Avenida Revolución in Tijuana by Gautam Krishnan / Unsplash

Time News 26 October 2026 2 min read

Sunday 1 November 2026: Clocks go back on Mexico's border

Only the towns along the US border change their clocks, together with the USA. The rest of Mexico has kept one time all year since 2022.

At a glance

When Sunday 1 November 2026, 02:00 local time
Change Clocks back 1 hour
Where Baja California and the towns on the US border
Rest of Mexico No change: one time all year since 2022
Next change Sunday 14 March 2027, on the border
Time zones

Most of Mexico stopped changing its clocks in 2022.^[1][2] But the towns along the US border still change together with the USA, so that they keep the same time as their neighbours across the border. On Sunday 1 November 2026, at 02:00 local time, their clocks go back one hour, to 01:00.^[1]

Where do the clocks go back?

The tall steel arch over Avenida Revolución in Tijuana, with palm trees — The Tijuana Arch by Magdiel Barragán / Unsplash (picture source, opens in a new tab)

All of Baja California, for example Tijuana, Mexicali and Ensenada: from UTC-7 to UTC-8, the same as San Diego.^[1][2]
Border towns in Chihuahua: Ciudad Juárez goes from UTC-6 to UTC-7, the same as El Paso, and Ojinaga from UTC-5 to UTC-6.^[1][2]
Border towns in Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas, for example Piedras Negras, Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa and Matamoros: from UTC-5 to UTC-6, the same as Laredo and Brownsville in Texas.^[1][2]

Who keeps the same time?

The golden Angel of Independence on Paseo de la Reforma, with orange flowers in front — The Angel of Independence in Mexico City by Edgar Soto / Unsplash (picture source, opens in a new tab)

The rest of Mexico keeps its time all year.^[1] Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey stay on UTC-6, Hermosillo and Mazatlán on UTC-7, and Cancún on UTC-5.^[2] Being near the border is not enough: Sonora, with Nogales, does not change, just like its US neighbour Arizona.^[1]

New time differences this winter

A fountain sculpture in a park in Monterrey, with mountains behind — A park in Monterrey by Juan Pablo Valdez / Unsplash (picture source, opens in a new tab)

Tijuana is 2 hours behind Mexico City, not 1.
Ciudad Juárez is 1 hour behind Mexico City; in summer they have the same time.
Matamoros, Reynosa and Nuevo Laredo have the same time as Monterrey; in summer they are 1 hour ahead.
Mexico City has the same time as Chicago and Houston; in summer it is 1 hour behind them.

The Mexico time zone map shows the time across the country. For the USA, see Clocks go back one hour in the USA.

Why only the border?

The bell tower of the cathedral in Ciudad Juárez against a blue sky — The cathedral in Ciudad Juárez by Carlos Freire / Unsplash (picture source, opens in a new tab)

In October 2022, Mexico's new time zone law ended summer time in most of the country: for most Mexicans, the last clock change was on 30 October 2022.^[2] The border towns were left out on purpose. Keeping the same time as the US cities next to them makes work, trade and daily life across the border easier.^[1]