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The essentials in three lines

  • Since 20 September 2026, Morocco has been on GMT all year round: no more clock changes, neither in summer nor during Ramadan.
  • In the European winter, from 25 October 2026 to 28 March 2027, France, Belgium, Switzerland and mainland Spain are 1 hour ahead of Agadir; the United Kingdom and the Canary Islands are on the same time. In the European summer, the gaps become 2 hours and 1 hour.
  • The times on your plane tickets are in local time, and both the delivery and the return of the car are on Agadir time: don't convert anything, just copy the times across.

You have a flight to Agadir during the October school holidays or this winter, and you remember a rule learnt on a previous trip: in winter, it is the same time as in France. That rule no longer applies: Morocco changed its clocks on 20 September 2026. Getting the hour wrong can be enough to miss your delivery appointment at the airport or to return the car late. Here are the correct reference points, checked in early October 2026.

What changed on 20 September 2026

Decree No. 2.26.530 on legal time, adopted by the Government Council on 25 June 2026, was published in Official Bulletin No. 7521 of 29 June 2026. Under this text, the clocks went back 60 minutes on Sunday 20 September 2026 at 2 am: Morocco returned to Greenwich Mean Time, the legal time set by a royal decree of 1967. The same text repeals the 2018 decree that kept the country on GMT+1, with a temporary return to GMT during Ramadan.

The government presents this return as permanent, and no seasonal clock change is planned. Morocco therefore stays on GMT in summer and winter alike. It is the European countries that still change their clocks twice a year: the time difference with them follows the European season.

France, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain: 1 hour ahead in winter, 2 in summer

France, Belgium, Switzerland and mainland Spain are on Central European Time: GMT+1 in winter, GMT+2 in summer. Summer time begins on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October. In 2026, the switch to winter time takes place during the night of 24 to 25 October.

Until 25 October 2026, these countries are therefore 2 hours ahead of Agadir. From 25 October 2026 to 28 March 2027, they are only one hour ahead. When it is 9:00 in Agadir in December, it is 10:00 in Paris, Brussels, Geneva and Madrid.

This is what will surprise those who already know Morocco: from October 2018 to September 2026, the country was on GMT+1, except during Ramadan, so in winter Agadir and Paris had the same time. If your stay straddles the last Sunday in October, as the French October school holidays do in 2026 (17 October to 2 November), nothing changes in Morocco: only the time back home changes.

United Kingdom and Canary Islands: the same time as Agadir in winter

The United Kingdom is on GMT in winter and GMT+1 in summer. According to the UK government, the clocks go back on 25 October 2026 and go forward on 28 March 2027. Between these two dates, London and Agadir have exactly the same time; the rest of the year, London is 1 hour ahead.

The same pattern applies to the Canary Islands: they are one hour behind mainland Spain and change their clocks at the same time, according to the Royal Observatory of the Spanish Navy. For British visitors too, winter is different: previously, Agadir was 1 hour ahead of London.

The table below sums up the differences.

When it is 12:00 in Agadir Paris, Brussels, Geneva, Madrid London, Canary Islands
European summer time: until 25 October 2026, then every year from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October 14 h 13 h
European winter time: from 25 October 2026 to 28 March 2027, then every year from the last Sunday in October to the last Sunday in March 13 h 12 h
For comparison: the winters of 2018-2019 to 2025-2026, when Morocco was on GMT+1 (outside Ramadan) 12 h 11 h

Plane tickets and delivery appointments: always Agadir time

On a plane ticket, every time is in local time: the departure in the time of the departure airport, the arrival in the time of the arrival airport. Don't add or subtract anything: the arrival time on your ticket is already Moroccan time.

That is the time we use. If you are collecting the car at the airport, your booking request page must give the flight number and the exact arrival time, as well as the return flight: copy them exactly as they are. The delivery and return times we agree together are also in Agadir time. If you land late, our article on night flights into Agadir explains how to collect the car after midnight.

A phone set to automatic time should normally update itself; a watch or alarm clock set by hand will not. And an appointment entered in your phone's calendar before you leave, in Paris time, may show up an hour out once you are in Morocco, if the phone switches time zone. Write the Moroccan time in the event title.

Returning the car: an hour's difference matters

For the return, the reference point is the same: the take-off time on your ticket, in Agadir time. We recommend returning the car 2 hours before your flight departs, as stated in our rental conditions. Example: flight at 15:10, car returned around 13:10. The right timing is explained in detail in our article on returning your car at Agadir airport.

Accuracy matters for the price too. Hire is counted in 24-hour periods: any day begun, beyond 2 hours, is charged as an extra day, and returning more than 2 hours late without prior agreement means a full day. A time zone mistake means being one or two hours out: enough to eat into that margin.

If your airline changes the time of your return flight, message us on WhatsApp as soon as you know, so that we can agree a new return time together. Our assistance is available 24/7.

Night falls earlier by the clock, and Ramadan no longer changes the time

Going back to GMT doesn't change the path of the sun, only the time on the clock. In winter, the sun rises and sets an hour earlier by the clock than in previous winters. According to Open-Meteo data, in Agadir the sun sets at around 17:40, Moroccan time, in early December, and rises at around 7:35 in early January. For a day trip to Taroudant or Essaouira, set off back early enough to get home in daylight.

Another change: Ramadan no longer comes with a clock change. Until 2026, Morocco went back to GMT during the month of Ramadan: that year, the clocks went back on 15 February and forward on 22 March. Under the new decree, the time stays the same all year round, Ramadan included. The dates of the next Ramadan, given according to the calendar, are still to be confirmed by the sighting of the crescent moon; the time, however, will not change.

Finally, on our website under Contact, our opening hours are listed in GMT: that is now Moroccan time all year round. If in doubt, just ask us.

Frequently asked questions

What is the time difference between France and Morocco in winter?

One hour: when it is 12:00 in Agadir, it is 13:00 in Paris. That is the case from 25 October 2026 to 28 March 2027, and then every European winter. In the European summer, the difference rises to 2 hours.

Does Morocco still change its clocks during Ramadan?

No. Decree No. 2.26.530 repealed the 2018 decree, which provided for a temporary return to GMT during Ramadan. Morocco is on GMT all year round, with no seasonal change planned.

What time should I return the car if my flight leaves from Agadir?

We recommend returning it 2 hours before the take-off time shown on your ticket, which is already Agadir time. Let us know on WhatsApp if the schedule changes.

Sources

Written by the Carsalis team, in Agadir. We have been hiring out cars from our office at 4 Bis rue Moulay Driss since 2008. What you are reading here comes from our own rental conditions and from what our customers ask us every week on WhatsApp.

A question about your car hire in Agadir? Message us on WhatsApp on +212 648 291 116, or use our booking request page. We usually reply within a minute, and we tell you straight whether the car is available or not.

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