diff --git a/spanner_database_basic/main.tf b/spanner_database_basic/main.tf
index 186c8603..5499fbd7 100644
--- a/spanner_database_basic/main.tf
+++ b/spanner_database_basic/main.tf
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ resource "google_spanner_database" "database" {
   instance = google_spanner_instance.main.name
   name     = "my-database-${local.name_suffix}"
   version_retention_period = "3d"
+  default_time_zone = "UTC"
   ddl = [
     "CREATE TABLE t1 (t1 INT64 NOT NULL,) PRIMARY KEY(t1)",
     "CREATE TABLE t2 (t2 INT64 NOT NULL,) PRIMARY KEY(t2)",