Mexico City Time Zone: No Daylight Saving Time Since 2022
Why Mexico City's clocks no longer change, which parts of Mexico follow US daylight saving time, and how the time difference with New York, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles shifts in March and November.
Mexico City is on Central Standard Time, UTC-6, all year. Mexico abolished daylight saving time with the Time Zones Law (Ley de los Husos Horarios en los Estados Unidos Mexicanos), which took effect on October 30, 2022. Only certain municipalities along the US border still move their clocks, following the US calendar from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November.
Does Mexico City change its clocks?
No. Since October 30, 2022, Mexico City has kept the same time year-round. The Time Zones Law repealed the earlier law on the national time system and the 2002 decree that set summer time, and Article 4 says the country has a standard time for each zone, with seasonal time applied only in the states and municipalities of the northern border.
Mexico City belongs to the Central Zone, which the law ties to the 90th meridian west of Greenwich. That is UTC-6, the same offset as Chicago in winter.
What are Mexico’s time zones?
Article 3 of the law sets four zones for the country:
| Zone | Offset | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Southeast | UTC-5 | Quintana Roo (Cancún, Tulum) |
| Central | UTC-6 | Most of the country, including Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Chihuahua state |
| Pacific | UTC-7 | Baja California Sur, Nayarit (except Bahía de Banderas), Sinaloa and Sonora |
| Northwest | UTC-8 | Baja California (Tijuana, Mexicali, Ensenada) |
Bahía de Banderas, the Nayarit municipality next to Puerto Vallarta, uses Central time, so a hotel on its side of the bay matches Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta. Islands follow the zone of their geographic position.
Which Mexican border cities still use daylight saving time?
Article 5 lists the border areas that change clocks so they stay in step with their US neighbors. The seasonal time starts at 2:00 on the second Sunday of March and ends at 2:00 on the first Sunday of November:
- All of Baja California, including Tijuana and Mexicali, which match California.
- Ciudad Juárez and the Chihuahua border municipalities of Janos, Ascensión, Praxedis G. Guerrero and Guadalupe, which match El Paso.
- Ojinaga, Manuel Benavides and Coyame del Sotol in Chihuahua, which keep step with the Texas side of the border.
- Border municipalities in Coahuila (including Piedras Negras and Acuña), Anáhuac in Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas cities such as Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa and Matamoros, which match Texas across the river.
The rest of Sonora does not change, so it matches Arizona all year. The full text is in the Time Zones Law published by the Chamber of Deputies, last amended in November 2022.
What is the time difference between Mexico City and US cities?
Because the US still changes its clocks and Mexico City does not, the gap with most US cities shifts twice a year. Between the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November, US cities on daylight saving time move one hour closer to, or further ahead of, Mexico City.
| US city | Mid-March to early November | Early November to mid-March |
|---|---|---|
| New York, Miami, Atlanta | 2 hours ahead | 1 hour ahead |
| Chicago, Houston, Dallas | 1 hour ahead | Same time |
| Denver | Same time | 1 hour behind |
| Phoenix (no daylight saving) | 1 hour behind | 1 hour behind |
| Los Angeles, Seattle | 1 hour behind | 2 hours behind |
Remote workers feel this most. A 9:00 meeting in New York is at 7:00 in Mexico City in summer and 8:00 in winter. Our guide to working remotely in Mexico legally covers the immigration and tax side of a US job from Mexico City.
Why did Mexico drop daylight saving time?
The change came from Congress, which passed the new law in October 2022 with a federal standard time for each zone and seasonal time only for the northern border. Before that, summer time applied across most of Mexico under the 2002 decree that the new law repealed. The border exception keeps cities such as Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez and Nuevo Laredo on the same clock as the US cities they trade and commute with.
The law also sets the procedure for future changes. A state that wants a different zone or seasonal time must ask the federal Congress through its local congress, and the Interior Ministry gives an opinion first.
How do you avoid time mix-ups?
Most mistakes come from devices or calendars that still assume the old rules, and from flights to border cities. Simple checks help:
- Set phones and laptops to update the time zone automatically, or choose “Mexico City” rather than a generic “Central Time (US)” setting.
- In shared calendars, set meetings in the organizer’s city time and let the software convert.
- For flights, read the local times on the ticket. Flights to Tijuana, Cancún or Hermosillo cross into zones with different offsets.
- In March and November, check the gap with US colleagues in the week the US changes its clocks.
Mexico’s National Metrology Center (CENAM) keeps the country’s official time. Holidays and long weekends are unaffected by the time rules; our list of Mexico’s public holidays covers the dates when offices close.
Bottom line
Mexico City never changes its clocks, so only the US side of any call moves. Mark the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November in your calendar and recheck recurring meetings with US teams on those weeks.
FAQ
Is Mexico City on the same time as Chicago?
Only from early November to mid-March. When Chicago is on daylight saving time, it is one hour ahead of Mexico City.
Can a Mexican state bring back daylight saving time?
Article 6 of the law says a state that wants to adopt a different zone or seasonal time must have its local congress ask the federal Congress, which decides. Any change needs a federal law reform.
What time zone is Cancún in?
Quintana Roo, which includes Cancún, is on UTC-5 all year, one hour ahead of Mexico City.
