Dubai

Gulf Standard Time is UTC+4, and the United Arab Emirates has never adopted daylight saving time. At Dubai's latitude (about 25° north), the length of the day only changes from roughly 10½ hours in December to 13½ hours in June, so moving the clocks would bring little benefit. The result is a fixed reference point: any change in Dubai's time difference with London or New York always comes from the other city changing its clocks.

The UAE changed its working week on 1 January 2022. Federal government offices moved to a Monday-to-Friday week, with Friday as a half day, and Saturday and Sunday became the official weekend — bringing the country in line with most global markets. Many private companies followed. Friday midday congregational prayers still shape the end of the week, so meetings late on Friday are best avoided.

During the holy month of Ramadan, working hours are shortened by law — private-sector employees work two hours less per day — and many offices open later and close earlier. Because the Islamic calendar is lunar, Ramadan arrives about 11 days earlier each year: in 2026 it runs from around mid-February to mid-March, and in 2027 it begins around 8 February.

Dubai's location makes it a natural meeting point. A Dubai morning overlaps with the afternoon in Singapore and Tokyo, while a Dubai afternoon lines up with the morning in London and Paris. The city is often described as being within an eight-hour flight of two-thirds of the world's population, which is why Dubai International is one of the busiest airports for international travel.