Morocco will permanently abolish daylight saving time (DST) and return to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) on September 20, 2026, according to a government decision announced by Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch after a Council of Government meeting. The change will take effect at 2:00 AM local time, when clocks will be set back one hour to 1:00 AM GMT.
The decision ends the country's eight-year experiment with permanent GMT+1, which was introduced in 2018. Since then, Morocco had observed DST from April to June and from August to October, with the rest of the year on GMT+1. The new policy will keep the country on GMT year-round, aligning with its historical time zone before 2018.
Government officials cited public demand and a desire to simplify daily life as reasons for the change. The move is expected to affect prayer times, business hours, and school schedules, which had been adjusted during DST periods. No further time changes are planned.
