In the night from Saturday, October 24 to Sunday, October 25, 2026, mainland France switches to winter time. At 3:00 a.m., clocks will go back to 2:00 a.m. Tunisia, which does not change time, will thus share the same time as Paris, Marseille and Lyon. An important detail for families, travelers and businesses that operate between the two countries.
What changes starting Sunday, October 25
In mainland France: at 3:00 a.m., it will be 2:00 a.m. again.
In Tunisia: no change, clocks stay on the usual time (UTC+1).
Result: Paris and Tunis will have exactly the same time until the next French time change, scheduled for March 28, 2027.
An hour’s time difference disappears between Paris and Tunis
Until this Saturday, mainland France was on daylight saving time (UTC+2), while Tunisia remained at UTC+1. Paris was therefore one hour ahead of Tunis: when it is 6:00 p.m. in France, it is 5:00 p.m. in Tunisia.
From the Sunday morning switch, France returns to UTC+1. The offset disappears: when it is 6:00 p.m. in Paris, it will also be 6:00 p.m. in Tunis. This change concerns metropolitan France; the French overseas territories have different time rules.
| Situation | In Paris | In Tunis |
| Saturday, October 24, noon in France | 12:00 | 11:00 |
| Sunday, October 25, noon in France | 12:00 | 12:00 |
Family calls, meetings and travel: the right precautions
For Tunisians living in France and their relatives in Tunisia, it will no longer be necessary to add or subtract an hour to arrange a call. An appointment set for Sunday at 8:00 p.m., Paris time, will now correspond to 8:00 p.m. in Tunis, instead of 7:00 p.m. before the switch to winter time.
The same applies to professional meetings, online classes and live events broadcast from France. Tunisian companies working with French partners will simply need to take this new time alignment into account in their calendars.
For travelers, the times shown on airline tickets remain expressed in the local time of each airport. It is therefore advisable to check departure, arrival and connection times, especially for journeys planned on the night of the time change.
Why doesn’t Tunisia change its time?
Unlike France, Tunisia does not apply seasonal time changes in 2026. It remains UTC+1 year-round. The last seasonal adjustment of Tunisian clocks dates back to 2008.
The gap between the two countries therefore depends solely on the French calendar: no difference during winter in France, then one hour ahead for Paris during daylight saving time. The next French transition to daylight saving time is scheduled for Sunday, March 28, 2027.
Smartphones and computers set to automatically update the time should carry out the change without intervention. However, watches and clocks manually set in France will need to be turned back by one hour.
