Time Difference: San Juan, Puerto Rico vs. Richmond, Virginia
San Juan, Puerto Rico is 1 hour ahead of Richmond, Virginia year-round.
Time Zone Details
| Location | Time Zone | UTC Offset | Daylight Saving? |
|---|
| San Juan, PR | Atlantic Standard Time (AST) | UTC−04:00 | No — Puerto Rico does not observe DST |
| Richmond, VA | Eastern Time (ET) | UTC−05:00 (EST) / UTC−04:00 (EDT) | Yes — observes DST (Mar–Nov) |
Practical Impact
- November–March (EST): San Juan is 1 hour ahead. (Richmond 10:00 AM → San Juan 11:00 AM)
- March–November (EDT): Both on UTC−04:00 → same time.
Why Puerto Rico Doesn’t "Spring Forward"
- Tropical latitude (18°N) → minimal daylight variation year-round (sunrise 5:45–6:45 AM, sunset 6:00–7:00 PM).
- 1995 law exempted PR from Uniform Time Act; 2021 bill to adopt permanent DST stalled in Congress.
Scheduling Tips
- Business calls: 9 AM–5 PM Richmond = 10 AM–6 PM San Juan (winter) / 9 AM–5 PM (summer).
- Flights: 2h 45m nonstop (RIC→SJU). Arrive "same clock time" in summer; "1 hour later" in winter.
- Financial markets: NYSE opens 9:30 AM ET = 9:30 AM AST (summer) / 10:30 AM AST (winter).
Always confirm with a world clock tool (timeanddate.com, Google) before scheduling — especially near DST transitions (2nd Sun Mar, 1st Sun Nov).
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