Time Zone History

Bulgaria time zone history

On standard time, clocks in Sofia run 27 minutes ahead of local mean solar time. Local mean time, UTC+1:33:16, ended in 1880.

UTC+2

Standard time is UTC+2 (EEST/EET); clocks go forward to UTC+3 on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October.

tz database name Europe/Sofia

Convert a time from Bulgaria

Summer time in 48 of 57 years since 1970

UTC+1: 1 hour behind today’s standard timeUTC+1:33:16, UTC+1:56:56: behind today’s standard timeUTC+2: today’s standard timeUTC+3: 1 hour ahead of today’s standard timeUTC+1: 1 hour behind today’sstandard timeUTC+1:33:16, UTC+1:56:56: behindtoday’s standard timeUTC+2: today’s standard timeUTC+3: 1 hour ahead of today’sstandard time

How to read this chart

Before 1970

187018901910193019501970187019101950
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec1970198019902000201020202028JFMAMJJASOND1970198019902000201020202028

Standard time changes

DateChangeNew standard timeClock label
Before 1970
January 1, 1880Local mean time (UTC+1:33:16) replacedUTC+1:56:56IMT
November 30, 1894Standard time forward 3 minutesUTC+2EET
November 2, 1942Standard time back 1 hourUTC+1CET
April 2, 1945Standard time forward 1 hourUTC+2EET

Daylight saving periods

YearsClocks go forwardClocks go backShift and labels
Before 1970
1943March 29October 41 hour, CET to CEST
1944April 3October 21 hour, CET to CEST
Since 1970
1979March 31October 11 hour, EET to EEST
1980April 5September 291 hour, EET to EEST
1981–1982first Saturday in April, 23:00fourth Sunday in September, 02:001 hour, EET to EEST
1983–1995last Sunday in March, 02:00last Sunday in September, 03:001 hour, EET to EEST
1996–2037last Sunday in March, 00:00last Sunday in October, 00:001 hour, EET to EEST

Clock changes in 2026, 2027 and 2028

The clocks go forward 1 hour (EET to EEST) on March 29, 2026, March 28, 2027 and March 26, 2028 at 03:00 and back 1 hour (EEST to EET) on October 25, 2026, October 31, 2027 and October 29, 2028 at 04:00, local time.

Also on UTC+2

Romania, Greece, Moldova, Kyiv (Ukraine), Nicosia (Cyprus), Famagusta (Cyprus), Lithuania, Kaliningrad (Russia), Libya and Lebanon (nearest first; 12 more on the list of offsets).

Clocks next door since 1970

  • Romania (297 km): same time except 72 days in 1979–1982 and 1991–1993.
  • Albania (325 km): usually 1 hour behind; different on 914 days in 1974–1996.
  • Serbia (329 km): usually 1 hour behind; different on 712 days in 1979–1996.
  • Turkey (503 km): same time except 4,023 days in 1973–2006, 2011 and 2014–2026; 1 hour ahead today.
  • Greece (526 km): same time except 786 days in 1975–1996.

How it compares

Standard time has stayed at UTC+2 since 1945.