Time in Colombo, Sri Lanka 🇱🇰
The current local time in Colombo, Sri Lanka is shown below — the city is in the Asia/Colombo time zone (UTC +05:30 · IST).
Colombo local time
Thursday, 22 October 2026 IST
Colombo at a glance
- Time zone
Asia/Colombo· India Standard Time- UTC offset now
- +05:30 IST
- Daylight saving
- No · UTC +05:30 all year
- Coordinates
- 6.93° N, 79.86° E
- Population
- 752,993
- Country
- Sri Lanka · ISO LK
- Dialing code
- +94
- Currency
- Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR)
- Work week
- Monday to Friday
- Drives on the
- Left
Colombo right now
Time difference
Colombo is shown here relative to your device's time zone.
Planning a call? Compare hours side by side in the time zone converter.
Upcoming public holidays
- Vap Full Moon Poya Day Sun, Oct 25, 2026
- Deepavali Festival Day Sun, Nov 8, 2026
- Il Full Moon Poya Day Tue, Nov 24, 2026
- Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day Wed, Dec 23, 2026
Sun today
Sunrise 05:58 · Sunset 17:54
Day length 11h 56m · twilight and monthly table →
Colombo time vs. UTC
A 09:00–17:00 working day in Colombo overlaps with 09:00–17:00 UTC from 14:30 to 17:00 Colombo time. Open this page in your browser and the second row switches to your own time zone.
| Colombo | 00:00 | 01:00 | 02:00 | 03:00 | 04:00 | 05:00 | 06:00 | 07:00 | 08:00 | 09:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 12:00 | 13:00 | 14:00 | 15:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 19:00 | 20:00 | 21:00 | 22:00 | 23:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTC | 18:30 | 19:30 | 20:30 | 21:30 | 22:30 | 23:30 | 00:30 | 01:30 | 02:30 | 03:30 | 04:30 | 05:30 | 06:30 | 07:30 | 08:30 | 09:30 | 10:30 | 11:30 | 12:30 | 13:30 | 14:30 | 15:30 | 16:30 | 17:30 |
- Office hours 09–17
- Awake, off work
- Night 22–07
Colombo vs. major cities
How far Colombo is from the world's main business centres right now, what time it is there when the working day starts in Colombo, and which hours of a 09:00–17:00 day the two places share. Daylight saving changes are applied automatically.
| City | Difference | At 09:00 in Colombo | Shared office hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York · United States | −9:30 h | 23:30 (prev. day) | None |
| Los Angeles · United States | −12:30 h | 20:30 (prev. day) | None |
| São Paulo · Brazil | −8:30 h | 00:30 | None |
| London · United Kingdom | −4:30 h | 04:30 | 13:30–17:00 |
| Paris · France | −3:30 h | 05:30 | 12:30–17:00 |
| Johannesburg · South Africa | −3:30 h | 05:30 | 12:30–17:00 |
| Dubai · United Arab Emirates | −1:30 h | 07:30 | 10:30–17:00 |
| Delhi · India | Same time | 09:00 | 09:00–17:00 |
| Singapore · Singapore | +2:30 h | 11:30 | 09:00–14:30 |
| Beijing · China | +2:30 h | 11:30 | 09:00–14:30 |
Shared office hours are shown in Colombo time. Compare any set of cities hour by hour in the time zone converter, or pick a slot that suits everyone with the event planner.
Cities near Colombo
The closest places to Colombo among the cities we track, measured in a straight line from the city centre. Some of them keep a different clock, so check the time difference before crossing a border or booking a call.
| City | Distance | Time difference |
|---|---|---|
| Chennai · India | 690 km (430 mi) north | Same time |
| Bangalore · India | 720 km (450 mi) north | Same time |
| Hyderabad · India | 1,170 km (730 mi) north | Same time |
| Pune · India | 1,440 km (900 mi) northwest | Same time |
| Mumbai · India | 1,550 km (960 mi) northwest | Same time |
| Ahmedabad · India | 1,950 km (1,210 mi) northwest | Same time |
| Kolkata · India | 1,960 km (1,220 mi) northeast | Same time |
| Dhaka · Bangladesh | 2,190 km (1,360 mi) northeast | +0:30 h |
Distances are great-circle distances. A plus sign means the other city is ahead of Colombo.
Clock time vs. sun time in Colombo
Colombo's standard offset, UTC +05:30, is based on the 82.5° E meridian; the city itself lies at 79.86° E, 2.6° west of it. In standard time its clocks run about 11 min ahead of the sun. Solar noon — when the sun is highest — falls between 11:55 (around 29 October) and 12:26 (around 12 February) on the clock.
How dates and times are written in Colombo
- Short date
- 2026-10-22 · YYYY-MM-DD
- Long date
- 2026 වප් 22
- Time
- 15.30 · 24-hour clock
- Week starts on
- Monday
Examples show 22 October 2026 at 15:30 using the Unicode CLDR conventions for si-LK, Sri Lanka's most common locale. Businesses and English-language sources may use other formats.
Clock changes in Colombo
Since 1970, Colombo has gone through 3 distinct time-keeping periods, none of them with daylight saving time. Since 2006 it has stayed on UTC +05:30 all year.
No clock changes are scheduled in 2026 or 2027: Colombo stays on UTC +05:30 all year.
Time zone history since 1970 (3 periods)
| Years | Offset | Daylight saving |
|---|---|---|
| 1970–1995 | UTC +05:30 all year | No daylight saving time |
| 1996–2005 | UTC +06:00 all year | No daylight saving time |
| 2006–2026 | UTC +05:30 all year | No daylight saving time |
Source: IANA tz database, as shipped with the Unicode ICU library.
Daylight in Colombo through the year
The longest day in Colombo is 22 June with 12h 31m of daylight; the shortest is 22 December with 11h 43m. Day length barely changes — the gap between the longest and shortest day is only 0 h 48 min, typical of places near the equator. The earliest sunrise is at 05:54 on 18 May and the latest sunset at 18:32 on 11 July — not on the solstice itself, because solar noon drifts through the year.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Colombo in?
Colombo uses the Asia/Colombo time zone (IST): UTC +05:30 all year round.
Does Colombo observe daylight saving time?
No. Colombo has not used daylight saving time since at least 1970.
When is the longest day of the year in Colombo?
Around 22 June, with 12h 31m of daylight. The shortest day is around 22 December, with 11h 43m.
What is the dialing code for Colombo?
To call Colombo from abroad, dial your international access code, then Sri Lanka's country code +94, then the local number without its leading trunk prefix.
What are normal working days in Colombo?
The standard work week in Sri Lanka runs Monday to Friday, with the weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Keep this in mind when scheduling calls from countries with a different weekend.
What is the nearest city to Colombo on a different time?
Of the 189 cities we track, the closest one keeping a different clock is Dhaka, Bangladesh, about 2,190 km (1,360 mi) to the northeast. It is 30 min ahead of Colombo.
How are dates and times written in Colombo?
Following the si-LK conventions in the Unicode CLDR, a short date is written YYYY-MM-DD (2026-10-22) and times usually use the 24-hour clock (15.30). Calendars start the week on Monday.
Explore more for Colombo
Everything else we track for Colombo: daylight, weather, the country overview, and the exact time-zone references.