Most of Mexico will not be changing its clocks this spring and fall, except for some Mexican municipalities along the northern border that synchronize their clocks with corresponding border cities in the US.
In 2022 Mexico abandoned the practice of the country’s clocks “springing forward” and “falling back” each year.
The law also allowed for specific exceptions for Baja California state, and border municipalities in the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to continue applying daylight savings to keep their border cities in sync with the US.
Although Mexico won’t move its clocks this year, time changes will be apparent during spring and summer months for those in Mexico and dealing with the US, Canada, and countries in Europe as they do change their clocks.
Mexico’s Four Time Zones
Mexico’s territory has four time zones, which themselves remain unchanged and unaffected by the abandonment of Mexico’s seasonal clock changes.
2026 “Spring Forward” clock change effects on Mexico
- The United States moves its clocks forward by one hour on Sunday March 8, 2026; and
- Europe (including the UK & Ireland) moves its clocks forward by one hour on Sunday, March 29, 2026.
When the clocks in those other countries are moved forward in the spring:
- US Pacific Time, that is normally 2 hours behind Mexico City, will be 1 hour behind.
- US Mountain Time, that is normally 1 hour behind Mexico City, will be on the same time as Mexico City.
- US Central Time, that is normally aligned with time in Mexico City, will be 1 hour ahead.
- US Eastern Time, that is normally 1 hour ahead of Mexico City, will be 2 hours ahead.
- The UK and Ireland will be 7 hours ahead of Mexico instead of 6.
- Central Europe will be 8 hours ahead of Mexico instead of 7.
2026 “Fall Back” clock change effects on Mexico
- Europe (including the UK & Ireland) moves its clocks back again by one hour on Sunday October 25, 2026; and
- The United States moves its clocks back by one hour on Sunday November 1, 2026.
When the clocks in those other countries are moved back in the fall:
- US Pacific Time, that was 1 behind Mexico City when the clocks moved forward, will revert to be 2 hours behind.
- US Mountain Time, that was on the same time as Mexico City when the clocks moved forward, will revert to be 1 hour behind.
- US Central Time, that was 1 ahead of Mexico City when the clocks moved forward, will revert to be aligned with Mexico City time.
- US Eastern Time, that was 2 hours ahead of Mexico City when the clocks moved forward, will revert to be 1 hour ahead.
- The UK and Ireland will be 6 hours ahead of Mexico instead of 7.
- Central Europe will be 7 hours ahead of Mexico instead of 8.
United States and DST
There has been a lot of discussion during recent years in the USA regarding the abandonment of DST. The so-called “Sunshine Protection Act,” which passed the US Senate in 2022, has stalled in the US House of Representatives.
Although a recent poll reveals that the majority of Americans favor abandonment of DST, there is no current consensus on whether the country ought to adopt Standard Time or Daylight Savings Time permanently. As of 2026, the US and Canada continue to observe DST, with the exceptions of (most of) Arizona, and Hawaii, that do not change their clocks.
Time & Date — A Helpful Online Resource
You can find helpful and detailed clock-time information by specific country, region, and place using Time and Date.
Learn more about time and time zones in Mexico
Mexico has four time zones; most of the country does not change its clocks in the spring and the fall.
- Learn about Mexico’s Time and Time Zones
- Learn about seasons in Mexico
- Find times by Mexican town, city or state with Time & Date
Mexico in your inbox
Our free newsletter about Mexico brings you a monthly round-up of recently published stories and opportunities, as well as gems from our archives.
