How to Write Times in International Emails and Invitations
A time that is clear in London can be confusing in New York or Mumbai. A few small habits make international emails and invitations much easier to read.
Say the place and the zone
Write '14:00 UK time' or '14:00 London time' instead of a bare '2 pm', and add the offset in brackets if you can, for example '14:00 UK time (UTC+1)'. Naming the city is safer than an abbreviation because the same three letters can mean different zones: IST can mean India, Ireland or Israel, and BST can mean Britain or Bangladesh.
Use 24-hour times and dates in full
The 24-hour clock avoids the confusion between am and pm, particularly around midnight and noon. Write the date in full, such as 'Tuesday 3 March', not 3/3 or 03/03, because the UK writes day before month while the United States writes month before day.
Show other time zones for key attendees
For an important call, list the time in each attendee's city, for example '14:00 London, 09:00 New York, 19:30 Mumbai'. A calendar invitation does this automatically if the organiser picks the right time zone, so use Europe/London, not a fixed GMT offset.
In the weeks when the UK and the US change their clocks on different dates, double-check the conversion. Our time converter shows the exact gap for any date.
Frequently asked questions
Should I write GMT or UK time in an invitation?
UK time is safer, because GMT is only correct in winter. In summer the UK is on BST, one hour ahead of GMT.
Clock change guides
- What Is Daylight Saving Time (DST)? A Plain-English GuideWhat daylight saving time is, how it works in the UK, Europe and the US, why it exists, its history, who uses it and the argument over scrapping it.
- Why Do the Clocks Go Back in October? The Real ReasonThe clocks go back in autumn to return the UK to GMT, so winter mornings are lighter. The history, the rule, what time it happens and what changes for you.
- When Do the Clocks Go Forward Again After Going Back?When the UK clocks go forward again after the autumn change, how long the UK stays on GMT, when evenings get lighter and how to remember to reset your clocks.