There are 3 Standard Time zones in Kiribati: Gilbert Islands time zone (GMT+12); Phoenix Islands time zone (GMT+13); and Line Islands time zone (GMT+14).

Prior to 1994, the eastern and western islands groups were on either side of the International Dateline with a 23-hour time difference between them. The President of Kiribati (Hon. Teburoro Tito) at that time decided to move the dateline for convenience which attributed a 2 hour difference between Islands in the Gilbert Islands Group and the (Line and Phoenix) Islands Group. This also marked Kiribati becoming the first nation to witness the first dawn of the Third Millennium and Caroline was renamed Millennium Island to celebrate the occasion during the year 2000.