Moldova Updates Time Rules to Match European Standards

Replacing Soviet-Era Regulation

The Republic of Moldova is replacing a Soviet-era regulation governing official time.

The new framework clarifies the rules for standard time and Daylight Saving Time, aligns them with European standards, and updates the time at which the seasonal transition occurs.

The change was approved on February 25, 2026, in a decision adopted by the Moldovan government. The decision will enter into force once it is published in the Official Journal of the Republic of Moldova.

DST on Same Dates, but Different Times

Moldova already changes clocks on the same dates as the EU (the last Sunday in March and October).

What changes now is the clock time of the transition. The time change will now take place one hour later in the night than before:

• DST starts at 03:00 (3 am) local time, instead of 02:00. Clocks are set ahead 1 hour to 04:00 (4 am).
• DST ends at 04:00 (4 am) local time, instead of 03:00. Clocks are set back 1 hour to 03:00 (3 am).

UTC offsets remain unchanged.

Daylight Saving Time in Europe

European countries coordinate their time changes. Under current EU law, DST starts on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Sunday of October.

Countries that follow DST include:

• The European Union (EU), including Bulgaria, Romania, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain.
• Most other European countries, such as the United Kingdom, Norway, and Switzerland.

Countries that do not have DST include Russia, Iceland, and Belarus.