NST: Newfoundland Standard Time
NST is Newfoundland Standard Time, -03:30, used in North America. In code, use America/St_Johns rather than the abbreviation.
Newfoundland Standard Time · North America
12:13:19
Sunday, 27 September 2026
- abbreviation denotes
- -03:30
- in force right now
- NDT (UTC-02:30) · DST
- use in code
- America/St_Johns
- next clock change
- 1 Nov 2026 01:00 → NST
UTC-3:30, the only half-hour offset in North America.
Right now this zone is on NDT, not NST. They are the same place at different times of year.
Use the IANA name, not the abbreviation
Python
from datetime import datetime
from zoneinfo import ZoneInfo
# right: an IANA zone carries the full history of rule changes
now = datetime.now(ZoneInfo("America/St_Johns"))
print(now.isoformat(), now.tzname())
# wrong: an abbreviation is not resolvable, and a hard-coded offset
# silently rots the next time the rules change
# now = datetime.now(timezone(timedelta(hours=...))) # don'tNST questions
What does NST stand for?
NST is Newfoundland Standard Time, -03:30, used in North America. The IANA zone to use in code is America/St_Johns.
What time is it in NST right now?
Newfoundland Standard Time: 12:13 on Sunday (NDT).
Which IANA timezone should I use instead of NST?
America/St_Johns for Newfoundland Standard Time. Date libraries cannot resolve bare abbreviations, and an abbreviation carries no daylight-saving history, so a stored offset silently rots when a government changes the rules.
Why does my computer show NDT instead of NST?
Because America/St_Johns is currently on NDT (UTC-02:30), its daylight-saving variant. NST (-03:30) applies during the other half of the year. Both names refer to the same place, one hour apart.