Current Time in Atlantic/Reykjavik Time Zone

Where This Zone Applies

Atlantic/Reykjavik applies exclusively to Iceland, including the capital Reykjavik and all other settlements such as Akureyri, Keflavík, and Ísafjörður. The zone covers the whole country, from the southwestern peninsula to the eastern fjords. Iceland is the sole territory using this zone; no other country shares Atlantic/Reykjavik.

Offset and Abbreviation

The standard offset is UTC+00:00, commonly referred to as GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). Iceland uses the abbreviation GMT year-round. Unlike many European countries, Iceland does not switch to BST (British Summer Time) or any other daylight saving designation. The offset is constant, so local time is always the same as UTC/GMT.

No Daylight Saving Time

Iceland has not observed daylight saving time since 1968. The country experimented with summer time in the early 20th century but abandoned it permanently. As a result, Atlantic/Reykjavik has no spring-forward or fall-back transitions. The sun’s path varies dramatically with the seasons: in Reykjavik, summer days have nearly 21 hours of daylight, while winter days have only about 4 hours of sunlight. Despite these extremes, the clock remains fixed to GMT.

Countries and Cities

The only country in Atlantic/Reykjavik is Iceland. Key cities include Reykjavik (the capital and largest city), Kópavogur, Hafnarfjörður, Garðabær, and Akureyri. All follow the same time. Other IANA zones at the same standard offset (UTC+00:00) include Africa/Abidjan, Africa/Accra, and several others across West Africa and the Atlantic islands, but these are separate zones with different historical or political contexts.

Business Hours and Scheduling

Because Iceland stays on GMT all year, its time relative to other regions changes when those regions switch to daylight saving time. For example:

• Winter (November to March): Iceland is on the same time as the UK and Ireland (GMT). It is 1 hour behind most of Western Europe (CET) and 5 hours ahead of New York (EST).
• Summer (March to October): Iceland remains on GMT while the UK moves to BST (UTC+01:00). So Iceland is 1 hour behind the UK, 2 hours behind most of Western Europe (CEST), and 4 hours ahead of New York (EDT).

For scheduling calls, the best overlap with North America is typically in the late morning or early afternoon Icelandic time. With Asia, the window is narrow: Tokyo is 9 hours ahead in winter (8 in summer), so a morning call in Reykjavik may be late afternoon in Tokyo.

Practical Guidance

When planning meetings, always confirm whether the other party is on daylight saving time. Iceland’s constant offset makes it a reliable reference point. Use the abbreviation GMT for Iceland year-round. Avoid assuming Iceland uses BST or any other summer time.