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Plug and socket types around the world

There are 14 common types of plug and socket in the world, named by letter from A to N. Here is what each looks like and where it is used, so you know which travel adapter to pack.

Type A: two flat parallel pins, no earth

The ungrounded North American plug (NEMA 1-15). Most phone chargers and small appliances in the US, Canada and Japan use it.

Used in 53 countries: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, British Indian Ocean Territory, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guam, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Japan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Malaysia, Mexico, Micronesia, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Niger, North Korea, Palau, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, United States, Venezuela, Vietnam.

Type B: two flat parallel pins and a round earth pin

The grounded North American plug (NEMA 5-15). A Type A plug also fits a Type B socket.

Used in 48 countries: American Samoa, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, Canada, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guam, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Mexico, Micronesia, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Niger, Palau, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, United States, Venezuela, Vietnam.

Type C: two round pins, no earth

The Europlug (CEE 7/16) — thin and flat-backed, for low-power devices such as chargers. It fits most sockets in Europe, and many in Asia, Africa and South America.

Used in 131 countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Comoros, Croatia, Curaçao, Czechia, Denmark, Djibouti, DR Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, French Guiana, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Guadeloupe, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, New Caledonia, Niger, North Korea, North Macedonia, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of the Congo, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, The Netherlands, Timor Leste, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Zambia.

Type D: three large round pins in a triangle

The old British 5-amp plug (BS 546), still the standard in India and parts of Asia and Africa.

Used in 35 countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Botswana, Chad, Dominica, DR Congo, French Guiana, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Hong Kong, India, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Macao, Madagascar, Martinique, Monaco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Type E: two round pins, with an earth pin sticking out of the socket

The French plug (CEE 7/5), used in France and Belgium. The plug has a hole for the socket's earth pin.

Used in 37 countries: Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Czechia, Denmark, Djibouti, DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Faroe Islands, France, French Guiana, Greenland, Guadeloupe, Ivory Coast, Laos, Liberia, Madagascar, Martinique, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Niger, Poland, Republic of the Congo, Reunion, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Slovakia, Syria, Timor Leste, Tunisia.

Type F: two round pins with earth clips on the sides

The "Schuko" plug (CEE 7/4) of Germany and much of Europe. Most modern European plugs are a hybrid (CEE 7/7) that fits both E and F sockets.

Used in 74 countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Armenia, Aruba, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cabo Verde, Chad, Croatia, Curaçao, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Guinea, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar, New Caledonia, Niger, North Korea, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Martin, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Tajikistan, Thailand, The Netherlands, Timor Leste, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uruguay.

Type G: three rectangular pins in a triangle

The British plug (BS 1363), with a fuse inside the plug — used in the UK, Ireland, Malta, Singapore, Hong Kong and many former British territories.

Used in 51 countries: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belize, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Cambodia, Cyprus, Dominica, Falkland Islands, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guyana, Hong Kong, Iraq, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Macao, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Type H: three pins in a V shape

The Israeli plug (SI 32); newer versions have round pins.

Used in 1 country: Israel.

Type I: two flat pins in a V, plus an earth pin

The Australian plug (AS/NZS 3112), also used — with small differences — in New Zealand, China and Argentina.

Used in 19 countries: American Samoa, Argentina, Australia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu.

Type J: three round pins, the earth off-centre

The Swiss plug (SEV 1011). A Europlug (Type C) also fits a Swiss socket.

Used in 4 countries: Jordan, Liechtenstein, Madagascar, Switzerland.

Type K: two round pins and a half-round earth pin

The Danish plug, used in Denmark and Greenland.

Used in 8 countries: Bangladesh, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Guinea, Madagascar, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal.

Type L: three round pins in a row

The Italian plug (CEI 23-50), in a 10-amp and a 16-amp size, used in Italy, San Marino and Chile.

Used in 8 countries: Chile, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Italy, Libya, San Marino, Syria, Uruguay.

Type M: three large round pins in a triangle

A larger, 15-amp version of Type D (BS 546), used mainly in South Africa and its neighbours for bigger appliances.

Used in 17 countries: Bhutan, Botswana, Eswatini, India, Kuwait, Lesotho, Macao, Malaysia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.

Type N: three round pins in a compact hexagonal housing

The newest standard (IEC 60906-1), adopted by Brazil and by South Africa (SANS 164-2).

Used in 2 countries: Brazil, South Africa.

Voltage: 110 V or 230 V?

Mains electricity comes in two families. 34 of the 216 countries here use 100–127 volts (most of North and Central America, Japan and a few others), 171 use 220–240 volts, and 11 use both. The frequency is 50 Hz in most of the world and 60 Hz in 45 countries, mainly in the Americas.

An adapter only changes the shape of the plug — it does not change the voltage. Check the label on your charger or appliance: INPUT 100–240 V means it works anywhere with just an adapter (most phone and laptop chargers are like this). A device made for 120 V only, such as many hair dryers and kettles, needs a voltage converter in a 230 V country, or it can be damaged.

Plug types, voltage and frequency for each country: the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) World Plugs guide, from its last full copy (19 January 2026) before the IEC retired the online guide. Plug standards: IEC TR 60083. All sources.