Time ZonesAbout this time zone
Fortaleza is one of the 16 time zone areas of Brazil. Computers and phones know it by the zone name America/Fortaleza. Its time is UTC−3, which means it is 3 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) all year round. Compared with India (IST), it is 8 hours 30 minutes behind India.
Clock changes in 2026 and 2027
Fortaleza does not change its clocks in 2026 or 2027. The time stays at UTC−3 all year, so there is no daylight saving time to remember.
Time difference with major cities
| When it is 12:00 noon in Fortaleza, it is | In January 2026 | In July 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| India | 8:30 pm8 hours 30 minutes ahead | 8:30 pm8 hours 30 minutes ahead |
| United Kingdom | 3:00 pm3 hours ahead | 4:00 pm4 hours ahead |
| France | 4:00 pm4 hours ahead | 5:00 pm5 hours ahead |
| New York, United States | 10:00 am2 hours behind | 11:00 am1 hour behind |
| Chicago, United States | 9:00 am3 hours behind | 10:00 am2 hours behind |
| Los Angeles, United States | 7:00 am5 hours behind | 8:00 am4 hours behind |
| United Arab Emirates | 7:00 pm7 hours ahead | 7:00 pm7 hours ahead |
| Singapore | 11:00 pm11 hours ahead | 11:00 pm11 hours ahead |
| Japan | 12:00 am next day12 hours ahead | 12:00 am next day12 hours ahead |
| Sydney, Australia | 2:00 am next day14 hours ahead | 1:00 am next day13 hours ahead |
The table uses the offsets in force in mid January and mid July 2026. Use the converter for any other date.
Clock time and sun time in Fortaleza
A time zone is an agreement, and the sun does not follow it exactly. Fortaleza, the largest city in this zone, lies at about 38.5° west. Each degree of longitude is worth four minutes, so by the sun alone its time would be about 2 hours 34 minutes behind UTC. The clock is set to UTC−3. The sun is therefore highest in the sky at about 11:34 am by the clock, not at 12:00. The clock runs a little behind the sun here, so mornings are light early and evenings darken sooner. Other places in the zone, to the east or west of Fortaleza, see the sun peak a little earlier or later. Through the year the figure also drifts by up to a quarter of an hour either way.
How long the day is
Fortaleza is about 3.7° south of the equator. On the longest day of the year, around 21 December, the sun is up for about 12 hours 20 minutes. On the shortest, around 21 June, for about 11 hours 54 minutes. So close to the equator the day is almost the same length all year. Moving the clocks would gain nothing, and Fortaleza does not do it.
Office hours shared with other places
If both sides work from 9 am to 6 pm, these are the hours when a call falls inside the working day at both ends. Times are for Fortaleza.
- With India, all year: 9:00 am to 9:30 am here, which is 5:30 pm to 6:00 pm in India (30 minutes shared).
- With London, in January: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm here, which is 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm in London (6 hours shared). In July: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm here, which is 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm in London (5 hours shared).
- With New York, in January: 11:00 am to 6:00 pm here, which is 9:00 am to 4:00 pm in New York (7 hours shared). In July: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm here, which is 9:00 am to 5:00 pm in New York (8 hours shared).
How many people keep this time
The GeoNames list has 380 towns and cities of 15,000 people or more in this zone area, with about 22 million people between them. People in villages and smaller towns are not in that count, so the true number on this clock is higher.
Cities that keep this time
The largest cities in this zone: Fortaleza, São Luís, Natal, Teresina, João Pessoa, Campina Grande, Caucaia, Juazeiro do Norte, Imperatriz, Parnamirim, Mossoró, São José de Ribamar, Maracanaú, Sobral.
Places with exactly the same time
These zones show the same time as Fortaleza through the whole year: Araguaina, Brazil, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Catamarca, Argentina, Cordoba, Argentina, Jujuy, Argentina, La Rioja, Argentina, Mendoza, Argentina, Rio Gallegos, Argentina, Salta, Argentina, San Juan, Argentina, San Luis, Argentina, Tucuman, Argentina, Ushuaia, Argentina, Asuncion, Paraguay.
The clock above uses your device's clock and the time zone rules built into your browser. Rules on this page: IANA time zone database 2026f. See About and data sources.