What Time Is It in Morocco Right Now?

Morocco's standard time changes on 20 September 2026. A decree of 2018 had put the country on UTC+1 all year, with a one-month reversion to GMT for Ramadan. That decree is repealed: from that date Morocco holds GMT permanently, and the Ramadan clock change ends with it.

• Before 20 September 2026: UTC+1, with a reversion to UTC+0 for Ramadan

• From 20 September 2026: UTC+0 (GMT), with no seasonal or lunar change

• IANA identifier: Africa/Casablanca

• Zones nationwide: One

Quick Reference: Before and After the Change

Morocco's transitions were scheduled by Ramadan, not by the seasons - and because the Islamic month runs on a lunar calendar, they drifted about eleven days earlier each year rather than falling on a fixed Sunday. The direction was inverted too: clocks moved back for Ramadan, bringing sunset an hour earlier to shorten the fasting day. No other country did either, and the 2026 repeal removes both.

Why This Broke More Software Than an Ordinary Changeover

The dates could not be extrapolated. Ordinary daylight saving rules are recurring patterns any library computes years ahead; Morocco's depended on a lunar observation, so time zone data had to list each transition individually - and stale copies simply lacked the next pair. The same applies to the September change: systems running old data show Morocco an hour out until they are refreshed.

Why the 2018 Arrangement Was Abandoned

Dark mornings did the damage. Casablanca sits near 7°30′W, so holding UTC+1 through winter put the clock well over an hour ahead of the sun and sunrise very late. Complaints centred on school starts, health and road safety. After reviewing eight years, the government reversed the policy and returned to what Morocco has always called its legal time: GMT.

What Changes for Anyone Scheduling Across the Border

The gap with Europe widens by an hour. Under UTC+1 Morocco was level with Madrid and Paris in the European winter; on GMT it sits an hour behind them, and two once European summer time begins. London goes the other way and becomes level. Anything saved against Africa/Casablanca follows the change automatically - anything hard-coded as UTC+1 reads an hour out.

Western Sahara Follows the Same Rules

Africa/El_Aaiun has tracked Moroccan practice throughout. The territory kept UTC+1 with the same Ramadan reversion, and the September change applies there too - which means the Mauritanian border, where the hour used to vanish for one month a year, becomes conversion-free permanently instead.

What is Morocco's time zone?
UTC+1 before 20 September 2026, and UTC+0 permanently from that date.

Does Morocco change clocks for Ramadan?
Not from the September change onward. Under the 2018 decree it did, reverting to UTC+0 for the month.

Why did Morocco move its clocks back for Ramadan rather than forward?
To bring sunset an hour earlier in civil time and shorten the fasting day - the reverse of how daylight saving normally works.

Why does my calendar app get Morocco wrong?
Its time zone data predates the current rules. Updating restores them, and the same applies around the September change.

Is Morocco the same time as Spain?
Not on GMT. Madrid sits an hour ahead in winter and two in summer.

Is Morocco the same time as the UK?
On GMT, yes, through the British winter. London then moves to summer time and reads an hour ahead.

Which identifier should software store?
Africa/Casablanca, on updated time zone data. A hard-coded UTC+1 is wrong from September 2026.

Related Guides

• Time in Spain

• Time in Algeria

• Time in Mauritania

• Time in Western Sahara