Mexico Doesn’t ‘Spring Forward’ Until April 4, 2021
While Americans will be turning their clocks ahead for daylight-saving time on Sunday, March 14, 2021, for most of Mexico, daylight saving time does not begin until 2:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, April 4th. So make a note if you’ll be traveling to Puerto Vallarta this month – there will be an extra hour difference in time.
Daylight Saving Time in the United States
Daylight Savings Time (DST) begins in the United States on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. So this Sunday, March 14, 2021, US clocks will be set ahead one hour at 2:00 a.m. local standard time, which becomes 3:00 a.m. local daylight time.
Daylight Saving Time in Mexico
For most of Mexico, daylight saving time doesn’t begin until the first Sunday of April, and won’t end until the last Sunday of October. It is usually referred to as the Horario de Verano (Summer Schedule).
Mexico adopted DST nationwide in 1996, even in its tropical regions, because of its increasing economic ties to the United States. Although the United States changed the schedule for DST beginning in 2007, most of Mexico did not go along with it.
But in 2010, the ten Mexican municipalities which share a border with the United States started to observe daylight saving time three weeks earlier, on the second Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday in November. This change in daylight saving time observance was requested by local governments and political leaders to help facilitate commerce with the US. (For more information, click HERE.)
Daylight Saving Time Around Banderas Bay
Until April of 2010, Nuevo Vallarta and the state of Nayarit were one hour earlier than Puerto Vallarta and the state of Jalisco. Before that, many tourist related businesses around Banderas Bay would set their clocks to Puerto Vallarta time to prevent confusion. On April 4, 2010, Nayarit initiated a 2 hour time change to coincide with Jalisco.
Therefore, in both states clocks will be turned forward 1 hour from 2:00 am to 3:00 am on April 4, 2021. Daylight Saving Time will end in Mexico on Sunday, October 31, 2021.