Daylight saving time in Sweden
Sweden changes its clocks twice a year. Here are the dates and what happens.
Clock change dates
| Year | Summer time starts | Winter time starts |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday 29 March | Sunday 25 October |
| 2027 | Sunday 28 March | Sunday 31 October |
| 2028 | Sunday 26 March | Sunday 29 October |
How does the change work?
Summer time starts on the last Sunday in March. At 02:00 the clock moves forward one hour to 03:00, so the night is one hour shorter. Winter time, which is really standard time, starts on the last Sunday in October. At 03:00 the clock goes back to 02:00, and you get an extra hour. During summer time Sweden uses Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+2). In winter it uses Central European Time (CET, UTC+1).
An easy way to remember
Spring forward, fall back. In spring the clock jumps ahead, in autumn it falls back. Phones and computers change automatically, but ovens, car clocks and older alarm clocks often need to be set by hand.
Why does Sweden have summer time?
Sweden made summer time permanent in 1980 to match its neighbours and get lighter evenings in summer. Today the dates are set by an EU directive, so every EU country changes on the same night. The European Parliament voted in 2019 to end the clock changes, but the member states have not agreed on which time to keep all year. So Sweden keeps changing its clocks until a new decision is made.
How does it affect you?
The switch to summer time can disturb your sleep for a few days, a bit like mild jet lag. Going to bed slightly earlier the days before helps. The time difference to countries outside the EU also shifts for a few weeks, because the USA, for example, changes on other dates.