Time difference between Lisbon and Jakarta

The gap is not the same all year

Every converter gives one number for this pair. That number is right for most of the year and wrong for part of it, because Lisbon goes forward on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October and Jakarta does not change its clocks.

Jakarta stays put all year while Lisbon moves, so a meeting fixed in Jakarta's calendar shifts by an hour twice a year at Lisbon's end.

About Lisbon and Jakarta

Portugal keeps UTC, an hour behind neighbouring Spain despite sitting further west than most of it. The country tried Central European Time from 1992 to 1996 and abandoned it after schoolchildren were leaving home in the dark, which is the clearest natural experiment anyone has run on the question.

Indonesia spans three zones and Jakarta is on the westernmost at UTC+7. The country is wide enough that a domestic flight can cross two of them, and the eastern islands are two hours ahead of the capital.

What 6 hours actually costs you

The window is 2 hours wide and that is all there is. 9:00 AM–11:00 AM in Lisbon is 3:00 PM–5:00 PM in Jakarta, and anything outside it puts somebody at their desk when they are not meant to be. A pair this tight is worth putting in a calendar rather than agreeing each time.

When they can both be at their desks

Nine-to-five in both cities overlaps for 2 hours — 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM in Lisbon, the same moment as 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM in Jakarta.

Lisbon

Jakarta

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How far apart Lisbon and Jakarta are

The shortest path over the Earth's surface between the two is 12,681 km (7,880 miles). Flown along that line, an airliner at cruising speed takes roughly 15 hours 45 minutes in the air — actual routings add to it, and whether a nonstop service exists depends on the airlines rather than the distance.

Over that distance you cross 6 hours of clock, which is where jet lag comes from: the body shifts by about an hour a day, so 6 hours takes most people 6 days or so to absorb. Flying east to Jakarta is the harder direction — you lose the hours and have to fall asleep earlier than your body wants.

Lisbon to Jakarta, hour by hour

On the usual gap of 6 hours.

Frequently asked questions