Spain will end summer time this Sunday, 25 October 2026, summer time and return to winter time . In the Canary Islands, clocks go back from 2.00am to 1.00am local time. On mainland Spain, in Ceuta, Melilla and the Balearic Islands, the clocks go back an hour under the same timekeeping system, from 3.00am to 2.00am. This makes the night an hour longer.
The legal basis is Real Decreto 236/2002 and the subsequent Orden PCM/186/2022, which set the twice-yearly clock changes in Boletín Oficial del Estado for the years 2022 to 2026. Under these rules, summer time ends on the last Sunday in October each year. In 2026, that date falls on 25 October.
With the return to winter time, it gets light earlier in the morning and dark earlier in the evening. Train and flight timetables, shift patterns and public services adjust their operations to the time change; most electronic devices update automatically. Clocks that are not automatic need to be changed manually.
The change follows the practice that has been in force in Spain for years. Ending seasonal clock changes continues to be discussed within the European Union, but no binding decision has been made. Until new rules are introduced, the scheduled changeover dates remain in force.
The Canary Islands continue to observe a different time zone from mainland Spain. The change to winter time takes place at the same time there, but according to local time: from 2.00 am to 1.00 am. On the mainland and the Balearic Islands, the change takes place one hour later according to local time, from 3.00 am to 2.00 am. The rule is therefore uniform throughout Spain, with the familiar one-hour difference between the Canaries and the mainland.
Publication in the Boletín Oficial del Estado clarifies that the dates set out in Orden PCM/186/2022 apply for 2026. Changes would be possible only through a new state order and have not been announced at present.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).