Colombia time zone: what time it is and the difference with the UK and US

Colombia has a single time zone, UTC-5, the same from Cartagena to Leticia and all year round, because it doesn’t use daylight saving time. That means it’s 5 hours behind London in winter and 6 hours behind in summer, and the same time as New York in winter (1 hour behind in summer). Here’s a conversion table, the difference with other cities, daylight hours and some tips for jet lag.

What time is it in Colombia?

Colombia’s official time is UTC-5 (abbreviated COT, Colombia Time) and it’s the same throughout the country, including the islands of San Andrés. Colombia never changes its clocks: no daylight saving in spring and no change back in autumn. Official time is kept by the Instituto Nacional de Metrología (INM), which publishes it on its website.

Time difference between Colombia and the UK

Period	UK time	Difference	Example
GMT (last Sunday in October to last Sunday in March)	UTC+0	Colombia 5 hours behind	12 noon in London = 7 am in Bogotá
BST (last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October)	UTC+1	Colombia 6 hours behind	12 noon in London = 6 am in Bogotá

Conversion table

In Colombia	In the UK (GMT)	In the UK (BST)
7 am	12 noon	1 pm
9 am	2 pm	3 pm
12 noon	5 pm	6 pm
3 pm	8 pm	9 pm
6 pm	11 pm	midnight
9 pm	2 am next day	3 am next day

Time difference between Colombia and the US

US time zone	Winter (standard time)	Summer (daylight saving)
Eastern (New York, Miami)	same time	Colombia 1 hour behind
Central (Chicago, Houston)	Colombia 1 hour ahead	same time
Mountain (Denver)	Colombia 2 hours ahead	Colombia 1 hour ahead
Pacific (Los Angeles)	Colombia 3 hours ahead	Colombia 2 hours ahead

US daylight saving runs from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, while the UK and Europe change on the last Sundays of March and October. For a few weeks a year the differences are therefore an hour off what you’d expect: double-check if you’re booking calls or flights around those dates.

Time difference with other countries

City or country	Difference with Colombia
Madrid, Paris, Berlin	Colombia 6 hours behind (7 in European summer)
Toronto	as for New York
Mexico City	Colombia 1 hour ahead
Panama City, Lima, Quito	same time
Caracas	Colombia 1 hour behind
Buenos Aires, São Paulo	Colombia 2 hours behind

In Ecuador, the Galápagos Islands are one hour behind the mainland: remember to change your watch if you combine them with Colombia.

Sunrise, sunset and daylight hours

Colombia is close to the equator, so days last about 12 hours all year and sunrise and sunset times barely change between seasons. In Bogotá the sun rises between 5:40 and 6:15 am and sets between 5:45 and 6:15 pm; the Caribbean coast and the rest of the country are similar.

For your trip this means two things:

• it gets dark around 6 pm, even in July and August: plan hikes and road journeys so you arrive before evening;
• the day starts early: many Colombians get up at dawn, and hikes such as the Cocora Valley or national parks are best started early, before the afternoon clouds and rain.

The climate changes with altitude and the rainy seasons rather than with daylight: see when to visit Colombia for the month-by-month picture.

How to beat jet lag

From the US there’s little or no jet lag. From the UK, flying west makes your day longer, which is usually easier than the return trip. A few practical tips:

1. on the plane, set your watch to Colombian time and try to sleep when it’s night in Colombia;
2. on arrival, get outside in daylight and eat at local times;
3. on your first evening, stay up until 9-10 pm local time: you’ll wake up early for the first few days, but with sunrise around 6 am that’s no hardship;
4. in Bogotá, remember the altitude too (2,600 metres, 8,500 ft): tiredness and headaches in the first days may be down to the altitude rather than the time change.

Routes and connections are in the guide to flights to Colombia.

A curiosity: “hora Gaviria”

Colombia has used daylight saving only once. In 1992, during a severe energy crisis with rationing and blackouts, President César Gaviria’s government put the clocks forward one hour from 2 May to make better use of daylight. The measure, remembered as hora Gaviria, lasted about nine months and ended in early February 1993. The country has been on UTC-5 ever since.

FAQ

What is the time difference between the UK and Colombia?

Colombia is 5 hours behind the UK in winter (GMT) and 6 hours behind in summer (BST).

Is Colombia on the same time as New York?

In winter, yes: both are on UTC-5. When the US is on daylight saving time (March to November), Colombia is 1 hour behind New York.

Does Colombia have daylight saving time?

No. Colombia stays on UTC-5 all year; the only exception was the “hora Gaviria” of 1992-1993, during an energy crisis.

Does Colombia have more than one time zone?

No, there’s a single time zone, UTC-5, across the whole country, including the San Andrés and Providencia islands.