When do the clocks change in Spain?: this is when daylight saving time is due to end

September is a significant month for people in Spain because it marks the beginning of autumn, when temperatures gradually drop and the days become shorter. This is not the only thing that happens during the season, as it also marks the second clock change of the year.

Spain will have to say goodbye to daylight saving time to enter winter time, which involves changing the clocks. Although this lifestyle practice is not new, it always puzzles people and comes with many questions. What day does it take place? Is the clock set forward or back? Why do we do this? Here, we answer all these common questions...

In Spain, the clock change takes place on the last Sunday of October, which falls in the early hours of 26 October this year.

When switching to winter time, the clock is set back one hour. Therefore, 3am becomes 2am in Spain, which implies that we will sleep one more hour at the end of October, on the night when the shift back happens.

The clock change has long been adopted in all EU countries, including Spain. This adjustment is made twice a year: in March we change to summer time and in October to winter time. The main objective is to make the most of daylight hours to contribute to energy savings.

In 1981, the practice became mandatory for the eurozone. However, not everyone agrees with it and it has generated immense debate.

Some organisations, such as the Spanish sleep society, have warned of the negative effects of the time change. Some people experience irritability, lack of concentration, poor work performance and insomnia as a result of the change, which has also been linked to health-threatening diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, depression and anxiety.

In September 2018, the European Commission expressed its concern and raised the possibility of ending this practice. The initially proposed date was 2019. It was then postponed to 2021, but has not been implemented due to disagreement between member states.

Some experts also consider that the energy savings generated by the time shift are negligible.

On 20 March 2019, Spain's government set up a commission of experts to discuss the effectiveness of the clock change. In the end, there was no "shared consensus".

Therefore, there is still no official date for the end of the clock change. However, a royal decree required that the timetable for the subsequent five years was published in the official state gazette (BOE).

Therefore, the last definite clock change in Spain for now will be on 25 October 2026. It remains to be seen what the EU will do with the European Commission's proposal.