Frequently asked questions

What time is it somewhere else in the world?

Type a city or country in the search bar on the homepage or open a place page. You will instantly see the current local time, the time difference from your location and extra information such as weather and sunrise.

What is a time zone?

A time zone is an area on Earth where the same standard time applies everywhere. This means that one country or region has the same clock time at the same moment. Read more on the time zone explanation page.

What does UTC mean?

UTC stands for Coordinated Universal Time. It is the international reference time on which most time zones are based. The Netherlands uses UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 in summer.

What is the difference between UTC and GMT?

GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) and UTC are practically the same in everyday use. For daily time calculations, you usually do not need to distinguish between them. UTC is the modern, more accurate standard also used in computer systems.

Why does the time difference sometimes change?

Countries switch to daylight saving time or standard time on different dates. If your country and the other country do not switch at the same time, the time difference temporarily changes by one hour.

What is daylight saving time?

Daylight saving time is a seasonal adjustment in which the clock is usually moved forward by one hour. The goal is to make better use of daylight in the evening hours.

What is standard time?

Standard time is the normal time outside the summer period. In the Netherlands and Belgium, the clock usually goes back one hour in autumn to standard time (UTC+1).

Does the clock go forward or back for daylight saving time?

In spring, the clock moves forward by one hour (“into daylight saving time”). In autumn, the clock moves back by one hour (“into standard time”).

What is sunrise?

Sunrise is the moment when the upper edge of the sun appears above the horizon. In every place on Earth, this differs by date due to the Earth's rotation and the season.

What is sunset?

Sunset is the moment when the sun disappears below the horizon. It is followed by twilight and eventually night.

Why does it stay light after sunset?

Because of the atmosphere, sunlight is still scattered when the sun is already below the horizon. This is called twilight. It only gets truly dark later.

What is the midnight sun?

During the midnight sun, the sun does not set in the summer period. This occurs in areas around the polar circles, such as parts of Norway, Iceland and Alaska.

What is the polar night?

During the polar night, the sun does not rise above the horizon in the winter period. It stays dark or twilight for a long time, especially in polar regions.

What is the best time to call someone in another time zone?

Usually this is between 09:00 and 17:00 local time for the recipient. Use the call time tool for a concrete overview.

How does a world clock work?

On My world clock, you can save your favorite cities in your browser. You will then see the current time, time difference and daypart for each city in one overview.

How do you calculate local arrival time?

Enter your departure place, destination, departure time and travel duration in the arrival time calculator. Take the time difference and any stopovers into account.

What is jet lag?

Jet lag occurs when your body is still used to the old time zone after a long journey across multiple time zones. Symptoms include fatigue, poor sleep and a disrupted eating rhythm.