Morocco Returns to GMT Time Starting September 20, 2026
Morocco's government will switch back to GMT (Greenwich) time from September 20, 2026, ending eight years of a permanent one-hour time addition (GMT+1).
Morocco's government has decided to return to the Kingdom's legal time, GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), starting at dawn on Sunday, September 20, 2026, after eight years of permanently applying an "extra hour" (GMT+1). At 2:00 a.m. that day, clocks will be set back sixty minutes to 1:00 a.m., with the change applied simultaneously across the entire Kingdom.
Background of the decision
On October 26, 2018, the government of Saad Eddine El Otmani issued decree No. 2.18.855 on the Kingdom's legal time, which permanently added one hour to official time, with the possibility of reverting to GMT only during the month of Ramadan. Since then, the issue has fueled recurring public debate, reaching parliament, the judiciary and public opinion, with petitions filed by civil society actors at different points calling either for scrapping the extra hour or for keeping it. Amid this debate, Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch announced, on Thursday, June 25, 2026, the final decision to end the extra hour, before government spokesperson Mustapha Baitas confirmed the decision was "final" and specified the exact implementation date. Decree No. 2.26.530, on returning to the Kingdom's legal time and adopting GMT, was published in the Official Gazette for this purpose.
What exactly changes
As Morocco shifts from GMT+1 to standard GMT, the time difference with several Gulf countries will widen as follows:
| Country | New time difference with Morocco |
|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | +3 hours |
| Qatar | +3 hours |
| Kuwait | +3 hours |
| Bahrain | +3 hours |
| United Arab Emirates | +4 hours |
| Oman | +4 hours |
Why this decision matters
The decision ends an eight-year experiment, amid recurring complaints from citizens about the extra hour's impact on work, school and sleep schedules, which had prompted civil society groups to file several petitions over the years. The change will not affect flight durations, since departure and arrival times are always shown in the airport's local time, but travel experts advise passengers to double-check their flight schedules after September 20, especially for connecting flights. Unlike the previous practice, where clocks temporarily reverted to GMT only during Ramadan, the new time will now be fixed year-round, with no further return to the extra hour, as the government has finally settled a matter that had remained open for eight consecutive years.