Dubai runs on Gulf Standard Time (GST), four hours ahead of UTC all year round. The United Arab Emirates does not use daylight saving time, so the clock never jumps forward or back.
Time zone facts
- IANA time zone: Asia/Dubai
- Country: United Arab Emirates (AE)
- Coordinates: 25.2048°, 55.2708°
Working week and business hours
Since January 2022 the UAE federal government has worked a Monday-to-Friday week, with a shorter day on Friday. Most private companies followed, so the weekend is now Saturday and Sunday — making it much easier to schedule calls with Europe and North America.
Typical office hours are 08:00 or 09:00 to 17:00 or 18:00. Many retail and hospitality businesses stay open late into the evening, especially during the cooler months.
Dubai and daylight saving time
Because Dubai never changes its clocks, its difference to cities that do observe DST changes twice a year. London is 4 hours behind Dubai in winter but only 3 hours behind in summer; New York is 9 hours behind in winter and 8 in summer.
Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the rest of the UAE share the same time zone. Oman is also UTC+4, while Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain are one hour behind at UTC+3.
Sunrise and sunset
Close to the Tropic of Cancer, Dubai’s day length only varies between roughly 10 h 30 min in December and 13 h 40 min in June, so sunrise stays between about 05:30 and 07:05 throughout the year.