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Time in Algeria — regions, cities and time zones

Algeria uses Central European Time, UTC+1, all year. Algiers, the capital, keeps this offset and so does the whole country, including the Saharan south. Algeria does not observe daylight saving time.

Flag of Algeria Algeria

Capital Algiers · Africa · ISO DZ / DZA

Algiers, Algeria

Friday, 4 September 2026

UTC+1 · Africa/Algiers

Time and sun data for Algiers, Algeria

The sun in Algiers

Sunrise 06:22 Solar noon 12:48 Sunset 19:14 Daylight 12 h 52 min Night 11 h 08 min Civil twilight 05:56 – 19:40

States and regions (53)

Current time in Algiers

Algeria uses Central European Time, UTC+1, all year. Algiers, the capital, keeps this offset and so does the whole country, including the Saharan south. Algeria does not observe daylight saving time.

A fixed offset over an enormous country

Algeria is the largest country in Africa by land area, and almost all of that area is desert. Yet it runs on one clock with no seasonal adjustment — arguably the simplest timekeeping arrangement of any country its size.

The offset also means Algeria sits an hour ahead of solar time for much of its territory. The country stretches a long way west, and the western reaches see the sun peak noticeably later in the day than the clock suggests. This is a common consequence of large countries adopting a single convenient zone rather than following the meridians.

Give a country a million square miles of desert and one time zone, and you have solved scheduling by giving the sun nothing to argue with.

Neighbours and offsets

Algeria shares CET with Tunisia to the east, so that border involves no clock change. Morocco to the west has its own arrangement, and Mali, Niger and Mauritania to the south run on different offsets — so overland travel southward does move your watch, while eastward into Tunisia does not.

Within Europe, Algeria matches winter time in France, Spain and Italy exactly. In summer, when those countries advance their clocks and Algeria does not, Algiers falls an hour behind them. That seasonal drift is the single most common source of confusion for anyone scheduling between Algeria and Europe.

Provinces and cities

Algeria is administratively divided into provinces, known as wilayas, and every one of them uses the national time. Notable centres include: Algiers — the capital, on the Mediterranean coast Oran — the major western port

Constantine — in the northeast, inland Annaba — on the eastern coast Tamanrasset — deep in the southern Sahara, at high altitude The distance from the Mediterranean coast to the far southern desert is considerable, and the climates could hardly be less alike, but the clock does not register any of it.

Planning around Algerian time

Remember the offset is fixed: any change in the gap between you and Algiers came from your side. Between spring and autumn, expect Algeria to be an hour behind mainland Western Europe. Business hours and the working week may differ from European norms; confirm days as well as times. For desert travel, plan around daylight and heat rather than clock hours.

Questions and answers
What time zone is Algeria in?
Central European Time, UTC+1, applied across the whole country without seasonal change.
Does Algeria use daylight saving time?
No. The UTC+1 offset holds throughout the year, so Algeria drifts an hour behind European summer time.
Does the Sahara region use a different time from Algiers?
No. Algeria has a single time zone, so southern cities such as Tamanrasset keep the same clock as the capital.

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