What is the time zone of Mexico?
Mexico is divided into four different time zones being Pacific, Mountain, Central and Eastern Time zone.
Central Time
The central and eastern areas of Mexico are in the Central Time. This covers the majority of the country and includes the capital Mexico City. It also observes daylight savings.
- Central Standard Time (CST):– 6:00 UTC (behind)
- Central Daylight Time (CDT):– 5:00 UTC (behind)
Pacific Time
The northwest area of Baja California bordering California is on the Pacific Time. It also observes daylight savings.
- Pacific Standard Time (PST):– 8:00 UTC (behind)
- Pacific Daylight Time (PDT):– 7:00 UTC (behind)
Mountain Time
The west part covering the states of Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Nayarit, Sinaloa, and Sonora observe Mountain Time. It also observes daylight savings.
- Mountain Standard Time (MST):– 7:00 UTC (behind)
- Mountain Daylight Time (MDT):– 6:00 UTC (behind)
Eastern Time
The most eastern state of Quintana Roo, including popular tourist places as Cancun and Playa del Carmen, is on the Eastern Time. It is also the only state without daylights savings time.
- Eastern Standard Time (EST):– 5:00 UTC (behind)
| Pacific Time |
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| Mountain Time |
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| Central Time |
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| Eastern Time |
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Time of neighboring islands and countries
You might change time zones when traveling outside Panama.
To Columbia:
- There is no time difference as it’s is in the same time zone all year round.
To Costa Rica:
- When crossing the border with Costa Rica you will enter the Central Time zone which is -1 hour (behind)
Mexico Daylight Savings Time (DST)
The daylight savings time in Mexico begins on the first Sunday in April and end on the last Sunday in October. In April the clock is moved forward from 02.00 am to 03.00 am (so you will lose an hour of sleep during the night). While in November it’s reversed as the clock is moved backward from 03.00 am to 02.00 am and you will gain an extra hour of sleep. One way of remembering the movement sequence is that clocks “spring forward and fall back”.
There are two exceptions as Quintana Roo does not observe daylight savings and Baja California has aligned their time with the USA. This means the it starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.
Other countries in Central America
You can check out information and maps of other Central American countries by clicking below links.
| Pacific Time | Mountain Time | Central Time | Eastern Time | Atlantic Time |
| Mexico * | Mexico * | Mexico * | Panama | |
| Belize | ||||
| Costa Rica | ||||
| El Salvador | ||||
| Guatemala | ||||
| Honduras | ||||
| Nicaragua | ||||
| * = multiple time zones |