International Business Hours: A Complete Guide to Working Hours Worldwide

Business hours vary dramatically around the world, and getting them wrong can mean calling a client during their lunch break, on their weekend, or after they have left for the day. This guide covers typical business hours, weekend days, and important cultural considerations across major global business regions.

North America

United States & Canada: Standard business hours are 8:00 AM-5:00 PM or 9:00 AM-5:00 PM, Monday-Friday. Financial services in New York often start at 7:00 AM. West coast tech companies may start at 10:00 AM. Lunch is typically 30-60 minutes between 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM. Weekend: Saturday-Sunday. Mexico: 9:00 AM-6:00 PM with a longer lunch (2:00-3:00 PM or even 2:00-4:00 PM in smaller cities), Monday-Friday. Some businesses close for comida (the main meal) from 2:00-4:00 PM.

Europe

United Kingdom: 9:00 AM-5:00 PM, Monday-Friday. Early finish on Fridays is common (many offices empty by 4:00 PM). Lunch is 12:00-1:00 PM. Germany: 8:00 AM-5:00 PM with a 1-hour lunch, Monday-Friday. Germans are famously punctual and efficient. Many offices close by 2:00-3:00 PM on Fridays (Freitag Nachmittag). France: 9:00 AM-6:00 PM with a 1-2 hour lunch break, Monday-Friday. The 35-hour work week is law, though many professionals exceed this. August is a near-universal holiday month. Spain: Traditional schedule: 9:00 AM-2:00 PM, then 4:00 PM-7:00 PM with a long siesta break. Modern multinational offices often use 9:00 AM-6:00 PM continuous schedule. Friday afternoons, especially in summer, are very quiet.

Middle East

UAE (Dubai/Abu Dhabi): 8:00 AM-5:00 PM, Monday-Friday. The UAE shifted to a Monday-Friday week in 2022. Friday is a half day for many (finishing at 12:00 PM for Jumu'ah prayers). Saudi Arabia: 8:00 AM-12:00 PM and 4:00 PM-8:00 PM (split shift to avoid afternoon heat), Sunday-Thursday. Friday-Saturday is the weekend. During Ramadan, hours are reduced to approximately 6 hours per day.

Asia-Pacific

Japan: 9:00 AM-6:00 PM, Monday-Friday. In practice, many Japanese office workers stay much later (7:00-9:00 PM or later), a culture known as zangyo (overtime). The government is actively trying to reduce this. China: 9:00 AM-6:00 PM, Monday-Friday. The 996 culture (9 AM to 9 PM, 6 days a week) in the tech industry has been officially criticized by the government, and many companies are moving toward more standard hours. India: 9:30 AM-6:30 PM, Monday-Friday, though in practice, many multinationals use 9:00 AM-6:00 PM. Lunch is typically 1:00-2:00 PM. India operates on a single time zone, so sunrise/sunset times vary dramatically. Australia: 8:30 AM-5:00 PM, Monday-Friday. Australians tend to start and finish earlier than many countries. December-January is summer holiday season. Use our Business Hours tool to check real-time working status across 65+ cities.