Time Zone Updates for Russia
In accordance with recently passed Russian law, the following regions in Russia will switch time zones on March 27th, 2016, at 2:00 AM local time. Microsoft is preparing an update to Windows which will reflect these changes.
| Region | Old Time Zone Offset | New Time Zone Offset |
| Astrakhan Oblast | UTC+3 | UTC+4 |
| Ulyanovsk Oblast | UTC+3 | UTC+4 |
| Altai Krai | UTC+6 | UTC+7 |
| Altai Republic | UTC+6 | UTC+7 |
| Zabaykalsky Krai | UTC+8 | UTC+9 |
| Sakhalin Oblast | UTC+10 | UTC+11 |
Interim Guidance
Though we plan to release a data update, there is insufficient lead before the time change goes into effect. Therefore, we offer the following guidance temporary workarounds until such an update can be properly created, tested, distributed, and installed.
Our official policy statement can be found on the site at microsoft.com/time.
The update is scheduled to be available on Tuesday, April 12, 2016.
Astrakhan Oblast & Ulyanovsk Oblast
Users can temporarily switch to the following existing time zone entry, at the time of the transition. When the update is available and installed, they will need to switch again.
| Time Zone Key / ID | Russia Time Zone 3 |
| English Display Name | (UTC+04:00) Izhevsk, Samara (RTZ 3) |
Altai Republic & Altai Krai
Users can temporarily switch to the following existing time zone entry, at the time of the transition. When the update is available and installed, they will need to switch again.
| Time Zone Key / ID | North Asia Standard Time |
| English Display Name | (UTC+07:00) Krasnoyarsk (RTZ 6) |
Zabaykalsky Krai
Users can temporarily switch to the following existing time zone entry, at the time of the transition. When the update is available and installed, they will need to switch again.
| Time Zone Key / ID | Yakutsk Standard Time |
| English Display Name | (UTC+09:00) Yakutsk (RTZ 8) |
Sakhalin Oblast
Users can temporarily switch to the following existing time zone entry, at the time of the transition. When the update is available and installed, they will need to switch again.
| Time Zone Key / ID | Russia Time Zone 10 |
| English Display Name | (UTC+11:00) Chokurdakh (RTZ 10) |
Planned Changes to Windows Time Zone Data
We are planning to release an update with the following changes and additions. Users in the affected regions can switch to these new time zones as soon as the update is available and installed.
New Time Zones
Astrakhan Oblast & Ulyanovsk Oblast
| Time Zone Key / ID | Astrakhan Standard Time |
| English Display Name | (UTC+04:00) Astrakhan, Ulyanovsk |
| Time Zone Offset (before transition) | UTC+3 |
| Time Zone Offset (after transition) | UTC+4 |
Altai Republic & Altai Krai
| Time Zone Key / ID | Altai Standard Time |
| English Display Name | (UTC+07:00) Barnaul, Gorno-Altaysk |
| Time Zone Offset (before transition) | UTC+6 |
| Time Zone Offset (after transition) | UTC+7 |
Zabaykalsky Krai
| Time Zone Key / ID | Transbaikal Standard Time |
| English Display Name | (UTC+09:00) Chita |
| Time Zone Offset (before transition) | UTC+8 |
| Time Zone Offset (after transition) | UTC+9 |
Sakhalin Oblast
| Time Zone Key / ID | Sakhalin Standard Time |
| English Display Name | (UTC+11:00) Sakhalin |
| Time Zone Offset (before transition) | UTC+10 |
| Time Zone Offset (after transition) | UTC+11 |
Changes to Existing Time Zones
Affects the display name only. No time changes are being introduced.
| Time Zone Key / ID | Old Display Name | New Display Name |
| Kaliningrad Standard Time | (UTC+02:00) Kaliningrad (RTZ 1) | (UTC+02:00) Kaliningrad |
| Russian Standard Time | (UTC+03:00) Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd (RTZ 2) | (UTC+03:00) Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd |
| Russia Time Zone 3 | (UTC+04:00) Izhevsk, Samara (RTZ 3) | (UTC+04:00) Izhevsk, Samara |
| Ekaterinburg Standard Time | (UTC+05:00) Ekaterinburg (RTZ 4) | (UTC+05:00) Ekaterinburg |
| N. Central Asia Standard Time | (UTC+06:00) Novosibirsk (RTZ 5) | (UTC+06:00) Novosibirsk |
| North Asia Standard Time | (UTC+07:00) Krasnoyarsk (RTZ 6) | (UTC+07:00) Krasnoyarsk |
| North Asia East Standard Time | (UTC+08:00) Irkutsk (RTZ 7) | (UTC+08:00) Irkutsk |
| Yakutsk Standard Time | (UTC+09:00) Yakutsk (RTZ 8) | (UTC+09:00) Yakutsk |
| Vladivostok Standard Time | (UTC+10:00) Vladivostok, Magadan (RTZ 9) | (UTC+10:00) Vladivostok |
| Russia Time Zone 10 | (UTC+11:00) Chokurdakh (RTZ 10) | (UTC+11:00) Chokurdakh |
| Russia Time Zone 11 | (UTC+12:00) Anadyr, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (RTZ 11) | (UTC+12:00) Anadyr, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky |
FAQ
How should I schedule meetings and events in Outlook or other products, with regard to these changes?
Once the data updates are available and installed, then meetings can be scheduled using the new time zones. However, if using one of the workarounds, then pay close attention to the date of the meeting. If it is before the transition, then schedule it using the old time zone. If it is after the transition, then schedule it using the interim, temporary time zone.
For example, consider meetings that take place in the Sakahalin region.
- A meeting scheduled on March 26th should use the current time zone, “(UTC+10:00) Magadan” because Sakahlin current is aligned with Magadan time.
- A meeting scheduled for April 1st should us the interim workaround of, “(UTC+11:00) Chokurdakh (RTZ 10)”.
- A meeting scheduled for April 13th but entered before the data update is installed should also use the interim workaround of, “(UTC+11:00) Chokurdakh (RTZ 10)”.
- A meeting scheduled for May 1st, well after the update is installed, should use the new time zone of “(UTC+11:00) Sakhalin”.
Recurring meetings that occur both before and after the transition may need to be rescheduled. Once the new time zone data is available and installed, it can be done at any time. However, if using the workarounds, be careful about which occurrences of the meeting are scheduled into which time zones. You may need to reschedule the meeting multiple times to account for all instances.
If you have many Outlook meetings to move, you may find the guidance and tools listed in KB931667 useful.
Why are new time zone entries necessary?
There are many different scenarios that use time zone data. Displaying the correct local time on the Windows taskbar is only one use case. Many other applications require local time conversions for various points in time, including past, present, and future.
When an entire time zone entry changes its DST rules or UTC offset, then it’s simple to update that existing entry with the new data and the transition point that the new data goes into effect. However, when only a portion of a time zone entry changes, then it’s necessary to split the one entry into two. The new entry copies all previous data up until the point of the transition, then uses the new data from there forward. The result is that each time zone entry is accurate for its covered area, both before and after the transition.
What are the Time Zone Keys / IDs used for?
Each time zone entry in Windows corresponds to a key in the Windows Registry. The ID represents the actual name of the sub-key that holds the time zone data. This serves as a unique identifier for both Windows and for third party applications. Developers using Win32 or .NET APIs can use these ID to reference a specific time zone entry.
Time zone IDs are never displayed directly to end-users. Instead, users see the Display Name associated with each time zone entry, which is translated and shown in the default language of their Windows installation. IDs are not translated; they are always in English.
Naming conventions for Windows time zone IDs have varied over the years, and developers should not make any assumptions based on the name of a particular zone. Instead, choose a zone based on its display name, or on its data, such as base offset and DST rules.
Why is this update not available already?
It takes time to create, test, and publish these sort of updates for all of our supported platforms. In order to do so effectively, we must follow our established update release cycle. Additionally, end users, our own services, and those of our customers and partners need time to download and install these updates.
Our official policy statement can be found on the site at microsoft.com/time.
Windows Update:
On April 12, 2016, Microsoft released a Windows Update addressing these changes. Details can be found here https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3148851