Mexico Abolishes DST
By Anne Buckle and Mathew Gundersen. Published 27-Oct-2022. Changed 29-Nov-2022
Mexico is permanently removing Daylight Saving Time (DST), but northern border locations close to the US will still follow the American DST schedule.
Update: Time Zone Confusion in Northern Mexico
The new time zone law has left Chihuahuan towns along the border with a 1-hour difference from their US neighbors. The situation is causing significant socioeconomic issues in the region.
As a result, the Mexican government has drafted a new law allowing municipalities to follow the same DST schedule as the US. However, it is unclear which locations will change, so please check our newest article for updates.
Mexico is removing DST in most of the country. Image from the National Palace building at Plaza de la Constitucion in Mexico City, Mexico.
©iStockphoto.com/R.M. Nunes
On October 26, the Mexican Senate announced that they have approved a law to eliminate Daylight Saving Time (DST) in Mexico from October 30.
The law excludes areas on Mexico's northern border with the United States; these locations will continue to follow the same DST schedule as the US.
No DST in Most of Mexico
The new law means that most of Mexico will set their clocks back 1 hour from 02:00 (2:00 am) to 01:00 (1:00 am) on Sunday, October 30, 2022, and remain there.
The clocks will not be turned forward for DST in spring 2023.
Northern Border Locations Still Use DST
The state of Baja California, and many other locations close to the country’s northern border, follow the DST schedule of the United States. The DST period starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.
These states will remain on the same schedule as the US and continue observing DST. Here, the clocks are turned back 1 hour from 02:00 (2:00 am) to 01:00 (1:00 am) on Sunday, November 6, 2022. As DST starts on March 12 in the US, so will DST start in Mexico’s northern border areas.
No DST in Sonora and Quintana Roo
The state of Sonora does not change its clocks. The rationale is to stay in sync with the neighboring US state of Arizona, where Mountain Standard Time (MST) is observed all year.
Quintana Roo has opted out of following the country’s DST regime—establishing its own time zone in 2015—meaning Mexico’s easternmost state is observing EST year-round.
Time Zones in Mexico
Mexico has four standard time zones:
- Central Standard Time: includes central and most of the eastern parts of the country, including its capital Mexico City, known as Zona Centro.
- Mountain Standard Time: covers most of western Mexico, including the states of Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Nayarit, Sinaloa, and Sonora, known as Zona Pacífico.
- Pacific Standard Time: the state of Baja California, bordering California and the Pacific Ocean, known as Zona Noroeste.
- Eastern Standard Time: observed in Quintana Roo, Mexico’s easternmost state, known as Zona Sureste.