Morocco Returns to GMT: Clocks Change Permanently on September 20

Morocco is changing its clocks, and this time it is permanent. On 25 June 2026 the government adopted Decree No. 2.26.530, ending the year-round GMT+1 system the country has used since 2018. The decree was published in the Official Bulletin four days later.

The switch happens on Sunday 20 September 2026. At 2:00 in the morning, clocks across the country move back one hour. If you are in Morocco after that date, or you deal with anyone who is, your schedules, calls, and flight times shift by an hour. Here is what actually changes and who needs to pay attention.

What is changing

Since 2018, Morocco stayed on GMT+1 all year, with one exception: during Ramadan it dropped back to GMT to make the fasting day easier, then jumped forward again afterward. That back-and-forth is what most people found exhausting. The new decree scraps the whole system. From 20 September onward, Morocco stays on GMT permanently, with no seasonal changes and no Ramadan adjustment.

In practical terms, the country is moving its clocks back one hour for good. Mornings will get lighter earlier, which was the main complaint driving the change. Dark winter mornings meant children walking to school before sunrise, and years of public pressure built up around exactly that problem.

The change also applies to Western Sahara.

Why the government did it

The official reason is public demand, and for once that is not spin. A petition calling for the end of GMT+1 gathered more than 340,000 signatures. Parents, students, and teachers had complained for years that the permanent extra hour hurt school schedules, commutes, and sleep, especially in winter when the sun rose late. The government framed the reversal as a return to Morocco’s legal time, set under King Hassan II in 1967.

The original 2018 switch to GMT+1 was meant to align Morocco more closely with its European trading partners, particularly France and Spain. That logic held for business, but it never won over the public. The timing of the announcement, days before September legislative elections, drew some cynical reactions, but the change itself is real and formalised by decree.

Who needs to pay attention

If you are travelling to Morocco after 20 September, check that your phone updates automatically and confirm your flight times against the new zone. Most phones handle time zone changes on their own once the update rolls out, but early on it is worth verifying rather than trusting, because carriers and apps sometimes lag behind a fresh zone change. Airline systems generally update automatically, but an itinerary printed or emailed before the announcement may show the old local time.

If you live in Morocco and work with people abroad, your time difference with Europe widens by an hour year-round. Morocco will sit one hour behind France and Spain during their winter, and two hours behind during their summer. It will match the UK in winter and sit one hour behind British Summer Time. That affects when you schedule calls, when your calendar syncs, and when European deadlines actually land in your day.

If you are here during Ramadan in future years, the old Ramadan clock change is gone. The country simply stays on GMT throughout, so there is no longer a temporary shift to plan around.

The bottom line

This is a small change with a wide reach. One hour does not sound like much, but it touches flights, school runs, business calls, and every calendar with a Morocco entry in it. The date to remember is 20 September 2026. After that, Morocco runs on GMT permanently.

Set a reminder, and check your devices the morning after.

Related reading: The Best Time of Year to Visit Morocco, Ramadan in Morocco for Non-Muslims, and Getting Around Morocco.

Accuracy note: this article reflects information available at the time of publication. Verify current information with official sources before making travel or scheduling decisions.