Puerto Vallarta Time Zone

Central time, UTC−6, all year round: Mexico dropped daylight saving time in 2022. Here's what that means for the time difference with home.

By Sam Med · Last updated October 2026

Sunset over the beach by the Malecón in Puerto Vallarta — Sunset over the Malecón beach. Photo: Luna Guadalupe jd, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

Right now

Puerto Vallarta is on central time, UTC−6, all year round.

Puerto Vallarta runs on Mexico's central time zone, six hours behind UTC, and since October 2022 it no longer changes its clocks: Mexico abolished daylight saving time for most of the country. The clock in Puerto Vallarta never moves, but the time difference with the United States, Canada and Europe does, because those countries still change theirs twice a year.

At a glance

Time zone	Central zone (zona centro), UTC−6
Daylight saving	None since 30 October 2022
Same time as	Nuevo Vallarta, Bucerías, La Cruz, Punta de Mita, Sayulita and San Pancho; Guadalajara and Mexico City
One hour behind	The rest of Nayarit — Tepic and San Blas, for example

No more daylight saving

Mexico's Ley de los Husos Horarios, published on 28 October 2022 and in force from 30 October, ended the twice-yearly clock change in most of the country. Puerto Vallarta stayed on standard central time, UTC−6, permanently. If an old device or app still shows an hour's difference in spring or summer, set its time zone manually to central Mexico.

Nuevo Vallarta and the Nayarit side

The state line between Jalisco and Nayarit runs along the Ameca river, just north of the airport, but the clocks don't change when you cross it. The same law puts Nayarit in the Pacific zone, UTC−7, except the municipality of Bahía de Banderas, which follows central time. That municipality covers Nuevo Vallarta, Bucerías, La Cruz, Punta de Mita, Sayulita and San Pancho, so the whole of Banderas Bay keeps the same time. Only further into Nayarit — Tepic, or the port of San Blas, where one of the Islas Marías ferries leaves — are clocks an hour behind.

Time difference with home

Because the US, Canada and most of Europe change their clocks and Puerto Vallarta doesn't, the gap changes with the season. In 2026–27, the US and Canada move their clocks back on Sunday 1 November 2026 and forward on Sunday 14 March 2027; the UK and the EU move theirs back on Sunday 25 October 2026 and forward on Sunday 28 March 2027.

City	Northern winter (Nov–mid Mar)	Northern summer (mid Mar–Oct)
Los Angeles, Vancouver, Seattle	Puerto Vallarta is 2 hours ahead	1 hour ahead
Phoenix (no daylight saving)	1 hour ahead	1 hour ahead
Denver, Calgary, Edmonton	1 hour ahead	Same time
Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, Winnipeg	Same time	1 hour behind
New York, Atlanta, Toronto, Montréal	1 hour behind	2 hours behind
London	6 hours behind	7 hours behind
Paris, Madrid, Berlin, Amsterdam	7 hours behind	8 hours behind

The changeover weeks are the exception: between the European and the North American clock changes — 25 October to 1 November 2026, and 14 to 28 March 2027 — the gap with Europe is one hour smaller for a week or two.

Practical tips

Flights are always shown in local time; a morning departure from Puerto Vallarta is on central time, whatever your phone says. See flights to Puerto Vallarta.
Tours and day trips into Nayarit beyond the bay — Tepic, San Blas or Rincón de Guayabitos — run on Pacific time, an hour earlier.
Sunsets: the bay faces west, so the sun sets over the water every evening; watch it from the Malecón or a sunset cruise.
Planning by month? See weather and best time to visit.

Frequently asked

What time zone is Puerto Vallarta in?

Mexico's central time zone, UTC−6, all year round. It is the same time as Guadalajara and Mexico City.

Does Puerto Vallarta observe daylight saving time?

No. Mexico abolished daylight saving time in most of the country with a law in force from 30 October 2022, so Puerto Vallarta's clocks never change.

Is Nuevo Vallarta on the same time as Puerto Vallarta?

Yes. Nuevo Vallarta is in Nayarit, which is otherwise an hour behind, but its municipality, Bahía de Banderas, follows central time by law. So do Bucerías, Punta de Mita and Sayulita.

What is the time difference between Puerto Vallarta and Los Angeles?

Puerto Vallarta is 2 hours ahead of Los Angeles from early November to mid-March, and 1 hour ahead the rest of the year, when California is on daylight saving time.

What is the time difference between Puerto Vallarta and New York or Toronto?

Puerto Vallarta is 1 hour behind New York and Toronto from early November to mid-March, and 2 hours behind the rest of the year.