Clock change in Spain: countdown and 2027 dates
Independent, non-governmental site
Next changes: on Sunday 28 March 2027 clocks go forward and on Sunday 31 October 2027 they go back. The counter runs in your local time.
Time left to: Clocks go forward (summer time)
151 days
counting from today…
| Date | Sunday 28 March 2027 |
| Reference time | 01:00 UTC |
| Working days until then | 99 |
| Your time zone | … |
| What | Date | Day | Days left |
|---|---|---|---|
| Next holiday in Madrid region: Day after All Saints' Day | Mon 2 Nov 2026 | Monday | 5 |
| Next national holiday: Immaculate Conception | Tue 8 Dec 2026 | Tuesday | 41 |
| Christmas Day | Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Friday | 58 |
| New Year (midnight chimes) | Fri 1 Jan 2027 | Friday | 65 |
| Epiphany | Wed 6 Jan 2027 | Wednesday | 70 |
| Holy Week (Maundy Thursday) | Thu 25 Mar 2027 | Thursday | 148 |
| Clocks go forward (summer time) | Sun 28 Mar 2027 | Sunday | 151 |
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · Rules read in the BOE and the regional gazettes on 28 October 2026
In Spain the clocks change twice a year, on the last Sunday of March and the last Sunday of October, at 01:00 universal time, at the same moment as the whole European Union. On the mainland, the Balearics, Ceuta and Melilla that means that in March, at 2:00, clocks jump to 3:00 and you lose an hour of sleep, and in October, at 3:00, they go back to 2:00. In the Canary Islands it happens an hour earlier on the local clock: 1:00 to 2:00 in March and 2:00 to 1:00 in October. In 2027 the changes are on 28 March 2027 and 31 October 2027, with 217 days of summer time. The rule is in Directive 2000/84/EC and Royal Decree 236/2002, and the exact dates are published by the European Commission every five years: Order PCM/186/2022 listed those for 2022 to 2026, and Communication C/2026/1660 of 18 March 2026 sets those for 2027 to 2031. The counter above counts down to the next change in your local time, sending nothing anywhere.
The dates, 2026 to 2031
Directive 2000/84/EC sets the rule: summer time starts at 01:00 UTC on the last Sunday of March and ends at 01:00 UTC on the last Sunday of October. Royal Decree 236/2002 brings it into Spanish law. Every five years the Commission publishes the exact calendar: the 2022 to 2026 one was listed in Spain by Order PCM/186/2022, and the 2027 to 2031 one is in Communication C/2026/1660.
| Year | Forward (summer) | Back (winter) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday 29 March | Sunday 25 October | Order PCM/186/2022 |
| 2027 | Sunday 28 March | Sunday 31 October | Commission Communication C/2026/1660 |
| 2028 | Sunday 26 March | Sunday 29 October | Commission Communication C/2026/1660 |
| 2029 | Sunday 25 March | Sunday 28 October | Commission Communication C/2026/1660 |
| 2030 | Sunday 31 March | Sunday 27 October | Commission Communication C/2026/1660 |
| 2031 | Sunday 30 March | Sunday 26 October | Commission Communication C/2026/1660 |
The 2026 changes have already happened: 29 March and 25 October. Until the BOE publishes an order for 2027 to 2031, the source for those dates is the Commission's communication, which applies the same rule as the directive.
Clock change in any year
Clock change 2028
26 March · 29 October
| Summer time: clocks go forward | Sun 26 Mar, 2:00 becomes 3:00 |
| Winter time: clocks go back | Sun 29 Oct, 3:00 becomes 2:00 |
| Time of change (UTC) | 01:00 UTC |
| Source of the date | Commission Communication C/2026/1660 |
What happens to clocks and timetables
Phones, computers and connected clocks change by themselves, as they carry the rule built in. Night shifts are affected: anyone working the March night does an hour less and the October night an hour more, and how that is paid is up to the collective agreement. Night trains and buses adjust their timetables; flights are scheduled in each airport's local time, so check your departure time if you travel that weekend.
The Canaries, at the same universal time
The change happens at the same instant across the European Union. As the Canaries run an hour behind the mainland, their clocks jump from 1:00 to 2:00 in March and from 2:00 to 1:00 in October. If you are in the Canaries, the counter above already shows the change in your local time, since it uses your device's time zone.
The debate on scrapping it
In 2018 the Commission proposed ending seasonal changes after a public consultation with 4.6 million responses, most in favour. The European Parliament backed the proposal in 2019, but the Council, where governments decide, has not reached a common position: each country would have to choose permanent summer or winter time, and they fear a patchwork of different times between neighbours. Until there is agreement, the clocks keep changing, and the dates up to 2031 are already published.