When do the clocks change next in Spain in 2025?

Each year the clocks change twice in Spain, once during spring and again during autumn.

The clocks move forward or back one hour in March and October, so that we can benefit from lighter mornings during the shorter darker days of the year and lighter evenings during the longer days. 

The next change will happen this weekend, the final weekend of March, when we move to what is known as 'daylight saving time'. This practice is carried out by most European countries, as well as the US and Canada. 

In Spain, daylight saving time begins on the last Sunday of March. This year it’s on Sunday March 30th 2025 and means that the clocks will move forward (though nowadays it’s mostly done automatically) by one hour during the early morning hours.

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When do the clocks change next in Spain in 2025?

Daylight savings time comes into force as the clocks are moved forward by one hour in the early hours of March 29-30th. This means that when the clock strikes 2 a.m. on March 30th, it will jump one hour ahead to 3 a.m.

In the Canary Islands, the change will occur at 1a.m. in the morning, at which point it will become 2 a.m.

It will last until the clocks go back again on Sunday 26 October, when we return to winter time.

All the confirmed dates of clock changes up until 2026 are:

Sunday March 30th 2025

Sunday October 26th 2025

Sunday March 29th 2026

Sunday October 25th 2026

This will be a welcome change for many Spaniards as spring properly arrives and the country begins looking ahead to summer. However, there’s an interesting historical quirk when it comes to Spanish timekeeping.

Spain is on Central European Time, the same as 17 different EU member states, but in reality, it should be in the same zone as the UK and Portugal, one hour behind. This is because the country has been in the wrong time zone for the last 85 years. 

In 1940, dictator Francisco Franco decided to show his support for Hitler by agreeing to put Spain’s clocks forward by an hour in an act of solidarity with Nazi Germany. 

Spain has remained in the Central European Time zone ever since, in line with countries as far east as Poland. This means that Madrid currently has the same time as Warsaw in Poland 2,290km away but is one hour ahead of Lisbon which is only 502 km away. 

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