Mexico

Mexico uses four primary time zones: Northwest (UTC-8), Pacific (UTC-7), Central (UTC-6), and Southeast (UTC-5). Most states, including Mexico City, follow Central Time, switching to daylight saving (UTC-5) from April to October. Sonora stays on Mountain Standard Time (UTC-7) year-round, while Quintana Roo follows Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5) without DST. Northern border cities like Tijuana synchronize DST with the US to simplify cross-border activities.

Business hours in Mexico typically run from 9 AM to 6 PM local time, overlapping with US Central Time for 4–5 hours. For European coordination, Mexico City is 6–8 hours behind CET depending on DST. China (CST) maintains a 13–14 hour lead over most of Mexico. Always verify time zones for meetings, as exceptions like Sonora or Quintana Roo may require adjustments.

When scheduling calls with Mexico, note that northern states align with US Mountain or Pacific Time, while central/southern regions match Central Time. Major holidays like Independence Day (September 16) or Christmas may affect business hours but don’t alter time zones. During US daylight saving transitions (March/November), Mexican states observing DST synchronize changes, except Sonora and Quintana Roo.

For international meetings, Mexico City’s GMT-6 offset (GMT-5 during DST) facilitates morning overlap with Europe and afternoon coordination with the US East Coast. Flight and conference times often list local Mexico City time—confirm whether regional exceptions apply. Online tools like world-clock.app help track live time differences across Mexico’s zones.