Morocco's 2026 time change and your day trip

What changed in Morocco on 20 September 2026?

Morocco left GMT+1 and returned to GMT, its legal time before 2018, under Decree 2.26.530. The government calls the move final.

The decision came on 25 June 2026, when the Council of Government adopted Decree 2.26.530. It repeals the October 2018 decree (No. 2.18.855) that had kept Morocco on GMT+1 all year. Hespress reported the decree's publication in the Bulletin officiel No. 7521, and the text posted to the IANA time zone list sets the switch for 02:00 on Sunday 20 September 2026.

Government spokesman Mustapha Baitas called it "a definitive decision", according to Morocco World News. The same report links the return to a petition that gathered around 350,000 signatures.

For a visitor the point is simple. Anything written before September 2026 that says Tangier and Tarifa share a clock is wrong for this season. That includes some tour descriptions, which are not always updated at the same speed as the law.

What is the time difference between Tarifa and Tangier?

One hour from 25 October 2026 to 28 March 2027, then two hours through the Spanish summer. Tangier is always the one behind.

Spain still changes its clocks twice a year under the EU rules. It went back to winter time (CET, GMT+1) on 25 October 2026 and goes forward to summer time (CEST, GMT+2) on Sunday 28 March 2027. Vozpópuli lists the 2027 dates as 28 March and 31 October. Spain asked Brussels to end the clock changes, but nothing has been agreed, so the March change goes ahead.

Morocco now stays on GMT all year. Put the two together and the gap swings between one and two hours. The two-hour summer gap is new: under the old rules the difference in summer was one hour.

Which clock do ferry tickets and tour times use?

Ferry departures are in the local time of the port you leave from. Baleària's day trip states its return times in Moroccan time.

The ferry part is standard. Direct Ferries says on its Tarifa to Tangier timetable that "all times displayed are in local time for the departing port". A boat home at 17:00 from Tangier Ville leaves at 17:00 Tangier time, which is 18:00 in Tarifa this winter.

Tour listings are less tidy. Baleària's own day trip is clear: departures at 9:00 or 11:00 from Tarifa, return sailings at 17:00 or 19:00 "Moroccan time". The listing for the day trip with lunch and ferry says the return is around 7pm with arrival in Tarifa around 8pm, without naming a clock. Ask the operator which one they mean when you book, and write it on your ticket.

One habit saves trouble: when a guide in Tangier says "back at the bus at four", that is Tangier time. Your phone will usually switch on its own when it picks up a Moroccan network. A watch will not.

Sold by the company that sails the boat, with return times given in Moroccan time and a 9:00 or 11:00 start.

★ 4.0 · 9 hours · from $104

Explore Baleària's Tangier day trip → Tour details

What does a 9:00 ferry from Tarifa look like on the clock?

This winter you leave Tarifa at 9:00 and land at about 9:00 in Tangier. From late March you land at about 8:00.

The crossing takes about an hour; Ferryhopper lists the shortest at 59 minutes. With Tangier one hour behind, the hour at sea disappears on paper on the way out and doubles on the way back. The table uses the departure times on Baleària's day trip listing and assumes a one-hour crossing.

Two things follow. Your morning in Tangier now starts earlier by the local clock, before many medina shops have their shutters up. And the evening back in Tarifa runs later than the tour length suggests: a 19:00 boat from Tangier puts you on the quay around 21:00, so book dinner for after that.

The total time away is unchanged. A nine-hour tour is still nine hours; only the numbers on the clocks moved.

Does Morocco still change the clock for Ramadan?

No. The Ramadan switch belonged to the 2018 GMT+1 rules, which are repealed. Clocks will not move for Ramadan 2027.

Under the old system Morocco dropped back to GMT for the fasting month and returned to GMT+1 afterwards. In 2026, Le Matin reported the switch to GMT on 15 February and the move back to GMT+1 on 22 March. In 2025 Hespress reported the same pattern, from 23 February to 6 April.

With GMT now the permanent legal time, there is nothing to switch to. Ramadan 2027, expected to start around 8 February, runs on the same clock as the rest of the winter. That makes the time gap with Tarifa steady at one hour from now until 28 March 2027. Our Ramadan 2027 post covers what else changes for a day-tripper that month.

Older ferry and tour pages may still warn about a Ramadan time change. Ignore that warning for 2027.

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