Guide · Working across time zones
Time difference Germany–Asia: how to work with teams in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Singapore and Hong Kong are 6 hours ahead of Germany in summer and 7 hours in winter. That leaves 2 to 3 shared working hours every morning — and an Asian working day that starts while Germany is still asleep. What this means in practice:
Reply within 2 working daysNDA before pricesB2B only
01 — The short answer
Six to seven hours apart. Two to three hours together.
Singapore and Hong Kong share one clock and never change it. Only Germany does — and that moves the shared window twice a year.
- 01
Time difference
Singapore and Hong Kong are both on UTC+8 and never change their clocks. Germany is on UTC+1 in winter (CET) and UTC+2 in summer (CEST). The difference is therefore 7 hours in winter and 6 hours in summer.
- 02
Shared working hours
With working days of 09:00–18:00 local time on both sides, the overlap is 2 hours in winter (09:00–11:00 German time) and 3 hours in summer (09:00–12:00).
- 03
One clock for both hubs
Singapore and Hong Kong share the same time. A team spread across both cities has no time difference internally.
- 04
A head start overnight
The working day in Asia starts at 02:00 or 03:00 German time. Results can be ready when your team starts in the morning.
02 — The times at a glance
Winter and summer, side by side.
The table shows the time difference and the shared hours. The chart below recalculates them for today.
| Measure | Winter (CET, UTC+1) | Summer (CEST, UTC+2) |
|---|---|---|
| Period | End of October to end of March | End of March to end of October |
| Difference to Singapore and Hong Kong | 7 hours | 6 hours |
| 09:00–18:00 in Singapore / Hong Kong is, in Germany | 02:00–11:00 | 03:00–12:00 |
| Shared working hours, German time | 09:00–11:00 (2 h) | 09:00–12:00 (3 h) |
| The same window in Singapore / Hong Kong | 16:00–18:00 | 15:00–18:00 |
Assumes working days of 09:00–18:00 local time on both sides. Germany changes its clocks on the last Sunday of March and of October; Singapore and Hong Kong do not.
2–3 shared working hours in the German morning
03 — Working patterns
Four patterns that fit the time difference.
Teams that work well between Asia and Germany use the shared window for talking and the rest of the day for doing.
- 01
Overnight delivery
Your team describes the task and the acceptance criteria before the end of the day. The team in Asia starts at about 02:00–03:00 German time and works while Germany sleeps. When your day begins, the result, pull request or test report is ready.
- 02
The daily window
Daily stand-up, reviews and pairing take place in the shared morning window: 09:00–11:00 in winter, 09:00–12:00 in summer (German time) — late afternoon in Asia.
- 03
Written handover
What does not fit the window runs asynchronously: tickets with a clear definition of done, thorough pull-request descriptions and a short handover note at the end of the day — in both directions.
- 04
Early-hours cover for operations
Support and operations teams in Asia pick up tickets and alerts from about 02:00–03:00 German time. The morning in Germany starts with a triaged queue.
04 — Pitfalls
What trips teams up — and how to avoid it.
- 01
The clock change in Germany
Only Germany changes its clocks (last Sunday of March and of October). The shared window then changes by one hour: longer in spring, shorter in autumn. After each change, check that recurring meetings are still inside the window.
- 02
Public holidays
Germany, Singapore and Hong Kong have different public holidays. Lunar New Year (January or February) means several days off in both Asian cities. Put the holidays of both sides into the roadmap early.
- 03
Meetings in the German afternoon
The shared window ends at 18:00 local time in Asia — that is 11:00 or 12:00 German time. Short-notice requests in the German afternoon reach the team only on the next working day in Asia.
- 04
Unambiguous times
Date, time and time zone belong together (for example 2026-11-05 09:00 CET, or in UTC). It saves follow-up questions in tickets and invitations.
Plan your shared hours with one pilot sprint.
Tell us where your team sits and when you need the shared hours. You receive a written reply within two working days.
FAQ
Time-difference questions, answered.
How big is the time difference between Germany and Singapore?
Is there daylight saving time in Singapore or Hong Kong?
How many shared working hours are there?
Does a team in Asia work with Scrum and daily stand-ups?
How does an overnight handover work?
What about public holidays?
Can you cover support or operations in the early hours?
Contact
Request engineering profiles.
Describe the stack, seniority mix and timeline you need.
- E-Mailcontact@honglai-int.com
- Phone+49 6782 9882960
- AddressKiebitzweg 81, 65205 Wiesbaden, Germany
- RegisterHRB 22135 · Amtsgericht Bad Kreuznach
- ReplyIn writing within 2 working days
What happens next
- We acknowledge and reply in writing within 2 working days.
- NDA before confidential details — your template or ours.
- Capability deck and a pilot proposal.
- Fixed-scope start; framework contract only when it fits.