Working across time zones with Morocco
Morocco's time zone explained for companies: GMT all year since September 2026, with no clock changes, how that lines up with Europe and the Americas, and how to plan meetings, hours and holidays with a remote team in Morocco.
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Short answer: Morocco has been on GMT (UTC+0) all year since September 2026, with no clock changes, not even around Ramadan. That's the same time as London in winter, and one hour behind Paris, Madrid and Berlin in winter, two hours behind them in summer. For European teams, that still gives almost a full shared working day; for North American teams, plan for a shared window in Morocco's afternoon.
Time zones are one of the first things companies ask about when they consider hiring in Morocco, and the answer is mostly good news. This guide explains how Moroccan time works across the year, how it lines up with the places most companies are based, and how to organise meetings and working hours so nobody is left waiting.
Morocco's time, across the year
From 2018 until September 2026, Morocco used GMT+1 most of the year and went back to GMT for about a month around Ramadan. On 20 September 2026, the country moved to GMT for good. Moroccan clocks now stay the same all year: no summer time, and no change for Ramadan. For companies, the main effect is that Morocco is now one hour further from Central Europe than before, and one hour closer to North America. If you set recurring meeting times before September 2026, check them again.
Europe, meanwhile, still switches between winter time and summer time on the last Sundays of March and October, and the United States and Canada change on their own dates. That's why the gap between Morocco and your team still changes during the year, even though Morocco's clocks don't move.
How Morocco lines up with your team
| Your team is in | Winter (Europe on winter time) | Summer (Europe on summer time) |
|---|---|---|
| France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy | Morocco is 1 hour behind | Morocco is 2 hours behind |
| United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal | Same time | Morocco is 1 hour behind |
| New York, Toronto | Morocco is 5 hours ahead | Morocco is 4 hours ahead |
| San Francisco, Vancouver | Morocco is 8 hours ahead | Morocco is 7 hours ahead |
Rules on clock changes can change, in Morocco as anywhere, as the 2026 switch showed. A shared calendar that shows both time zones handles this for you, as long as everyone's calendar uses the right city and their devices are up to date.
What this means for European companies
For a team in Paris, Madrid or Brussels, a person in Casablanca or Marrakech shares almost the whole working day. A Moroccan colleague who starts at 9:00 local time is starting at 10:00 Paris time in winter and 11:00 in summer, so many teams simply agree that the Moroccan side starts at 8:00, or that core hours are 10:00 to 17:00 Paris time all year.
For teams in the UK, Ireland or Portugal, it's even simpler: same time in winter, one hour of difference in summer. Either way, one or two hours of difference is easy to absorb with an earlier start, and most teams stop noticing it after the first week.
What this means for North American companies
With a four to eight hour difference, the overlap is shorter but workable. A common setup is a shared window of three or four hours: the Moroccan person works from late morning to evening, so their afternoon overlaps with the US East Coast morning. For West Coast teams, the overlap is tighter, so many companies rely more on written updates and keep one or two live meetings a week.
Customer-facing roles, like support for European customers, often work best when the person in Morocco covers European business hours, while the North American team takes the rest of the day.
Practical tips for meetings and working hours
- Write times with a city, not an abbreviation. "15:00 Paris time" is clearer than "15:00 CET", especially around clock changes.
- Set core hours. Agree on three or four hours a day when everyone is online, and keep meetings inside them.
- Put both time zones in the calendar. Most calendar tools can show a second time zone.
- Plan around Ramadan. The clocks no longer change for Ramadan, but working hours often do: many people in Morocco start and finish earlier during that month. Agree on adjusted hours ahead of time rather than discovering them in a missed meeting.
- Default to writing. Clear written updates mean that small time differences don't slow anyone down.
Two example schedules
A product team in Madrid. The team's core hours are 10:00 to 17:00 Madrid time. Their developer in Rabat works 8:00 to 17:00 local time all year: that's 9:00 to 18:00 in Madrid in winter, and 10:00 to 19:00 in summer, so the core hours are always covered. During Ramadan, the developer starts and finishes a little earlier, and the team agrees on a lighter meeting schedule in the late afternoon for those weeks. Nothing about this requires special tools, only a shared calendar.
A startup in New York. The company needs a customer success manager who joins the morning stand-up at 9:00 New York time. In winter, that's 14:00 in Casablanca; in summer, 13:00. The person in Morocco works from 10:00 to 19:00 local time, joins the stand-up and the US morning, and handles European customers before that. The startup gets coverage from the European morning to the early US afternoon with one person, and the team writes daily updates so the hours that don't overlap stay productive.
Working week and public holidays
The working week in Morocco runs Monday to Friday for most office jobs. Morocco has fixed national holidays and religious holidays that follow the lunar calendar, so their dates move each year. When you hire, agree on which holidays the person takes: Moroccan public holidays, your company's holidays, or a set number of days off they choose. Put it in the contract or offer so nobody has to guess.
Hiring with time zones in mind
When you write a job post, state the hours you need, in a named time zone: "Available 9:00 to 17:00 Paris time" or "At least four hours of overlap with New York". Candidates can then tell you upfront whether it works for them. On RemoteMaroc, candidates list their availability, and you can contact them directly.
If you're planning to hire, our guide on how to hire Moroccan remote talent legally explains the contract options. If you're a job seeker, mention your working hours clearly on your CV, as explained in our guide to writing a CV for European companies.
FAQ
What time zone is Morocco in?
Morocco is on GMT (UTC+0) all year. It moved from GMT+1 to GMT on 20 September 2026.
Is Morocco in the same time zone as France?
No. Morocco is one hour behind France in winter, and two hours behind in summer, when France moves to summer time. It has the same time as the UK in winter.
Does Morocco change its clocks?
Not anymore. Since September 2026, Morocco stays on GMT all year, with no summer time and no change around Ramadan.
How many hours do European and Moroccan working days overlap?
Usually most of them. With Western Europe, the difference is one or two hours, so a normal working day has six to eight shared hours, and a full day if the Moroccan side starts a little earlier.