Jamaica and Panama stay on UTC−5. Haiti, the Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos follow the US clock.
The Caribbean runs on a split schedule. Jamaica and Panama keep Eastern Standard Time fixed. No clock changes. No spring forward. Haiti, the Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos observe daylight saving time on the US calendar. Cuba also uses Eastern Time but sets its own DST dates, sometimes drifting a week or more from the US switch.
| Country / Territory | IANA Zone | DST? | UTC Offset (Winter) | UTC Offset (Summer) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamaica | America/Jamaica | No | UTC−5 | UTC−5 |
| Panama | America/Panama | No | UTC−5 | UTC−5 |
| Haiti | America/Port-au-Prince | Yes | UTC−5 | UTC−4 |
| The Bahamas | America/Nassau | Yes | UTC−5 | UTC−4 |
| Turks and Caicos | America/Grand_Turk | Yes | UTC−5 | UTC−4 |
Jamaica: fixed at UTC−5
Jamaica observes Eastern Standard Time all twelve months. Clocks never move. The IANA zone is America/Jamaica. Kingston, population 937,700, runs on UTC−5 in January and July alike.
Calling from the US East Coast: - From the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November (US EDT), Jamaica is one hour behind New York. 10:00 AM in New York is 9:00 AM in Kingston. - From November to March (US EST), Jamaica matches New York. 10:00 AM in New York is 10:00 AM in Kingston.
Panama: fixed at UTC−5
Panama uses Eastern Standard Time every day of the year. No DST. The IANA zone is America/Panama. Panama City sits at UTC−5 regardless of the season.
Practical effect: Same as Jamaica. During US EDT, Panama is one hour behind the US East Coast. During US EST, the times match.
Haiti: follows the US DST calendar
Haiti observes Eastern Time with daylight saving time. The IANA zone is America/Port-au-Prince. Port-au-Prince, population 1,234,742, switches clocks on the US schedule: second Sunday of March (forward) and first Sunday of November (back).
Haiti matches New York all year. No time difference, ever.
The Bahamas: matches New York
The Bahamas follow US Eastern Time rules completely. Clocks spring forward on the second Sunday of March and fall back on the first Sunday of November. Nassau and New York always show the same hour.
Turks and Caicos: matches New York
Turks and Caicos (IANA zone America/Grand_Turk) observe Eastern Time with DST on the US schedule. Grand Turk and New York stay aligned.
Cuba: Eastern Time on its own calendar
Cuba uses Eastern Time but sets its DST dates independently. The transition often occurs one to three weeks later than the US switch in spring and earlier in autumn. This creates a brief window where Cuba runs one hour ahead of New York. Check current Cuban DST dates before scheduling.
Why the split exists
Latitude. Jamaica and Panama sit closer to the equator. Daylight hours shift little across the year. The benefit of DST (extending evening daylight) is minimal. Cancún, which also uses EST with no DST, made the switch to align with tourism markets.
Economic ties. Haiti, the Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos have close financial and travel links to the US East Coast. Matching New York time simplifies banking, trade, and broadcasting.
Sovereignty. Each nation sets its own time. No Caribbean-wide time zone treaty exists.
Traveling from the US East Coast
Fly from New York to Jamaica or Panama in July and your watch stays the same but local time is one hour behind. A flight arrival listed as "4:00 PM local" means 5:00 PM Eastern. Set a second time zone on your phone labeled "Jamaica" or "Panama" to avoid confusion.
Fly to Haiti, the Bahamas, or Turks and Caicos in July and local time matches New York. No adjustment needed.
The most common mistake: assuming every Caribbean destination on Eastern Time observes DST. Jamaica and Panama do not. Check the table above before booking a meeting.
For the full list of cities on Eastern Time and a visual map, see the Eastern Time Zone Map. For a refresher on EST vs EDT, read What Is Eastern Time?.