Turkey Time (TRT)
Istanbul operates on Turkey Time (TRT). This time zone does not observe Daylight Saving Time.
Time Zone: Turkey Time (TRT) — Standard Offset: UTC+3 (TRT) — DST: Not observed
Country: Turkey
This city does not observe Daylight Saving Time. The UTC offset remains constant year-round, which simplifies international scheduling.
Turkey adopted permanent summer time in 2016, staying on UTC+3 year-round (previously Turkey used UTC+2 in winter and UTC+3 in summer). This means Istanbul is always 3 hours ahead of London in winter and 2 hours ahead during BST. The decision was controversial — critics note that western Turkey gets very late sunrises in winter (after 8:00 AM in Istanbul), but the government chose to maintain the extra evening daylight.
Istanbul straddles two continents, and its time zone reflects this bridging role. UTC+3 aligns Istanbul with Moscow, Saudi Arabia, and East Africa, while keeping it close to European hours (2-3 hour difference). The Istanbul financial district and Borsa Istanbul (BIST) serve as a meeting point for European and Middle Eastern capital, trading from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM TRT.
Istanbul's position at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East makes it a critical logistics hub. The Bosporus strait sees over 40,000 vessel transits annually. Turkey's trade with the EU (its largest trading partner), Middle Eastern countries, and Russia flows through Istanbul-based logistics networks operating on TRT.
Istanbul's UTC+3 provides good overlap with both European and Middle Eastern business hours. A 10 AM TRT meeting catches London at 7 AM GMT (8 AM BST) and Dubai at 11 AM GST. For US coordination, 4 PM TRT = 8 AM ET, which is the practical start of the overlap window. Istanbul's business culture is relationship-oriented, and face-to-face meetings (or video calls) are preferred over email for important matters.