Portugal puts its clocks forward on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October, staying an hour behind Spain throughout. In 2027 the change comes on 28 March, when mainland Portugal and Madeira go from 1:00 a.m. straight to 2:00 a.m., and on 31 October, when 2:00 a.m. is set back to 1:00 a.m. In the Azores, one hour behind, the same instant turns midnight into 1:00 a.m. in March. The mainland, Madeira and the Azores each have a row in the table.

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Next clock change in Portugal

Local time in each place. Computed from the IANA time zone database.

All clock changes 2026–2028: Lisbon

The Rule: Western European Time

Mainland Portugal and Madeira are on Western European Time, the same as Britain and Ireland: equal to Universal Time in winter and one hour ahead in summer. The Azores are an hour behind the mainland all year. The dates come from the European Union directive, and the legal time is kept by the Lisbon Astronomical Observatory. Because the Union changes at a single instant, 1:00 a.m. Universal Time, Portugal changes at 1:00 a.m. by its own clock while Spain, across the border, changes at 2:00 a.m. The one-hour step at the frontier is there all year: crossing from Elvas to Badajoz or from Valença to Tui always means putting the watch forward an hour.

The Years Portugal Tried Spain's Time

Portugal has twice moved onto Central European Time and twice come back. From 1966 to 1976 it stayed one hour ahead all year. Then, in 1992, the government moved the country onto Central European Time with summer time on top, to be aligned with its main trading partners. Winter mornings in Lisbon were dark until nearly nine, summer sunsets came after ten at night, children went to school in darkness and slept badly in light evenings, and the energy saving did not appear. In 1996 the country returned to Western European Time. The episode is still cited whenever the question of permanent summer time comes up in Europe, because permanent summer time on the western edge of the zone is close to what Portugal lived through.

Madeira and the Azores

Madeira keeps Lisbon's time and changes with it. The Azores, some 1,500 kilometres out in the Atlantic, are one hour behind: Universal Time minus one in winter and equal to Universal Time in summer. Because the change is made at the same instant everywhere, the Azores change at midnight in spring, when 0:00 becomes 1:00, and at 1:00 a.m. in autumn, when it becomes 0:00 again. That makes the autumn change in the Azores one of the few in Europe that happens, by the local clock, on the border between Saturday and Sunday. Flights between Ponta Delgada and Lisbon always gain or lose an hour, and timetables show local time at each end.

Born in Portugal? Check These Years for a Birth Chart

Portuguese birth times need care in three periods. From 1966 to 1976 the clock was one hour ahead of Greenwich all year, so a winter birth is not on Greenwich time. From 1992 to 1996 the country was on Central European Time, one hour ahead in winter and two in summer. And during the 1940s Portugal used not only summer time but, in some years, a double summer time. Outside those periods, winter births are on Greenwich time and summer births one hour ahead. Converting with the wrong period shifts the Ascendant by fifteen degrees, or by thirty in the double summer time years. Our natal chart calculator handles all three periods and keeps separate rules for Madeira and the Azores.

Frequently asked

When does the time change in Portugal in 2027?

Mainland clocks jump from 1:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. on Sunday 28 March 2027 and return from 2:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. on Sunday 31 October 2027. The Azores are one hour behind.

Is Portugal on the same time as Spain?

No. Mainland Portugal is one hour behind mainland Spain all year. It is on the same time as the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Canary Islands.

Will Portugal stop changing the clocks?

Only if the European Union changes its directive. Portuguese governments, advised by the Lisbon Astronomical Observatory, have favoured keeping the present system.

Clock changes by country