Clocks across the European Union and the United Kingdom go back one hour in the early hours of Sunday, 25 October, but Türkiye will not change its time, widening the time difference between Türkiye and most of Europe for the winter.
Türkiye has stayed on year-round "summer time", equivalent to UTC+3, since 2016, when the government decided to stop switching clocks twice a year. The arrangement remains in force in 2026, Hürriyet reported on Friday, so phones and computers in the country will not move.
The new time gaps
Once Europe moves to winter time, the gap between Türkiye and the UK, Ireland and Portugal grows from two hours to three. When it is 12:00 in Istanbul, Antalya or Fethiye, it will be 09:00 in London. The difference with Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium rises from one hour to two, and neighbouring Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, which have shared Türkiye’s time over the summer, will be one hour behind.
The United States and Canada end daylight saving time a week later, on Sunday, 1 November. From then the gap between Türkiye and New York grows from seven to eight hours.
About 70 countries still change their clocks seasonally, including EU members, the UK, most of the US, Canada and New Zealand. Many others, including Russia, China, Japan, India and Saudi Arabia, do not.
What it means in practice
For foreign residents and visitors, the change matters mainly for travel and staying in touch. Airline timetables are always given in local time, so a flight from London that lands at Dalaman or Antalya in the afternoon will continue to show its arrival in Turkish time; travellers booking autumn and winter trips should check departure times carefully when connecting through European hubs. Turkish airports have handled 193 million passengers in the first nine months of the year.
Remote workers employed by British or European companies will find that the working day starts and ends an hour later in Türkiye than in summer, and video calls with family in the UK will need adjusting. Smartphones set to update automatically will show the correct local time on both sides.
Visitors staying longer should also note new digital rules: from 1 November tourists will need a passport-based e-Devlet code to verify social media accounts. Those planning a longer stay can find practical steps in our moving to Türkiye checklist.
Sources
Photo: Javier Ortiz / Unsplash License, via Unsplash
