Chile time zone history
Chile has 4 zones of its own in the tz database. Standard times run from UTC−6 (Easter Island) to UTC−3 (Punta Arenas), a spread of 3 hours. Two of the 4 zones still change clocks for summer time under the current rules; the other 2 do not.
The 4 zones of Chile since 1970
Zones at a glance
| Zone | Area covered | Standard time | Clock changes today | New standard times since 1970 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coyhaique | Aysén Region | UTC−3 | no, last in 2025 | 1 |
| Punta Arenas | Magallanes Region | UTC−3 | no, last in 2016 | 1 |
| Santiago | Chile (most areas) | UTC−4 | yes | 0 |
| Easter Island | Easter Island | UTC−6 | yes | 1 |
What sets each zone apart
- Coyhaique: On standard time, clocks at Coyhaique run 1 hour 48 minutes ahead of local mean solar time, the fifth-largest gap of the 233 zones whose clocks run ahead of the sun. On March 20, 2025 the summer offset, UTC−3, became permanent standard time; the clocks did not move that day.
- Punta Arenas: On standard time, clocks at Punta Arenas run 1 hour 44 minutes ahead of local mean solar time, the eighth-largest gap of the 233 zones whose clocks run ahead of the sun. Daylight saving time was used in 47 years since 1970, last in 2016; under the current rules the clocks no longer change.
- Santiago: On standard time, clocks at Santiago run 43 minutes ahead of local mean solar time, the largest gap of the 14 zones on UTC−4 standard time whose clocks run ahead of the sun. Clocks have been changed 112 times since 1970, the most of the 41 zones in South America.
- Easter Island: On standard time, clocks at Easter Island run 1 hour 18 minutes ahead of local mean solar time, the largest gap of the 31 zones in Oceania whose clocks run ahead of the sun. Under the current rules, summer time lasts 211 days in 2027, the longest of the 11 zones in Oceania with summer time.
How the zones compare with Santiago since 1970
- Coyhaique: same time as Santiago except 308 days in 2025 and 2026; 1 hour ahead today.
- Punta Arenas: same time as Santiago except 1,421 days in 2017–2026; 1 hour ahead today.
- Easter Island: usually 2 hours behind Santiago; different on 4,455 days in 1970–1982.
Every change of standard time since 1970
3 changes across the 4 zones, oldest first.
- March 13, 1982 Easter Island: summer offset kept as standard time
- December 4, 2016 Punta Arenas: summer offset kept as standard time
- March 20, 2025 Coyhaique: summer offset kept as standard time
Clock changes in 2026, 2027 and 2028
April 4, 2026 (back 1 hour); September 5, 2026 (forward 1 hour); April 3, 2027 (back 1 hour); September 4, 2027 (forward 1 hour); April 1, 2028 (back 1 hour); September 2, 2028 (forward 1 hour)
April 5, 2026 (back 1 hour); September 6, 2026 (forward 1 hour); April 4, 2027 (back 1 hour); September 5, 2027 (forward 1 hour); April 2, 2028 (back 1 hour); September 3, 2028 (forward 1 hour)