What is the time difference between Chicago and Amsterdam?

Amsterdam is 7 hours ahead of Chicago. That figure is current — it changes by an hour when either city starts or ends daylight saving, and the exact dates are listed above.

When is the best time to call Amsterdam from Chicago?

Between 09:00–11:00 in Chicago, which is 16:00–18:00 in Amsterdam. That is the only stretch where both cities are inside a 09:00–18:00 day.

Does Chicago observe daylight saving time?

Yes. Chicago runs on UTC-6 in winter and UTC-5 in summer. The next change is on 2026-11-01, when clocks go back by 60 minutes.

Does Amsterdam observe daylight saving time?

Yes. Amsterdam runs on UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 in summer. The next change is on 2026-10-25, when clocks go back by 60 minutes.

If it is midday in Chicago, what time is it in Amsterdam?

It is 19:00 in Amsterdam, on the same calendar date. That holds for the current offsets; it shifts by an hour around the daylight saving dates listed above.

Which time zones do Chicago and Amsterdam use?

Chicago uses America/Chicago, currently UTC-5 (CDT), and Amsterdam uses Europe/Amsterdam, currently UTC+2 (CEST). Those identifiers are the ones to use in code — abbreviations are ambiguous and offsets change.

Convert Chicago time to Amsterdam time

Amsterdam is 7 hours ahead of Chicago right now, so midday in Chicago lands in the evening in Amsterdam.

Convert a time

From

Date

Time

Converted time

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The converter needs JavaScript to run. Everything below — offsets, daylight saving dates and the hour-by-hour table — is part of the page and works without it.

Hour by hour

The whole day mapped across: read down the left for Chicago, across for Amsterdam.

Chicago	Amsterdam
00:00	07:00
01:00	08:00
02:00	09:00
03:00	10:00
04:00	11:00
05:00	12:00
06:00	13:00
07:00	14:00
08:00	15:00
09:00	16:00
10:00	17:00
11:00	18:00
12:00	19:00
13:00	20:00
14:00	21:00
15:00	22:00
16:00	23:00
17:00	00:00next day
18:00	01:00next day
19:00	02:00next day
20:00	03:00next day
21:00	04:00next day
22:00	05:00next day
23:00	06:00next day

Daylight saving time

Both cities change their clocks, but not necessarily on the same date — which is why the difference between them shifts for a few weeks each year.

Chicago

Observes daylight saving time

Standard: UTC-6
Daylight: UTC-5
Next change: 2026-11-01 −60m

Amsterdam

Observes daylight saving time

Standard: UTC+1
Daylight: UTC+2
Next change: 2026-10-25 −60m

When you can actually talk

You have 2 hours of shared working time: 09:00–11:00 in Chicago, which is 16:00–18:00 in Amsterdam.

Chicago 09:00–11:00Amsterdam 16:00–18:00

Reference

The underlying data, in case you need to put it in a calendar invitation or a configuration file.

	Chicago	Amsterdam
IANA zone	America/Chicago	Europe/Amsterdam
Abbreviation	CDT	CEST
Standard offset	UTC-6	UTC+1
Daylight offset	UTC-5	UTC+2
Clock changes this year	2	2
Country	United States	Netherlands

Example, not the current time. Live times appear once the page loads.

Common questions

What is the time difference between Chicago and Amsterdam?: Amsterdam is 7 hours ahead of Chicago. That figure is current — it changes by an hour when either city starts or ends daylight saving, and the exact dates are listed above.
When is the best time to call Amsterdam from Chicago?: Between 09:00–11:00 in Chicago, which is 16:00–18:00 in Amsterdam. That is the only stretch where both cities are inside a 09:00–18:00 day.
Does Chicago observe daylight saving time?: Yes. Chicago runs on UTC-6 in winter and UTC-5 in summer. The next change is on 2026-11-01, when clocks go back by 60 minutes.
Does Amsterdam observe daylight saving time?: Yes. Amsterdam runs on UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 in summer. The next change is on 2026-10-25, when clocks go back by 60 minutes.
If it is midday in Chicago, what time is it in Amsterdam?: It is 19:00 in Amsterdam, on the same calendar date. That holds for the current offsets; it shifts by an hour around the daylight saving dates listed above.
Which time zones do Chicago and Amsterdam use?: Chicago uses America/Chicago, currently UTC-5 (CDT), and Amsterdam uses Europe/Amsterdam, currently UTC+2 (CEST). Those identifiers are the ones to use in code — abbreviations are ambiguous and offsets change.