Time in Sofia, Bulgaria 🇧🇬
The current local time in Sofia, Bulgaria is shown below — the city is in the Europe/Sofia time zone (UTC +03:00 · EEST).
Sofia local time
Thursday, 22 October 2026 EEST
Sofia at a glance
- Time zone
Europe/Sofia- UTC offset now
- +03:00 EEST
- Daylight saving
- Yes · UTC +02:00 / +03:00
- Coordinates
- 42.70° N, 23.32° E
- Population
- 1,248,452
- Country
- Bulgaria · ISO BG
- Dialing code
- +359
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Work week
- Monday to Friday
- Drives on the
- Right
Sofia right now
Time difference
Sofia 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
- Christmas Eve Thu, Dec 24, 2026
- Christmas Day Fri, Dec 25, 2026
- New Year's Day Fri, Jan 1, 2027
- Liberation Day Wed, Mar 3, 2027
Sun today
Sunrise 07:48 · Sunset 18:35
Day length 10h 47m · twilight and monthly table →
Sofia time vs. UTC
A 09:00–17:00 working day in Sofia overlaps with 09:00–17:00 UTC from 12:00 to 17:00 Sofia time. Open this page in your browser and the second row switches to your own time zone.
| Sofia | 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 | 21:00 | 22:00 | 23:00 | 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 |
- Office hours 09–17
- Awake, off work
- Night 22–07
Sofia vs. major cities
How far Sofia is from the world's main business centres right now, what time it is there when the working day starts in Sofia, 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 Sofia | Shared office hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York · United States | −7 h | 02:00 | 16:00–17:00 |
| Los Angeles · United States | −10 h | 23:00 (prev. day) | None |
| São Paulo · Brazil | −6 h | 03:00 | 15:00–17:00 |
| London · United Kingdom | −2 h | 07:00 | 11:00–17:00 |
| Paris · France | −1 h | 08:00 | 10:00–17:00 |
| Johannesburg · South Africa | −1 h | 08:00 | 10:00–17:00 |
| Dubai · United Arab Emirates | +1 h | 10:00 | 09:00–16:00 |
| Delhi · India | +2:30 h | 11:30 | 09:00–14:30 |
| Singapore · Singapore | +5 h | 14:00 | 09:00–12:00 |
| Beijing · China | +5 h | 14:00 | 09:00–12:00 |
Shared office hours are shown in Sofia 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 Sofia
The closest places to Sofia 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Bucharest · Romania | 300 km (180 mi) northeast | Same time |
| Belgrade · Serbia | 330 km (200 mi) northwest | −1 h |
| Istanbul · Türkiye | 500 km (310 mi) east | +1 h / Same time |
| Athens · Greece | 530 km (330 mi) south | Same time |
| Budapest · Hungary | 630 km (390 mi) northwest | −1 h |
| Zagreb · Croatia | 680 km (420 mi) northwest | −1 h |
| Bratislava · Slovakia | 780 km (480 mi) northwest | −1 h |
| Naples · Italy | 780 km (480 mi) west | −1 h |
Distances are great-circle distances. A plus sign means the other city is ahead of Sofia.
Clock time vs. sun time in Sofia
Sofia's standard offset, UTC +02:00, is based on the 30° E meridian; the city itself lies at 23.32° E, 6.7° west of it. In standard time its clocks run about 27 min ahead of the sun, and 1 h 27 min ahead during daylight saving time. Solar noon — when the sun is highest — falls between 12:11 (around 29 October) and 13:34 (around 23 July) on the clock. Mornings stay dark later and evenings stay light longer than the clock suggests.
How dates and times are written in Sofia
- Short date
- 22.10.2026 г. · DD.MM.YYYY г.
- Long date
- 22 октомври 2026 г.
- Time
- 15:30 · 24-hour clock
- Week starts on
- Monday
Examples show 22 October 2026 at 15:30 using the Unicode CLDR conventions for bg-BG, Bulgaria's most common locale. Businesses and English-language sources may use other formats.
Clock changes in Sofia
Since 1970, Sofia has gone through 2 distinct time-keeping periods, observing daylight saving time in 48 of 57 years. The current pattern, in place since 1979, is UTC +02:00 with UTC +03:00 in daylight saving time. Clocks currently go forward on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October, a rule in place since 1996.
| Date | Change | Local clock | New offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 29 March 2026 | Forward 1 hour | 03:00 → 04:00 | UTC +03:00 |
| Sunday, 25 October 2026 | Back 1 hour | 04:00 → 03:00 | UTC +02:00 |
| Sunday, 28 March 2027 | Forward 1 hour | 03:00 → 04:00 | UTC +03:00 |
| Sunday, 31 October 2027 | Back 1 hour | 04:00 → 03:00 | UTC +02:00 |
When clocks go forward, sunrise and sunset both happen an hour later by the clock — darker mornings, lighter evenings — and the night of the change is an hour shorter. When they go back, the reverse applies.
Time zone history since 1970 (2 periods)
| Years | Offset | Daylight saving |
|---|---|---|
| 1970–1978 | UTC +02:00 all year | No daylight saving time |
| 1979–2026 | UTC +02:00, DST UTC +03:00 | Forward on the last Sunday in March, back on the last Sunday in October (since 1996) |
Source: IANA tz database, as shipped with the Unicode ICU library.
Daylight in Sofia through the year
The longest day in Sofia is 21 June with 15h 19m of daylight; the shortest is 22 December with 9h 2m. Day length swings by 6 h 17 min over the year. The earliest sunrise is at 05:49 on 10 June and the latest sunset at 21:10 on 25 June — not on the solstice itself, because solar noon drifts through the year.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Sofia in?
Sofia uses the Europe/Sofia time zone (EET / EEST): UTC +02:00 in standard time and UTC +03:00 during daylight saving time.
Does Sofia observe daylight saving time?
Yes. In 2026 clocks in Sofia go forward on Sunday, 29 March 2026 at 03:00 and back on Sunday, 25 October 2026 at 04:00.
When is the longest day of the year in Sofia?
Around 21 June, with 15h 19m of daylight. The shortest day is around 22 December, with 9h 2m.
What is the dialing code for Sofia?
To call Sofia from abroad, dial your international access code, then Bulgaria's country code +359, then the local number without its leading trunk prefix.
What are normal working days in Sofia?
The standard work week in Bulgaria runs Monday to Friday, with the weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Keep this in mind when scheduling calls from countries with a different weekend.
Why is sunset so late in Sofia?
Sofia lies at 23.32° E, 6.7° west of the 30° E meridian its UTC +02:00 offset is based on, so its clocks run about 27 min ahead of the sun in standard time and 1 h 27 min ahead in daylight saving time. Solar noon falls between 12:11 and 13:34 through the year instead of around 12:00, and the latest sunset is at 21:10 on 25 June.
What is the nearest city to Sofia on a different time?
Of the 189 cities we track, the closest one keeping a different clock is Belgrade, Serbia, about 330 km (200 mi) to the northwest. It is 1 h behind Sofia.
How are dates and times written in Sofia?
Following the bg-BG conventions in the Unicode CLDR, a short date is written DD.MM.YYYY г. (22.10.2026 г.) and times usually use the 24-hour clock (15:30). Calendars start the week on Monday.
Explore more for Sofia
Everything else we track for Sofia: daylight, weather, the country overview, and the exact time-zone references.