South Wales rules, clocks change on the first Sunday in October and the first Sunday in April. The seasons are opposite to those in Europe.

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

Not every part of Australia follows Sydney's schedule. Brisbane in Queensland, for example, remains on UTC+10 throughout the year. Sydney and Brisbane therefore have different local times in Sydney's summer but matching clocks in winter. Comparing Sydney with Geneva requires accounting for both Australian and European seasonal changes.

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 Sydney 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

New South Wales currently observes daylight saving from the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April. Australia's seasons are opposite to Europe's, so the time difference to Geneva can change several times during the year.

Frequently asked questions

What time is it in Sydney right now?

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

Does Sydney change its clocks during the year?

New South Wales currently observes daylight saving from the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April. Australia's seasons are opposite to Europe's, so the time difference to Geneva can change several times during the year.

Why show Australia/Sydney rather than a fixed UTC offset?

A numerical offset describes a specific moment; the zone identifier Australia/Sydney 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.