Time in Moscow
Moscow uses Moscow Standard Time, UTC+3, and Russia has not changed its clocks between summer and winter since 2014. The clock shows the exact local time with today's sunrise, sunset and conversions.
- Time zone
- —
- Abbreviation
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- UTC offset
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- Daylight saving
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- Compared with your clock
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- IANA time zone:
- Europe/Moscow
- Country:
- Russia
- Coordinates:
- 55.76° N, 37.62° E
- Clock changes in 2026:
- none, UTC+3 all year
Permanent summer time, then permanent winter time
Russia's time policy changed twice in recent memory. In March 2011 the country moved its clocks forward for the last time and stopped changing them, leaving Moscow on UTC+4 all year. Dark winter mornings, with sunrise close to 10:00 AM in Moscow in December, made the arrangement unpopular, and on October 26, 2014, clocks were set back to UTC+3, where they have stayed.
Russia has 11 time zones, from Kaliningrad at UTC+2 to Kamchatka at UTC+12. Railway timetables used Moscow time across the whole country until 2018, and the zones are still commonly described relative to it, as MSK+1, MSK+7 and so on.
When to call Moscow
Hours that fall inside 9:00–17:00 both in Moscow and in the other city, using today's offsets.
Daylight in Moscow
Monday, October 19, 2026, local time
- Sunrise
- 7:08 AM
- Sunset
- 5:19 PM
- Day length
- 10 h 12 min
- Solar noon
- 12:14 PM
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Oct 19 | 7:08 AM | 5:19 PM | 10 h 12 min |
| Tue, Oct 20 | 7:10 AM | 5:17 PM | 10 h 7 min−5′ |
| Wed, Oct 21 | 7:12 AM | 5:15 PM | 10 h 3 min−4′ |
| Thu, Oct 22 | 7:14 AM | 5:12 PM | 9 h 58 min−5′ |
| Fri, Oct 23 | 7:16 AM | 5:10 PM | 9 h 54 min−4′ |
| Sat, Oct 24 | 7:18 AM | 5:07 PM | 9 h 49 min−5′ |
| Sun, Oct 25 | 7:20 AM | 5:05 PM | 9 h 45 min−4′ |
Approximate times (usually within two minutes), calculated from the city's coordinates with the NOAA solar equations. Hills, tall buildings and unusual air refraction can shift what you see.
White nights and dark winters
At 55.8° north, Moscow has very long summer days. Around the June solstice the sun rises near 3:45 AM and sets about 9:20 PM, giving more than 17 and a half hours of daylight and only a short twilight. In December sunrise is around 9:00 AM and sunset near 4:00 PM, about 7 hours of daylight. Solar noon falls close to 12:30 PM, because the city lies west of the 45° meridian of UTC+3.
Business hours and calls abroad
Offices typically work from 9:00 or 10:00 to 18:00 or 19:00, and the Moscow Exchange's main stock session opens at 10:00. London is two hours behind during British Summer Time and three hours in winter, so 12:00 in Moscow is 10:00 or 9:00 AM in London. New York is seven hours behind in summer and eight in winter, which leaves the Moscow late afternoon as the only overlap with the start of the American day. The MSK to EST table lists each hour.
Nearby cities and their time
| Nearby cities | Distance | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Warsaw Poland | 1,150 km | −1 h |
| Stockholm Sweden | 1,230 km | −1 h |
| Berlin Germany | 1,610 km | −1 h |
| Istanbul Türkiye | 1,760 km | same time |
| Amsterdam Netherlands | 2,150 km | −1 h |
| Zurich Switzerland | 2,190 km | −1 h |
Time zone converters for Moscow
Frequently asked questions
- Does Moscow still change its clocks?
- No. Russia stopped seasonal clock changes in 2011 and settled on UTC+3 for Moscow in October 2014. The time is the same in January and July.
- How many time zones lie between Moscow and Vladivostok?
- Eleven, from UTC+2 in Kaliningrad to UTC+12 in Kamchatka and Chukotka. Moscow's zone also covers St. Petersburg and most of European Russia.
- How many hours ahead of London is Moscow?
- Two hours during British Summer Time and three hours during GMT. Only the UK changes its clocks.
- Why was 2011 to 2014 Moscow time so unpopular?
- Staying on UTC+4 all year meant winter sunrises around 10:00 AM in Moscow and even later farther north, so children went to school and adults to work in darkness for months.