Skip to content

South American Time Zones

South America spans 4 main time zones from UTC-5 (Colombia, Peru) to UTC-3 (Brazil, Argentina). Most countries have abolished daylight saving time — Chile is the main exception, observing DST during the Southern Hemisphere summer from October to April.

Time Zones in South America

Brasília Time (BRT)

UTC-3No DST

No DST (Brazil abolished DST in 2020)

Brazil

São PauloRio de JaneiroBrasíliaSalvador

Argentina Time (ART)

UTC-3No DST

No DST

Argentina, Uruguay

Buenos AiresCórdobaRosarioMontevideo

Chile Standard Time (CLT)

UTC-4

UTC-3 in summer (CLST — Oct to Apr)

Chile

SantiagoValparaísoConcepción

Colombia Time (COT)

UTC-5No DST

No DST

Colombia

BogotáMedellínCali

Peru Time (PET)

UTC-5No DST

No DST

Peru, Ecuador

LimaArequipaGuayaquil

Daylight Saving Time in South America

South America has significantly simplified its DST landscape over the past decade. Brazil — the continent's largest country — formally abolished DST in 2019, with the change taking effect from 2020. This ended decades of only partial observance that had applied to the south and southeast states.

Chile remains the most significant DST observer in South America. Being in the Southern Hemisphere, Chile's summer runs from October to April. Clocks advance to CLST (UTC-3) in October and return to CLT (UTC-4) in April. Note that continental Chile and Easter Island have separate DST rules.

Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay all operate on fixed UTC offsets year-round, making cross-border scheduling straightforward for most of the continent.

Cities in South America

São PauloBuenos AiresSantiagoBogotáLimaRio de JaneiroCaracasMontevideo

Popular Comparisons

São Paulo vs New York →Buenos Aires vs London →Bogotá vs Los Angeles →

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Brazil still use daylight saving time?
No. Brazil abolished DST in April 2019 (effective 2020). All of Brazil now stays on BRT (UTC-3) year-round. Previously, parts of the country — mainly the south and southeast — would advance clocks by one hour in summer.
Why are Argentina and Brazil in the same UTC offset but different time zones?
Argentina uses ART (Argentina Time, UTC-3) with no DST, while Brazil uses BRT (Brasília Time, UTC-3) also without DST. They currently share the offset but have historically differed during DST periods. Each country maintains its own time zone designation for legal and administrative reasons.
What time zone is Chile in?
Chile uses CLT (Chile Standard Time, UTC-4) in winter and CLST (UTC-3) during summer DST. Chile observes DST from October to April (Southern Hemisphere summer), so clocks spring forward in spring (October) and fall back in autumn (April).
What time zone is Colombia in?
Colombia is in COT (Colombia Time), UTC-5, with no daylight saving time. Colombia and Ecuador both use UTC-5 year-round, keeping scheduling with North American partners consistent.

Related

← All Time ZonesAmericas / US Time Zones →African Time Zones →DST Guide →Timezone Converter →