Your clock against UAE time.
The UAE does not change its clocks, but your country does, so the gap moves by an hour a few times a year. Here is the difference for the next six months, the dates it shifts, and how to write a pick-up time so nobody turns up at the wrong hour.
UAE time never changes
The UAE runs on Gulf Standard Time, four hours ahead of UTC, all year. Visit Abu Dhabi’s FAQ says there is no daylight saving, and the airport websites we read show UAE time as GMT +04:00. So when a gap changes, the change is on your side, not ours.
We could not find a UAE government page that says this in a sentence. The tourism FAQ and the airport pages agree, and that is the basis for this page. The table is a calculation made on 29 October 2026 from standard time-zone data, and it holds only for the six months shown.
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Get a quoteThe gap, month by month
Read each cell as how far the UAE is ahead of you, or behind you where noted. Add that number of hours to your clock to get UAE time. Subtract it where the UAE is behind.
| Where you are | 29 to 31 Oct 2026 | 1 Nov to 13 Mar 2027 | 14 to 27 Mar 2027 | 28 Mar to 3 Apr 2027 | From 4 Apr 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York, Washington, Miami | UAE ahead 8 h | ahead 9 h | ahead 8 h | ahead 8 h | ahead 8 h |
| Chicago | ahead 9 h | ahead 10 h | ahead 9 h | ahead 9 h | ahead 9 h |
| Denver | ahead 10 h | ahead 11 h | ahead 10 h | ahead 10 h | ahead 10 h |
| Los Angeles | ahead 11 h | ahead 12 h | ahead 11 h | ahead 11 h | ahead 11 h |
| London | ahead 4 h | ahead 4 h | ahead 4 h | ahead 3 h | ahead 3 h |
| Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid | ahead 3 h | ahead 3 h | ahead 3 h | ahead 2 h | ahead 2 h |
| Athens, Helsinki | ahead 2 h | ahead 2 h | ahead 2 h | ahead 1 h | ahead 1 h |
| Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart | UAE behind 7 h | behind 7 h | behind 7 h | behind 7 h | behind 6 h |
| Adelaide | behind 6.5 h | behind 6.5 h | behind 6.5 h | behind 6.5 h | behind 5.5 h |
| Brisbane | behind 6 h | behind 6 h | behind 6 h | behind 6 h | behind 6 h |
| Perth | behind 4 h | behind 4 h | behind 4 h | behind 4 h | behind 4 h |
| Tokyo | behind 5 h | behind 5 h | behind 5 h | behind 5 h | behind 5 h |
Denver is Mountain time. Arizona does not change its clocks and is not in the table. Japan, Brisbane and Perth keep the same offset all year.
When the gap shifts
- Sunday 1 November 2026: US and Canadian clocks go back, so the UAE moves one hour further ahead.
- Sunday 14 March 2027: US and Canadian clocks go forward, and the gap shrinks by an hour. For two weeks the US is on summer time while the UK and Europe are not, so a New York to London call has a four-hour gap, not five.
- Sunday 28 March 2027: UK and European clocks go forward, and the gap shrinks by an hour.
- Sunday 4 April 2027: daylight saving ends in New South Wales, Victoria, the ACT, Tasmania and South Australia. The gap shrinks by an hour for Sydney and for Adelaide.
Already behind us: UK and European clocks went back on Sunday 25 October 2026, and daylight saving began in the same Australian states on Sunday 4 October. The table above already counts both.
Worked examples
New York, November. You send the booking at 09:00 on Tuesday 10 November. New York is on standard time, so the UAE is nine hours ahead. It is 18:00 in the UAE. A flight landing at 06:30 on Thursday 12 November, UAE time, is 21:30 on Wednesday 11 November in New York. Put the UAE date in the booking.
London, December and April. At 09:00 in London in December it is 13:00 in the UAE. After 28 March 2027, the same 09:00 in London is 12:00 in the UAE.
Sydney, November. At 10:00 in Sydney it is 03:00 in the UAE the same day. After 4 April 2027, 10:00 in Sydney is 04:00 in the UAE.
Tokyo, any month. At 18:00 in Tokyo it is 13:00 in the UAE.
The odd fortnight. Between 14 and 27 March 2027, 09:00 in New York is 17:00 in the UAE, while 09:00 in London is 13:00. Group leaders who plan a call across several countries should check that fortnight twice.
How to write a time in a booking
Most mix-ups come from a time with no zone, or from a date written as 11/12. Americans read that as 12 November and most of the world reads it as 11 December. Write the month as a word.
- Use the 24-hour clock: 18:30, not 6:30.
- Write the date as 12 November 2026.
- Say "UAE time" next to every time, and add your own time in brackets if it helps you.
- Flight tickets show local times at each airport. A landing time on your ticket is already UAE time at Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Copy it as printed.
- For landings just after midnight, write both nights: "01:30 on 13 November, which is the night of 12 November".
We do not list reply hours on this page, so do not assume an answer inside your working day. Send the booking with the times above and the dates in words. Our passenger manifest template has a column for the UAE landing time.
Where this matters most
Night and early-morning landings are where the date slips. The night and early flight guide shows how we plan them, and the group airport transfer page describes the transfer itself. For a visitor assistant booking for someone else, use the booking checklist. Pick a vehicle by seats and bags: see the Mercedes V-Class, the Mercedes Sprinter or the 50-seater coach. Ask for a fixed written quote through the booking page.
Valid until April 2027
This table holds from 29 October 2026 to 29 April 2027. After that, the rule is the same: the UAE does not change its clocks, and your country does. Check your local change dates and move the gap by one hour on the day. We refresh this page each season.
Keep reading
- Personal vs full-time driver: Book a driver when you need one, or employ one of your own? Monthly cost, salary, visa and the extras people forget.
- Loading time for group luggage at the airport: A method to estimate the minutes between meeting the driver and leaving the airport with 20 to 70 people, with stated assumptions and six worked groups.
- Booking a Dubai airport pick-up for a visitor: A checklist for an assistant or host company booking a Dubai airport pick-up for a visiting colleague: what to send, who gets the confirmation and what the guest needs.
- GITEX 2026 for US, UK and EU delegates: Flying in for GITEX Global 2026 from the USA, UK or Europe: the time difference, which airport, where to stay, the Metro and shuttles, and where a driver fits.
- Abu Dhabi GP for US, UK and Australian fans: The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for fans from the USA, UK and Australia staying in Dubai: the race start in home time, the four days, a plan from a Dubai base and a pre-flight checklist.
- New Year’s Eve with a group: How to move a group on New Year’s Eve in Dubai: road closures, drop-off points, timings, vehicle sizes and the late return that decides everything.
Frequently asked.
Quick answers for this trip.
What time zone is the UAE in?
Gulf Standard Time, UTC+4, all year. Visit Abu Dhabi’s FAQ says there is no daylight saving.
What is the time difference between the UAE and New York?
Nine hours (UAE ahead) from 1 November 2026 to 13 March 2027, and eight hours otherwise in this window.
What is the time difference between the UAE and London?
Four hours (UAE ahead) until 27 March 2027, and three hours from 28 March.
What is the time difference between the UAE and Sydney?
The UAE is seven hours behind Sydney until 3 April 2027 and six hours behind from 4 April.
What is the time difference between the UAE and Tokyo?
The UAE is five hours behind Tokyo, all year. Japan does not change its clocks.
Does the UAE gap change twice a year?
The UAE never changes. Your own country’s clock changes move the gap, usually by one hour in spring and autumn.
Which time should I write in a transfer booking?
Write UAE time on the 24-hour clock with the date in words, as in our airport transfer requests.
Is the landing time on my ticket UAE time?
Yes, tickets show local time at each airport. Copy it as printed, then ask for a fixed written quote through the booking page.
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