GMT to IST converter
India is 5½ hours ahead of GMT. The UK only uses GMT in winter, so from late March to late October, while Britain is on summer time, the gap is 4½ hours.
India is 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of London in winter, and 4 hours 30 minutes ahead in summer.
Britain and India share a working day
Of all the Western countries that work closely with India, the UK has the easiest time of it: a UK morning and an Indian afternoon line up almost exactly. That is a big part of why so many British firms run teams in Bengaluru, Pune and Chennai.
Working with an Indian team or supplier
Start early and the whole morning is shared time.
- 9 AM in the UK = 2:30 PM IST in winter, 1:30 PM in summer
- Indian offices wind down around 6 PM, which is 12:30 PM (winter) or 1:30 PM (summer) for you
- A 9:30 AM UK stand-up catches India after lunch in every season
After your lunch, assume India has gone home. Anything you send in the afternoon is picked up at the start of their next day, which is still your early morning.
Calling family in India
Late morning and lunchtime in the UK are the sweet spot: afternoon or early evening in India.
- UK 1 PM = 6:30 PM in India (winter), 5:30 PM (summer)
- A Saturday 10 AM call reaches India at 3:30 PM or 2:30 PM
- UK 6 PM is already 11:30 PM in India in winter, too late for most parents
Cricket in India on UK time
England usually tours India in the British winter, when the gap is the full 5½ hours.
- Test matches at 9:30 AM IST start at 4:00 AM GMT, an early alarm
- Day-night ODIs at 1:30 PM IST start at 8:00 AM GMT
- IPL evening games, 7:30 PM IST = 3:00 PM BST; afternoon games, 3:30 PM IST = 11:00 AM BST
Festivals and family occasions
Diwali falls in October or November, which can be either side of the UK clock change.
- A 7 PM puja in India is 2:30 PM in the UK before the clocks go back, and 1:30 PM after
- A 10 AM wedding ceremony in India is 4:30 AM GMT in winter, 5:30 AM BST in summer
If you are joining by video from the UK, check which side of the last Sunday in October the date falls.
Why it is 4½ hours in summer
India Standard Time is fixed at GMT+5:30 and never moves. The UK moves to British Summer Time (GMT+1) on the last Sunday in March and back to GMT on the last Sunday in October. Every change in the UK–India gap comes from those two UK dates.
These are different dates from the ones that matter for India and the US, which change in mid-March and early November. If you work with both the US and India from London, the three-way gaps shift on three different weekends each year, so a shared calendar in real time zones saves a lot of confusion.
Flying between London and India
Nonstop flights from Heathrow take about 9 hours to Delhi and a little longer to Mumbai or Bengaluru. The popular evening departures land the next day around lunchtime in India: leave at 9 PM in winter, when it is already 2:30 AM (next day) in India, and you touch down about nine hours later, late in the Indian morning.
Daytime flights home work in your favour. Leave Delhi at 2 PM and, after about nine and a half hours in the air, you land in London the same evening, because you gain back the 5½ hours on the way.
UK time to India, every hour
Use the first column from late October to late March (GMT) and the second for the rest of the year (BST). Green rows are the UK hours that fall inside India’s working day in both seasons.
| London (UK) | India, UK on GMTlate Oct–late Mar, +5:30 | India, UK on BSTlate Mar–late Oct, +4:30 |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM (midnight) | 5:30 AM | 4:30 AM |
| 1:00 AM | 6:30 AM | 5:30 AM |
| 2:00 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:30 AM |
| 3:00 AM | 8:30 AM | 7:30 AM |
| 4:00 AM | 9:30 AM | 8:30 AM |
| 5:00 AM | 10:30 AM | 9:30 AM |
| 6:00 AM | 11:30 AM | 10:30 AM |
| 7:00 AM | 12:30 PM | 11:30 AM |
| 8:00 AM | 1:30 PM | 12:30 PM |
| 9:00 AM | 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM |
| 10:00 AM | 3:30 PM | 2:30 PM |
| 11:00 AM | 4:30 PM | 3:30 PM |
| 12:00 PM (noon) | 5:30 PM | 4:30 PM |
| 1:00 PM | 6:30 PM | 5:30 PM |
| 2:00 PM | 7:30 PM | 6:30 PM |
| 3:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 7:30 PM |
| 4:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 8:30 PM |
| 5:00 PM | 10:30 PM | 9:30 PM |
| 6:00 PM | 11:30 PM | 10:30 PM |
| 7:00 PM | 12:30 AM next day | 11:30 PM |
| 8:00 PM | 1:30 AM next day | 12:30 AM next day |
| 9:00 PM | 2:30 AM next day | 1:30 AM next day |
| 10:00 PM | 3:30 AM next day | 2:30 AM next day |
| 11:00 PM | 4:30 AM next day | 3:30 AM next day |
“next day” means India has already moved on to the following date.
Quick answers
What time is it in India when it is 9 AM in London?
2:30 PM from late October to late March, and 1:30 PM from late March to late October, when the UK is on British Summer Time.
Is India 4.5 or 5.5 hours ahead of the UK?
5.5 hours while the UK is on GMT (late October to late March) and 4.5 hours while it is on BST (late March to late October). India itself never changes its clocks.
What is 12 PM GMT in IST?
12 PM GMT is always 5:30 PM IST. The only thing that changes is whether the UK is on GMT at the time.
What time do Test matches in India start in UK time?
Tests in India usually start at 9:30 AM IST, which is 4:00 AM GMT during the British winter.
What time are IPL matches in the UK?
Evening matches at 7:30 PM IST start at 3:00 PM BST, and afternoon matches at 3:30 PM IST start at 11:00 AM BST. Games before the UK clocks change in late March start an hour earlier.
When does the UK to India time difference change?
On the last Sunday of March (it becomes 4.5 hours) and the last Sunday of October (it becomes 5.5 hours). The next change is Sunday 25 October 2026.