Scheduling Between the US and the Middle East
The US and Gulf states (UAE, Saudi Arabia) are 8–12 hours apart. There's a narrow workable window — and the Gulf's Friday–Saturday weekend adds another layer of complexity.
Scheduling Tips
New York (EST, UTC-5) and Dubai (GST, UTC+4) are 9 hours apart — 8 am ET = 5 pm Dubai.
The only working-hours overlap from ET is 8–10 am ET = 5–7 pm Dubai (Gulf team stays late).
San Francisco (PST) and Dubai are 12 hours apart — essentially no working-hours overlap. Async is required.
Gulf states observe a Friday–Saturday weekend; US offices observe Saturday–Sunday. Monday–Thursday is the only shared workweek.
Neither Dubai nor Riyadh observes DST, so the gap from the US shifts by 1 hour when the US transitions in spring and fall.
Ramadan affects working hours significantly in Gulf countries — meeting windows may shorten by 2–3 hours during this period.
Use the Color-Coded Planner to Find Your Window
The Timezone Meeting Planner shows a visual 24-hour grid where each hour is color-coded:
Share This With Your Team
Open the Timezone Planner pre-loaded, then use the Share button to copy a link - or shortlist specific slots and share those too.
Open Timezone Meeting Planner →