Current Time in Riyadh
The clock shows the time in Riyadh to the second. Saudi Arabia uses Arabia Standard Time, UTC+3, in every season.
Current time in Riyadh
- IANA zone
- Current time in Riyadh
- Arabia Standard Time
- Also called AST · UTC+3 · Asia/Riyadh
- The UTC+3 offset used by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq and Yemen. It is often shortened to AST, which can be confused with Atlantic Standard Time (UTC−4) in the Americas.
Riyadh's time zone
- IANA zone
- Asia/Riyadh
- Standard time
- AST · UTC+3
- Daylight saving time
- Not observed
Saudi Arabia has kept UTC+3 since 1947. Before that, towns kept local solar time. Prayer times today are still calculated from the sun, so they move through the year even though the civil clock does not.
The IANA time zone database lists Asia/Riyadh with one offset for the whole modern period, and every device follows it.
Saudi Arabia's clock is the same in every region, so domestic flights between Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam never need a time change.
AST means two different things
In a Saudi document, AST means UTC+3. In the Caribbean or Atlantic Canada it means UTC−4, seven hours earlier. Write "Riyadh time" or "UTC+3" when the reader could be on either side of the Atlantic.
Riyadh compared with other cities
Riyadh sits in the same hour as Nairobi, Doha and Istanbul. Europe comes one hour closer in its summer, while India stays two and a half hours ahead all year.
| City | In January | In July |
|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | −13 | −13 |
| Anchorage | −12 | −11 |
| Seattle | −11 | −10 |
| Denver | −10 | −9 |
| Vancouver | −10 | −10 |
| Houston | −9 | −8 |
| Lima | −8 | −8 |
| Toronto | −8 | −7 |
| Washington, D.C. | −8 | −7 |
| Buenos Aires | −6 | −6 |
| São Paulo | −6 | −6 |
| London | −3 | −2 |
| Amsterdam | −2 | −1 |
| Berlin | −2 | −1 |
| Madrid | −2 | −1 |
| Paris | −2 | −1 |
| Zurich | −2 | −1 |
| Athens | −1 | 0 |
| Cairo | −1 | 0 |
| Johannesburg | −1 | −1 |
| Doha | 0 | 0 |
| Nairobi | 0 | 0 |
| Dubai | +1 | +1 |
| Delhi | +2:30 | +2:30 |
| Dhaka | +3 | +3 |
| Ho Chi Minh City | +4 | +4 |
| Kuala Lumpur | +5 | +5 |
| Manila | +5 | +5 |
| Perth | +5 | +5 |
| Shanghai | +5 | +5 |
| Taipei | +5 | +5 |
| Seoul | +6 | +6 |
| Brisbane | +7 | +7 |
| Melbourne | +8 | +7 |
| Sydney | +8 | +7 |
Hours to add to the time in Riyadh; a minus sign means the other city is behind
The working week in Saudi Arabia runs Sunday to Thursday, so cross-border calls with Europe and the US fit best Monday to Thursday. The Dubai clock is the nearest hub one hour ahead, and the Cairo clock shows Egypt one hour behind in winter.
Saudi Arabia's geography also fits its offset fairly well. Riyadh lies at about 46.7° east, close to the 45° meridian that defines UTC+3, so the sun is overhead close to noon on the clock. In Jeddah, further west, sunrise and sunset come a little later than in Riyadh, and in Dammam on the Gulf coast a little earlier.
Riyadh time questions
What time zone is Saudi Arabia in?
Arabia Standard Time, UTC+3. Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca and Dammam all share it.
Does Saudi Arabia change its clocks?
No. There is no daylight saving time, so the offset stays at UTC+3 all year.
Is Riyadh time the same as Dubai time?
No. Dubai is one hour ahead of Riyadh.
What is the time difference between Riyadh and London?
Three hours in winter and two hours from late March to late October, when London is on BST.
How many hours behind Riyadh is New York?
Eight hours during US standard time and seven during US daylight time.