Finland time now, live flip clock
Clocks across Finland show Eastern European Time, EET, UTC+2, through the winter. In summer they run an hour ahead, at EEST, UTC+3. Seconds tick live on the flip clock above, set to Helsinki.
Time zone in Finland
The time zone database lists a single zone for Finland, with Helsinki as its city. Espoo, Tampere and Vantaa keep that one clock too. Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius match Helsinki's clock in every season.
- EET, UTC+2
- EEST, UTC+3
- Helsinki, Espoo, Tampere, Vantaa
When the clocks change in Finland
Clocks in Finland change twice a year.
Sunday 25 October 2026
4:00 AMto3:00 AM
Sunday 28 March 2027
3:00 AMto4:00 AM
How many hours ahead or behind Helsinki
On 24 October 2026, London is 2 hours behind Helsinki.
| City | Difference from Helsinki |
|---|---|
| London | 2 hours behind |
| Berlin | 1 hour behind |
| Moscow | Same time |
| New York | 7 hours behind |
| Los Angeles | 10 hours behind |
| Kolkata | 2 hours 30 minutes ahead |
| Shanghai | 5 hours ahead |
| Sydney | 8 hours ahead |
| Your time zone | Detected after this page loads |
Decrees, atomic clocks and older Finnish time
- Normaaliaika and kesäaika in two decrees
- +2 h
- As first issued, the decree on units of measurement defined normaaliaika, Finnish standard time. It placed that time two hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. A later government decree covers kesäaika, or summer time. It puts summer time three hours ahead of the same scale. For that scale, it points back to section twelve of the older decree.
- Official time from VTT MIKES
- UTC(MIKE)
- VTT MIKES is the National Metrology Institute of Finland. VTT says this institute maintains the official time in Finland. It keeps the Finnish realisation of Coordinated Universal Time, called UTC(MIKE). That time scale is based on atomic clocks.
- Helsinki Mean Time
- HMT
- A note in the time zone database cites Milne, who drew on an official document, for Helsinki's old local time. It ran one hour, thirty-nine minutes and just over forty-nine seconds ahead of Universal Time. The database calls this Helsinki Mean Time and ends it a few years after the First World War. Its Finnish notes also record clocks going back an hour one October night during the Second World War.
Questions about time in Finland
What time zone is Finland in?
Finland sits in Eastern European Time, shortened to EET, for the winter months. Summer brings Eastern European Summer Time, EEST. The time zone database gives Finland one zone, so Tampere and Helsinki clocks agree.
When do the clocks change in Finland?
Finland's summer-time decree moves the clocks on the last Sunday of March and the last Sunday of October. In spring they jump forward one hour at three in the morning. In autumn they fall back one hour at four, so the hour from three to four comes round twice.
Do the Åland Islands show the same time as Helsinki?
Yes. The time zone database gives the Åland Islands an entry of their own, under Mariehamn. It links Mariehamn to the Helsinki zone, so the two clocks match in summer and winter. This site keeps a separate page for the Åland Islands as well.
Can Finland stop changing its clocks on its own?
No, according to material in Eduskunta's records. That material says the power over summer time lies with the European Union. Finland cannot give up summer time alone while the EU summer-time directive is in force. An EU proposal to end seasonal time changes is still awaiting the Council's first-reading position.
What is the time difference between Finland and Moscow?
In winter, Moscow is 1 hour ahead of Helsinki. Moscow does not move its clocks, while Finland switches to summer time. From late March to late October the two cities therefore read the same. Finland's autumn change opens the one-hour gap again.
What is the time difference between Finland and the UK?
Helsinki sits 2 hours ahead of London through every month. The UK and Finland change their clocks on the same two nights each year. A nine o'clock meeting in London therefore starts at eleven in Helsinki.
What is the time difference between Finland and the US?
Helsinki is 7 hours ahead of New York, except for a short spell each spring and autumn. Los Angeles is usually 10 hours behind Helsinki. US clocks change two or three weeks before Finland's in spring, and a week after in autumn. Each gap is an hour smaller during those spells.
Time zone names for developers
| IANA zone | Standard time | Daylight saving time |
|---|---|---|
| Europe/Helsinki | EET, UTC+2 | Yes |
Sources
We checked each fact on this page against these sources on 16 October 2026. Times, offsets and clock changes come from the time zone database.