The time difference
Berlin is 4 hours 30 minutes behind India for part of the year and 3 hours 30 minutes behind for the rest, because Berlin changes its clocks and India does not. India is always UTC+5:30, known as IST.
Which difference applies when
- 1 January 2026 to 29 March 2026: Berlin is 4 hours 30 minutes behind India (UTC+1).
- From 29 March 2026 to 25 October 2026: Berlin is 3 hours 30 minutes behind India (UTC+2).
- From 25 October 2026 to 28 March 2027: Berlin is 4 hours 30 minutes behind India (UTC+1).
- From 28 March 2027 to 31 October 2027: Berlin is 3 hours 30 minutes behind India (UTC+2).
- From 31 October 2027 to 31 December 2027: Berlin is 4 hours 30 minutes behind India (UTC+1).
India time to Berlin time when Berlin is UTC+1
Good hours to start a call (8 am to 9 pm in both places): from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm India time. Hours that start inside office time (9 am to 6 pm) in both: 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm India time.
| India (IST) | Berlin |
|---|---|
| 12:00 am | 7:30 pm previous day |
| 1:00 am | 8:30 pm previous day |
| 2:00 am | 9:30 pm previous day |
| 3:00 am | 10:30 pm previous day |
| 4:00 am | 11:30 pm previous day |
| 5:00 am | 12:30 am |
| 6:00 am | 1:30 am |
| 7:00 am | 2:30 am |
| 8:00 am | 3:30 am |
| 9:00 am | 4:30 am |
| 10:00 am | 5:30 am |
| 11:00 am | 6:30 am |
| 12:00 pm | 7:30 am |
| 1:00 pm | 8:30 am |
| 2:00 pm | 9:30 am |
| 3:00 pm | 10:30 am |
| 4:00 pm | 11:30 am |
| 5:00 pm | 12:30 pm |
| 6:00 pm | 1:30 pm |
| 7:00 pm | 2:30 pm |
| 8:00 pm | 3:30 pm |
| 9:00 pm | 4:30 pm |
| 10:00 pm | 5:30 pm |
| 11:00 pm | 6:30 pm |
India time to Berlin time when Berlin is UTC+2
Good hours to start a call (8 am to 9 pm in both places): from 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm India time. Hours that start inside office time (9 am to 6 pm) in both: 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm India time.
| India (IST) | Berlin |
|---|---|
| 12:00 am | 8:30 pm previous day |
| 1:00 am | 9:30 pm previous day |
| 2:00 am | 10:30 pm previous day |
| 3:00 am | 11:30 pm previous day |
| 4:00 am | 12:30 am |
| 5:00 am | 1:30 am |
| 6:00 am | 2:30 am |
| 7:00 am | 3:30 am |
| 8:00 am | 4:30 am |
| 9:00 am | 5:30 am |
| 10:00 am | 6:30 am |
| 11:00 am | 7:30 am |
| 12:00 pm | 8:30 am |
| 1:00 pm | 9:30 am |
| 2:00 pm | 10:30 am |
| 3:00 pm | 11:30 am |
| 4:00 pm | 12:30 pm |
| 5:00 pm | 1:30 pm |
| 6:00 pm | 2:30 pm |
| 7:00 pm | 3:30 pm |
| 8:00 pm | 4:30 pm |
| 9:00 pm | 5:30 pm |
| 10:00 pm | 6:30 pm |
| 11:00 pm | 7:30 pm |
Worked examples
While Berlin is UTC+1. An office that closes at 6:00 pm in India closes when it is 1:30 pm in Berlin. A 9:00 am start in Berlin is 1:30 pm in India, and its 6:00 pm finish is 10:30 pm in India. A message sent at 10:30 pm from India lands at 6:00 pm in Berlin.
While Berlin is UTC+2. An office that closes at 6:00 pm in India closes when it is 2:30 pm in Berlin. A 9:00 am start in Berlin is 12:30 pm in India, and its 6:00 pm finish is 9:30 pm in India. A message sent at 10:30 pm from India lands at 7:00 pm in Berlin.
When the date is different
Berlin is behind India (while Berlin is UTC+1), so for 4 hours 30 minutes of every day the calendar date differs: from midnight until 4:30 am India time, it is still the previous day in Berlin. Mention the date as well as the time when you fix something in those hours.
Berlin is behind India (while Berlin is UTC+2), so for 3 hours 30 minutes of every day the calendar date differs: from midnight until 3:30 am India time, it is still the previous day in Berlin. Mention the date as well as the time when you fix something in those hours.
Why the gap is what it is
Indian Standard Time follows the sun at longitude 82.5° east. The zone that Berlin belongs to has its largest city, Berlin, at about 13.4° east. The sun crosses the sky between those two lines in about 4 hours 36 minutes. Clock time rounds that to a tidy figure: 4 hours 30 minutes or 3 hours 30 minutes. The two figures differ because every country picks a round offset that suits its whole territory, and some add summer time on top.
Rows marked in colour fall between 8 am and 9 pm in both places. Dates are from the IANA time zone database 2026f.
More
Read about time in Berlin or time in India. Other conversions from India: New York, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Paris, Moscow, Dubai, Riyadh, Doha, Kuwait, Karachi, Kathmandu, Dhaka, Colombo, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Auckland, Johannesburg, Nairobi.