IST to CET
India is 3 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Central European Time.
Times may vary due to daylight saving time.Quick answer. CET is 4 hours and 30 minutes behind IST for part of the year and 3 hours and 30 minutes behind for the rest, because CET observes daylight saving time and the other side does not. The gap is 4 hours and 30 minutes during CET's standard-time months and 3 hours and 30 minutes during daylight time, so always convert against a specific date.
Time difference
India Standard Time (IST)
IST UTC+5:30 No DST
Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad.
India runs on a single time zone, UTC+5:30, and has not observed daylight saving time since 1945. The half-hour offset is why IST conversions rarely land on a round hour.
Central European Time (CET/CEST)
CET UTC+1:00 CEST UTC+2:00 Observes DST
Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Amsterdam, Warsaw, Stockholm.
- ↑ March 29, 2026 clocks forward at 3:00 AM · UTC+1:00 → UTC+2:00
- ↓ October 25, 2026 clocks back at 2:00 AM · UTC+2:00 → UTC+1:00
Central Europe switches on the last Sunday of March and October — a week or two apart from the US switch, which briefly makes the India–Europe and India–US gaps move independently.
IST to CET conversion table
Every hour of the day for 2026. Because CET changes clocks twice a year, these values shift by an hour across the daylight saving boundary — use the date picker above for a specific day.
| IST | CET | 24-hour |
|---|---|---|
| 12 AM | 8:30 PM −1 day | 20:30 |
| 1 AM | 9:30 PM −1 day | 21:30 |
| 2 AM | 10:30 PM −1 day | 22:30 |
| 3 AM | 11:30 PM −1 day | 23:30 |
| 4 AM | 12:30 AM | 00:30 |
| 5 AM | 1:30 AM | 01:30 |
| 6 AM | 2:30 AM | 02:30 |
| 7 AM | 3:30 AM | 03:30 |
| 8 AM | 4:30 AM | 04:30 |
| 9 AM | 5:30 AM | 05:30 |
| 10 AM | 6:30 AM | 06:30 |
| 11 AM | 7:30 AM | 07:30 |
| 12 PM | 8:30 AM | 08:30 |
| 1 PM | 9:30 AM | 09:30 |
| 2 PM | 10:30 AM | 10:30 |
| 3 PM | 11:30 AM | 11:30 |
| 4 PM | 12:30 PM | 12:30 |
| 5 PM | 1:30 PM | 13:30 |
| 6 PM | 2:30 PM | 14:30 |
| 7 PM | 3:30 PM | 15:30 |
| 8 PM | 4:30 PM | 16:30 |
| 9 PM | 5:30 PM | 17:30 |
| 10 PM | 6:30 PM | 18:30 |
| 11 PM | 7:30 PM | 19:30 |
Highlighted rows are the 5 hours where a 9–6 working day in IST overlaps a 9–5 working day in CET.
Popular conversion times
| IST | CET |
|---|---|
| 9 AM IST | 5:30 AM |
| 10 AM IST | 6:30 AM |
| 11 AM IST | 7:30 AM |
| 12 PM IST | 8:30 AM |
| 3 PM IST | 11:30 AM |
| 5 PM IST | 1:30 PM |
| 6 PM IST | 2:30 PM |
| 8 PM IST | 4:30 PM |
Business hours and meeting times
Comparing a 9:00–18:00 working day in IST against 9:00–17:00 in CET, across the whole week — a slot only counts if it lands on a working day at both ends.
Both sides work Monday to Friday, so the working weeks line up and you share 5 days.
Rows are days in IST. Columns are hours of the IST day.
Best recurring slot
1 PM IST = 9:30 AM CET , every shared working day
Across the week that is 25 overlapping working hours . The widest day is Monday, with 5 hours.
| Day | Overlap (IST) | Local (CET) | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 1 PM – 6 PM | 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM | 5 |
| Tuesday | 1 PM – 6 PM | 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM | 5 |
| Wednesday | 1 PM – 6 PM | 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM | 5 |
| Thursday | 1 PM – 6 PM | 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM | 5 |
| Friday | 1 PM – 6 PM | 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM | 5 |
| Saturday | IST weekend | — | — |
| Sunday | IST weekend | — | — |
About this conversion
India runs on a single time zone, UTC+5:30, and has not observed daylight saving time since 1945. The half-hour offset is why IST conversions rarely land on a round hour.
Central Europe switches on the last Sunday of March and October — a week or two apart from the US switch, which briefly makes the India–Europe and India–US gaps move independently.
Frequently asked questions
What is the time difference between IST and CET?
It depends on the date. CET is 4 hours and 30 minutes behind IST in January and 3 hours and 30 minutes behind in July, because CET changes clocks for daylight saving time. Use the converter above with the date you actually need.
What time is 9 AM IST in CET?
9:00 AM IST is 4:30 AM in CET during CET, and 5:30 AM during CEST. The table on this page lists all 24 hours for the date you pick.
What is the best time for a meeting between IST and CET?
Working days overlap for about 5 hours on a typical Monday: 1 PM to 6 PM IST, which is 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM in CET. For a recurring invite, 1 PM IST / 9:30 AM CET is the slot that works on the most days.
Does India observe daylight saving time?
No. India has kept a single UTC+5:30 offset since 1945 and does not use daylight saving time, so IST reads the same on every date of the year. Any change in the gap to CET comes entirely from the other side.
When do the clocks change in CET?
In 2026, clocks in CET go forward on March 29, 2026 and back on October 25, 2026. Between those dates the gap from India is 3 hours and 30 minutes; outside them it is 4 hours and 30 minutes.
Why does the IST–CET difference change during the year?
Because CET switches between CET (UTC+1:00) and CEST (UTC+2:00) for daylight saving, while the other side does not move. A converter that assumes one fixed gap will be an hour wrong for roughly half the year.
How many hours a week do IST and CET actually overlap?
25 hours across the week, spread over 5 working days. 1 PM IST (9:30 AM CET) is the slot that works on the most days, so it is the one to put in a recurring invite.
Is IST ahead of CET?
Yes. IST runs ahead of CET — by 3 hours and 30 minutes or 4 hours and 30 minutes depending on the season, so a working morning in IST lands the previous evening or night in CET.
Converting the other way
Looking up times starting from CET? Use the CET to IST converter, which leads with CET as the starting point and is written for that reader.
Cities on the same clock as CET
These keep an identical offset, so every conversion on this page applies to them too.
- IST to Paris · same clock
Related converters
- IST to EST · Eastern Time
- IST to CST · Central Time
- IST to PST · Pacific Time
- IST to UTC · Coordinated Universal Time
- IST to GMT · Greenwich Mean Time
- IST to GST · Gulf Standard Time
- IST to MST · Mountain Time
- IST to BST · British Summer Time