Sunset over the Malecón in Havana by Emanuel Haas / Unsplash (picture source, opens in a new tab)

Time News 31 October 2026 3 min read

Sunday 1 November 2026: Cuba does not turn its clocks back

To save electricity, Cuba keeps summer time, UTC-4, for a whole year, until 7 November 2027. Schools and workplaces start 30 minutes later in winter instead.

At a glance

When Sunday 1 November 2026
Change None: Cuba stays on UTC-4 (summer time)
Where All of Cuba
Next change Sunday 7 November 2027, clocks back 1 hour
Capital Havana
Cuba population 11.2 million
Language Spanish
Currency Cuban Peso ($)
Calling code +53
Office hours Mon–Fri 8–17

Cuba does not turn its clocks back on Sunday 1 November 2026. Most of North America returns to winter time that day, but Cuba keeps its summer time, UTC-4, until Sunday 7 November 2027: a whole year without a clock change.^[1][2]

Cuba's Ministry of Energy and Mines and Ministry of Labour and Social Security announced the decision in a joint statement in late October 2026. Instead of a clock change, schools and workplaces start 30 minutes later in winter.^[1][2]

Why does Cuba keep summer time?

Old street lamps, people and a classic American car on a street in Havana in the evening sun — Evening sun in Havana, Cuba

To save electricity. Cuba is short of power and has long daily blackouts: on the day of the announcement, the national power company expected 915 megawatts of power for a demand of 2,850 megawatts.^[1]

With summer time, it gets dark one hour later in the evening, when people use the most electricity. The ministries say this avoids 126 megawatts of extra demand at the evening peak: 76 megawatts less for lighting, and 50 megawatts more from solar power in those hours.^[1]

School and work start 30 minutes later

A blue classic American car on a cobblestone street between colorful houses — A colorful street in Cuba

Without the change to winter time, mornings stay dark one hour longer. So from 1 November 2026 to 14 March 2027, schools and workplaces open 30 minutes later than usual.^[1][2]

Wages stay the same, and each workplace agrees its new hours with its union. Services that run day and night can organise their own hours.^[1][2]

New time differences

Havana is one hour ahead of Miami and New York from 1 November 2026, when the USA turns its clocks back, until 14 March 2027, when the USA puts them forward again. When it is 8 pm in Miami, it is 9 pm in Havana.^[3]
In those months, Havana is also one hour ahead of Toronto and Montréal, and two hours ahead of Mexico City.^[4]
Havana has the same time as Santo Domingo, San Juan and Caracas, which keep UTC-4 all year.^[4]
Havana is four hours behind London and five hours behind Madrid, since Europe turned its clocks back on 25 October 2026.^[4]

Phones may show the wrong time

Classic American cars parked in front of colorful colonial buildings with arcades in Havana — Classic cars in Havana by Jennifer Chen / Unsplash (picture source, opens in a new tab)

Many phones and computers still have the old rule, so they may turn their clocks back one hour anyway, at 01:00 on Sunday 1 November 2026.^[5] The time zone database that phones and computers use has already been updated, but the new rule reaches each device only with a software update.^[4]

If a phone shows the wrong time, Cuban news sites suggest switching off the automatic date and time for a while, moving the clock forward one hour, and checking alarms and appointments.^[5]

Has Cuba done this before?

Havana seen across the water: historic buildings and the dome of the Capitolio — Havana's skyline and the dome of the Capitolio by Pavel / Unsplash (picture source, opens in a new tab)

Yes. Cuba kept summer time all year from 2004 to 2006, and went back to winter time on 29 October 2006.^[4] It has also changed its dates at short notice: in 2011 it ended summer time two weeks late, and in 2012 it started summer time three weeks late, on 1 April.^[4]

From 2013 to March 2026, Cuba changed its clocks on the same Sundays as the USA and Canada, but at a different hour: in March at midnight, and in November at 01:00, while the USA changes at 02:00.^[4]

Next change: Sunday 7 November 2027

Cuba plans to return to winter time on Sunday 7 November 2027. At 01:00 the clocks go back one hour, to 00:00, and Cuba is on UTC-5 again.^[1][4] The USA turns its clocks back on the same day.