WET — Western European Time
See what WET means, where it is used, how it relates to WEST, and compare or convert Western European Time with other time zones.
Countries: Faroe Islands, Portugal, Spain
How to Convert WET to Other Time Zones
Open the WET converter page: Visit https://www.xconvert.com/time-converter/wet-time-zone to load Western European Time as the starting row in the comparison grid. This page is useful when you are planning a call with teams in the Canary Islands, mainland Portugal in winter, or the Faroe Islands, all of which use WET during standard time and often coordinate with UK, EU, and Atlantic business schedules.
Add comparison cities with the + Add City button: Click + Add City and add places such as London, New York, and Dubai to compare WET against major finance, travel, and remote-work hubs. For example, Portugal-based customer support teams often need to line up with London for European operations, New York for transatlantic clients, and Dubai for trade and aviation connections.
Drag across the grid to select a meeting window: Use the Select button if needed, then drag on the WET row to highlight a time range, such as 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM WET. That selection shows immediately across other rows, letting you verify that 9:00–11:00 AM WET is 9:00–11:00 AM in London during GMT, 4:00–6:00 AM in New York during EST, and 1:00–3:00 PM in Dubai, which helps confirm whether a morning meeting in Las Palmas works for both Europe and the Gulf but is too early for the US East Coast.
Export the selected time for scheduling: After selecting a range, use the export options for ICS download, Google Calendar, Gmail, Copy to clipboard, or Share link. This is especially practical for sending a confirmed meeting slot to a distributed team, a travel coordinator, or a client so everyone sees the event converted into their own local time automatically.
About Western European Time (WET)
Western European Time (WET) is a standard time zone with an exact offset of UTC+0:00. It is one of the main time standards used in the far western part of Europe and nearby Atlantic territories, and it matches Coordinated Universal Time in winter.
WET is used in parts of Portugal, parts of Spain, and the Faroe Islands during standard time. On this page, the principal cities associated with WET include Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, La Laguna, Telde, Arona, Tórshavn, Klaksvík, Fuglafjørður, Tvøroyri, and Miðvágur. In practice, this means the Canary Islands follow WET rather than mainland Spain’s usual Central European Time, which is important for travelers booking domestic Spanish flights and for companies coordinating between Madrid and Tenerife.
WET is also closely related to WEST, which stands for Western European Summer Time. The relationship is simple: WET is the winter standard time at UTC+0, while WEST is the summer daylight-saving time at UTC+1. So when daylight saving begins, clocks in WET regions move forward by one hour and operate as WEST until the autumn switch back.
Several other abbreviations share the same UTC+0 offset at various times or in other locations, including AZOST, EGST, GMT, WT, and Z. Even when the offset is identical, the abbreviation matters because it can indicate different regional rules, especially around daylight saving transitions and legal local time.
WET and Daylight Saving Time
WET itself is the standard-time designation, but the regions that use it generally do observe daylight saving and switch to WEST (UTC+1) for the summer season. That means WET is not a year-round fixed label in Portugal, the Canary Islands, and the Faroe Islands; instead, it is the winter half of the annual clock cycle.
For the current year, 2026, areas using WET switch to WEST on Sunday, 29 March 2026, when clocks move forward from 1:00 AM UTC to 2:00 AM local summer time. They switch back from WEST to WET on Sunday, 25 October 2026, when clocks move back one hour, returning those regions to UTC+0 for winter.
This seasonal change affects real scheduling decisions. For example, WET is 5 hours ahead of New York during EST, so 9:00 AM WET = 4:00 AM EST; but once the region changes to WEST, the difference may shift depending on whether the other country has already changed clocks. These short transition windows in March and October are exactly when missed meetings happen, especially for airlines, tourism operators in the Canary Islands, and remote teams working across Europe and North America.
The distinction is especially important in Spain because mainland Spain typically uses CET/CEST, while the Canary Islands use WET/WEST, remaining one hour behind Madrid all year. So when it is 10:00 AM in Las Palmas during WET, it is 11:00 AM in Madrid during CET, a difference that matters for government services, logistics, and domestic business operations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does WET stand for?
WET stands for Western European Time. It is the standard-time zone used in certain western European and Atlantic regions, and its exact offset is UTC+0:00, meaning it aligns with UTC during the winter period.
Is WET the same as WEST?
No. WET is Western European Time at UTC+0, while WEST is Western European Summer Time at UTC+1. Regions such as Portugal, the Canary Islands, and the Faroe Islands use WET in winter and then advance one hour to WEST in summer.
Which cities use WET?
Cities and towns associated with WET include Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, La Laguna, Telde, Arona, Tórshavn, Klaksvík, Fuglafjørður, Tvøroyri, and Miðvágur. These places are located in the Canary Islands and the Faroe Islands, and WET also applies to relevant parts of Portugal during standard time.
What is the UTC offset for WET?
The UTC offset for WET is UTC+0:00. In practical terms, when it is 12:00 noon UTC, it is also 12:00 noon in WET, which makes winter coordination with UTC-based systems, servers, and international timetables relatively straightforward.
When does WET change to daylight saving time?
In 2026, WET changes to WEST on Sunday, 29 March 2026. Clocks move forward by one hour, so local time shifts from the winter standard of UTC+0 to the summer offset of UTC+1, which affects meeting times, flight schedules, and calendar invites.
When does WET switch back from WEST?
In 2026, the switch back happens on Sunday, 25 October 2026. At that point, clocks move back one hour and the region returns from WEST (UTC+1) to WET (UTC+0), restoring winter time for places such as the Canary Islands, Portugal, and the Faroe Islands.
Is WET the same as GMT?
WET and GMT often share the same clock time because both are UTC+0, but they are not always used as interchangeable legal labels. GMT is commonly associated with the UK in winter and with timekeeping standards, while WET is the regional civil time name used in western European zones such as Portugal and the Canary Islands.
Why is the Canary Islands time different from mainland Spain?
The Canary Islands use WET/WEST, while mainland Spain uses CET/CEST. That means the Canary Islands are one hour behind Madrid throughout the year, so if it is 3:00 PM in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, it is 4:00 PM in Madrid, which is important for domestic flights, TV schedules, and business deadlines.
Which countries use WET?
The countries listed for WET here are Faroe Islands, Portugal, and Spain. In Spain, WET applies to the Canary Islands rather than the mainland, and in all three cases the standard winter offset is UTC+0, with a summer move to WEST where daylight saving is observed.