UTC to IST Converter – Convert UTC to Indian Time

To convert UTC to IST, use our free time zone converter above. Simply select your time and date to see the instant conversion. Our tool automatically accounts for Daylight Saving Time changes in both time zones.

IST (Indian Standard Time) is always exactly 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of UTC. This means when it's 00:00 midnight in UTC, it's 05:30 AM in India. When it's 12:00 noon in UTC, it's 17:30 (5:30 PM) in IST. Since neither time zone observes Daylight Saving Time, this 5.5-hour difference remains constant throughout the entire year.

The best meeting time between UTC and IST is typically 09:00-12:00 UTC, which corresponds to 14:30-17:30 IST. This window works well because it's mid-morning to early afternoon for UTC participants (suitable for Europe/Africa teams) and mid-to-late afternoon for India-based colleagues. For earlier meetings, 07:00 UTC = 12:30 IST works for lunch-hour calls. Avoid scheduling after 14:00 UTC as that's 19:30 IST, which is beyond typical Indian business hours (9:00-18:00 IST). Learn more in our guide about finding optimal global meeting windows.

No, UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) never observes Daylight Saving Time. UTC is the global time standard and remains constant year-round. This makes UTC an ideal reference point for international coordination, as it never changes. Similarly, India (IST) also does not observe DST, meaning the UTC to IST conversion is one of the most stable and predictable international time conversions - always exactly 5 hours 30 minutes difference.

UTC is primarily used as a technical reference rather than a local time zone. However, several locations align with UTC+0: Reykjavik (Iceland) uses UTC year-round, Accra (Ghana) is on GMT/UTC+0, and Dakar (Senegal) follows UTC. During winter, London and Lisbon use GMT which equals UTC+0, but they switch to UTC+1 during summer (British Summer Time/Western European Summer Time). When coordinating with "UTC," you're usually working with teams using it as a neutral reference point rather than a local time.

All of India uses Indian Standard Time (IST, UTC+5:30). Major cities include Mumbai (financial capital), Delhi (national capital), Bangalore (tech hub), Kolkata (eastern metropolis), Chennai (southern hub), Hyderabad (IT center), Pune, Ahmedabad, and Jaipur. India is unique in using a single time zone for the entire country despite its geographical size spanning over 3000 km east to west. IST does not observe Daylight Saving Time, so the entire country stays at UTC+5:30 year-round.

To schedule calls between UTC and India (IST), remember that IST is 5:30 hours ahead. Best practice: propose 09:00-12:00 UTC (2:30 PM - 5:30 PM IST) for business calls. Always specify BOTH times in your meeting invite: "Meeting at 10:00 UTC / 15:30 IST" to avoid confusion. Use calendar tools that auto-convert time zones for international participants. Since neither zone uses DST, you never need to worry about seasonal time changes affecting your recurring meetings. For more tips, see our comprehensive time zone education guide.