diff --git a/python/cudf/cudf/core/_internals/timezones.py b/python/cudf/cudf/core/_internals/timezones.py
index 269fcf3e37f..29cb9d7bd12 100644
--- a/python/cudf/cudf/core/_internals/timezones.py
+++ b/python/cudf/cudf/core/_internals/timezones.py
@@ -1,21 +1,50 @@
 # Copyright (c) 2023-2024, NVIDIA CORPORATION.
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import datetime
 import os
 import zoneinfo
 from functools import lru_cache
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Literal
 
 import numpy as np
+import pandas as pd
 
+import cudf
 from cudf._lib.timezone import make_timezone_transition_table
-from cudf.core.column.column import as_column
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from cudf.core.column.datetime import DatetimeColumn
     from cudf.core.column.timedelta import TimeDeltaColumn
 
 
+def get_compatible_timezone(dtype: pd.DatetimeTZDtype) -> pd.DatetimeTZDtype:
+    """Convert dtype.tz object to zoneinfo object if possible."""
+    tz = dtype.tz
+    if isinstance(tz, zoneinfo.ZoneInfo):
+        return dtype
+    if cudf.get_option("mode.pandas_compatible"):
+        raise NotImplementedError(
+            f"{tz} must be a zoneinfo.ZoneInfo object in pandas_compatible mode."
+        )
+    elif (tzname := getattr(tz, "zone", None)) is not None:
+        # pytz-like
+        key = tzname
+    elif (tz_file := getattr(tz, "_filename", None)) is not None:
+        # dateutil-like
+        key = tz_file.split("zoneinfo/")[-1]
+    elif isinstance(tz, datetime.tzinfo):
+        # Try to get UTC-like tzinfos
+        reference = datetime.datetime.now()
+        key = tz.tzname(reference)
+        if not (isinstance(key, str) and key.lower() == "utc"):
+            raise NotImplementedError(f"cudf does not support {tz}")
+    else:
+        raise NotImplementedError(f"cudf does not support {tz}")
+    new_tz = zoneinfo.ZoneInfo(key)
+    return pd.DatetimeTZDtype(dtype.unit, new_tz)
+
+
 @lru_cache(maxsize=20)
 def get_tz_data(zone_name: str) -> tuple[DatetimeColumn, TimeDeltaColumn]:
     """
@@ -87,6 +116,8 @@ def _read_tzfile_as_columns(
     )
 
     if not transition_times_and_offsets:
+        from cudf.core.column.column import as_column
+
         # this happens for UTC-like zones
         min_date = np.int64(np.iinfo("int64").min + 1).astype("M8[s]")
         return (as_column([min_date]), as_column([np.timedelta64(0, "s")]))
diff --git a/python/cudf/cudf/core/column/column.py b/python/cudf/cudf/core/column/column.py
index c4e715aeb45..586689e2ee3 100644
--- a/python/cudf/cudf/core/column/column.py
+++ b/python/cudf/cudf/core/column/column.py
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@
     is_string_dtype,
 )
 from cudf.core._compat import PANDAS_GE_210
+from cudf.core._internals.timezones import get_compatible_timezone
 from cudf.core.abc import Serializable
 from cudf.core.buffer import (
     Buffer,
@@ -1854,6 +1855,21 @@ def as_column(
             arbitrary.dtype,
             (pd.CategoricalDtype, pd.IntervalDtype, pd.DatetimeTZDtype),
         ):
+            if isinstance(arbitrary.dtype, pd.DatetimeTZDtype):
+                new_tz = get_compatible_timezone(arbitrary.dtype)
+                arbitrary = arbitrary.astype(new_tz)
+            if isinstance(arbitrary.dtype, pd.CategoricalDtype) and isinstance(
+                arbitrary.dtype.categories.dtype, pd.DatetimeTZDtype
+            ):
+                new_tz = get_compatible_timezone(
+                    arbitrary.dtype.categories.dtype
+                )
+                new_cats = arbitrary.dtype.categories.astype(new_tz)
+                new_dtype = pd.CategoricalDtype(
+                    categories=new_cats, ordered=arbitrary.dtype.ordered
+                )
+                arbitrary = arbitrary.astype(new_dtype)
+
             return as_column(
                 pa.array(arbitrary, from_pandas=True),
                 nan_as_null=nan_as_null,
diff --git a/python/cudf/cudf/core/column/datetime.py b/python/cudf/cudf/core/column/datetime.py
index 9ac761b6be1..d88553361dd 100644
--- a/python/cudf/cudf/core/column/datetime.py
+++ b/python/cudf/cudf/core/column/datetime.py
@@ -21,6 +21,11 @@
 from cudf._lib.search import search_sorted
 from cudf.api.types import is_datetime64_dtype, is_scalar, is_timedelta64_dtype
 from cudf.core._compat import PANDAS_GE_220
+from cudf.core._internals.timezones import (
+    check_ambiguous_and_nonexistent,
+    get_compatible_timezone,
+    get_tz_data,
+)
 from cudf.core.column import ColumnBase, as_column, column, string
 from cudf.core.column.timedelta import _unit_to_nanoseconds_conversion
 from cudf.utils.dtypes import _get_base_dtype
@@ -282,8 +287,6 @@ def __contains__(self, item: ScalarLike) -> bool:
 
     @functools.cached_property
     def time_unit(self) -> str:
-        if isinstance(self.dtype, pd.DatetimeTZDtype):
-            return self.dtype.unit
         return np.datetime_data(self.dtype)[0]
 
     @property
@@ -725,8 +728,6 @@ def _find_ambiguous_and_nonexistent(
         transitions occur in the time zone database for the given timezone.
         If no transitions occur, the tuple `(False, False)` is returned.
         """
-        from cudf.core._internals.timezones import get_tz_data
-
         transition_times, offsets = get_tz_data(zone_name)
         offsets = offsets.astype(f"timedelta64[{self.time_unit}]")  # type: ignore[assignment]
 
@@ -785,26 +786,22 @@ def tz_localize(
         ambiguous: Literal["NaT"] = "NaT",
         nonexistent: Literal["NaT"] = "NaT",
     ):
-        from cudf.core._internals.timezones import (
-            check_ambiguous_and_nonexistent,
-            get_tz_data,
-        )
-
         if tz is None:
             return self.copy()
         ambiguous, nonexistent = check_ambiguous_and_nonexistent(
             ambiguous, nonexistent
         )
-        dtype = pd.DatetimeTZDtype(self.time_unit, tz)
+        dtype = get_compatible_timezone(pd.DatetimeTZDtype(self.time_unit, tz))
+        tzname = dtype.tz.key
         ambiguous_col, nonexistent_col = self._find_ambiguous_and_nonexistent(
-            tz
+            tzname
         )
         localized = self._scatter_by_column(
             self.isnull() | (ambiguous_col | nonexistent_col),
             cudf.Scalar(cudf.NaT, dtype=self.dtype),
         )
 
-        transition_times, offsets = get_tz_data(tz)
+        transition_times, offsets = get_tz_data(tzname)
         transition_times_local = (transition_times + offsets).astype(
             localized.dtype
         )
@@ -845,7 +842,7 @@ def __init__(
             offset=offset,
             null_count=null_count,
         )
-        self._dtype = dtype
+        self._dtype = get_compatible_timezone(dtype)
 
     def to_pandas(
         self,
@@ -865,6 +862,10 @@ def to_arrow(self):
             self._local_time.to_arrow(), str(self.dtype.tz)
         )
 
+    @functools.cached_property
+    def time_unit(self) -> str:
+        return self.dtype.unit
+
     @property
     def _utc_time(self):
         """Return UTC time as naive timestamps."""
@@ -880,8 +881,6 @@ def _utc_time(self):
     @property
     def _local_time(self):
         """Return the local time as naive timestamps."""
-        from cudf.core._internals.timezones import get_tz_data
-
         transition_times, offsets = get_tz_data(str(self.dtype.tz))
         transition_times = transition_times.astype(_get_base_dtype(self.dtype))
         indices = search_sorted([transition_times], [self], "right") - 1
@@ -911,10 +910,6 @@ def __repr__(self):
         )
 
     def tz_localize(self, tz: str | None, ambiguous="NaT", nonexistent="NaT"):
-        from cudf.core._internals.timezones import (
-            check_ambiguous_and_nonexistent,
-        )
-
         if tz is None:
             return self._local_time
         ambiguous, nonexistent = check_ambiguous_and_nonexistent(
diff --git a/python/cudf/cudf/tests/indexes/datetime/test_indexing.py b/python/cudf/cudf/tests/indexes/datetime/test_indexing.py
index f2c2d9a263b..ee4d0f7e816 100644
--- a/python/cudf/cudf/tests/indexes/datetime/test_indexing.py
+++ b/python/cudf/cudf/tests/indexes/datetime/test_indexing.py
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-# Copyright (c) 2023, NVIDIA CORPORATION.
+# Copyright (c) 2023-2024, NVIDIA CORPORATION.
+import zoneinfo
 
 import pandas as pd
 
@@ -7,13 +8,10 @@
 
 
 def test_slice_datetimetz_index():
+    tz = zoneinfo.ZoneInfo("US/Eastern")
     data = ["2001-01-01", "2001-01-02", None, None, "2001-01-03"]
-    pidx = pd.DatetimeIndex(data, dtype="datetime64[ns]").tz_localize(
-        "US/Eastern"
-    )
-    idx = cudf.DatetimeIndex(data, dtype="datetime64[ns]").tz_localize(
-        "US/Eastern"
-    )
+    pidx = pd.DatetimeIndex(data, dtype="datetime64[ns]").tz_localize(tz)
+    idx = cudf.DatetimeIndex(data, dtype="datetime64[ns]").tz_localize(tz)
     expected = pidx[1:4]
     got = idx[1:4]
     assert_eq(expected, got)
diff --git a/python/cudf/cudf/tests/indexes/datetime/test_time_specific.py b/python/cudf/cudf/tests/indexes/datetime/test_time_specific.py
index b28ef131025..77b32b8ce89 100644
--- a/python/cudf/cudf/tests/indexes/datetime/test_time_specific.py
+++ b/python/cudf/cudf/tests/indexes/datetime/test_time_specific.py
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 # Copyright (c) 2022-2024, NVIDIA CORPORATION.
+import zoneinfo
+
 import pandas as pd
 
 import cudf
@@ -6,24 +8,21 @@
 
 
 def test_tz_localize():
+    tz = zoneinfo.ZoneInfo("America/New_York")
     pidx = pd.date_range("2001-01-01", "2001-01-02", freq="1s")
     pidx = pidx.astype("<M8[ns]")
     idx = cudf.from_pandas(pidx)
     assert pidx.dtype == idx.dtype
-    assert_eq(
-        pidx.tz_localize("America/New_York"),
-        idx.tz_localize("America/New_York"),
-    )
+    assert_eq(pidx.tz_localize(tz), idx.tz_localize(tz))
 
 
 def test_tz_convert():
+    tz = zoneinfo.ZoneInfo("America/New_York")
     pidx = pd.date_range("2023-01-01", periods=3, freq="h")
     idx = cudf.from_pandas(pidx)
     pidx = pidx.tz_localize("UTC")
     idx = idx.tz_localize("UTC")
-    assert_eq(
-        pidx.tz_convert("America/New_York"), idx.tz_convert("America/New_York")
-    )
+    assert_eq(pidx.tz_convert(tz), idx.tz_convert(tz))
 
 
 def test_delocalize_naive():
diff --git a/python/cudf/cudf/tests/series/test_datetimelike.py b/python/cudf/cudf/tests/series/test_datetimelike.py
index 58ffc610c3c..302ef19852d 100644
--- a/python/cudf/cudf/tests/series/test_datetimelike.py
+++ b/python/cudf/cudf/tests/series/test_datetimelike.py
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 # Copyright (c) 2023-2024, NVIDIA CORPORATION.
 
+import datetime
 import os
+import zoneinfo
 
 import pandas as pd
 import pytest
@@ -70,7 +72,7 @@ def test_localize_ambiguous(request, unit, zone_name):
         dtype=f"datetime64[{unit}]",
     )
     expect = s.to_pandas().dt.tz_localize(
-        zone_name, ambiguous="NaT", nonexistent="NaT"
+        zoneinfo.ZoneInfo(zone_name), ambiguous="NaT", nonexistent="NaT"
     )
     got = s.dt.tz_localize(zone_name)
     assert_eq(expect, got)
@@ -96,7 +98,7 @@ def test_localize_nonexistent(request, unit, zone_name):
         dtype=f"datetime64[{unit}]",
     )
     expect = s.to_pandas().dt.tz_localize(
-        zone_name, ambiguous="NaT", nonexistent="NaT"
+        zoneinfo.ZoneInfo(zone_name), ambiguous="NaT", nonexistent="NaT"
     )
     got = s.dt.tz_localize(zone_name)
     assert_eq(expect, got)
@@ -130,6 +132,9 @@ def test_delocalize_naive():
     "to_tz", ["Europe/London", "America/Chicago", "UTC", None]
 )
 def test_convert(from_tz, to_tz):
+    from_tz = zoneinfo.ZoneInfo(from_tz)
+    if to_tz is not None:
+        to_tz = zoneinfo.ZoneInfo(to_tz)
     ps = pd.Series(pd.date_range("2023-01-01", periods=3, freq="h"))
     gs = cudf.from_pandas(ps)
     ps = ps.dt.tz_localize(from_tz)
@@ -169,6 +174,8 @@ def test_convert_from_naive():
     ],
 )
 def test_convert_edge_cases(data, original_timezone, target_timezone):
+    original_timezone = zoneinfo.ZoneInfo(original_timezone)
+    target_timezone = zoneinfo.ZoneInfo(target_timezone)
     ps = pd.Series(data, dtype="datetime64[s]").dt.tz_localize(
         original_timezone
     )
@@ -229,10 +236,33 @@ def test_tz_convert_naive_typeerror():
     "klass", ["Series", "DatetimeIndex", "Index", "CategoricalIndex"]
 )
 def test_from_pandas_obj_tz_aware(klass):
-    tz_aware_data = [
-        pd.Timestamp("2020-01-01", tz="UTC").tz_convert("US/Pacific")
-    ]
+    tz = zoneinfo.ZoneInfo("US/Pacific")
+    tz_aware_data = [pd.Timestamp("2020-01-01", tz="UTC").tz_convert(tz)]
     pandas_obj = getattr(pd, klass)(tz_aware_data)
     result = cudf.from_pandas(pandas_obj)
     expected = getattr(cudf, klass)(tz_aware_data)
     assert_eq(result, expected)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "klass", ["Series", "DatetimeIndex", "Index", "CategoricalIndex"]
+)
+def test_from_pandas_obj_tz_aware_unsupported(klass):
+    tz = datetime.timezone(datetime.timedelta(hours=1))
+    tz_aware_data = [pd.Timestamp("2020-01-01", tz="UTC").tz_convert(tz)]
+    pandas_obj = getattr(pd, klass)(tz_aware_data)
+    with pytest.raises(NotImplementedError):
+        cudf.from_pandas(pandas_obj)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "klass", ["Series", "DatetimeIndex", "Index", "CategoricalIndex"]
+)
+def test_pandas_compatible_non_zoneinfo_raises(klass):
+    pytz = pytest.importorskip("pytz")
+    tz = pytz.timezone("US/Pacific")
+    tz_aware_data = [pd.Timestamp("2020-01-01", tz="UTC").tz_convert(tz)]
+    pandas_obj = getattr(pd, klass)(tz_aware_data)
+    with cudf.option_context("mode.pandas_compatible", True):
+        with pytest.raises(NotImplementedError):
+            cudf.from_pandas(pandas_obj)