Plug Adapter Finder: Plug Types and Voltage by Country

How to read plug adapter and converter results

Two separate things change when you travel: the shape of the wall socket and the voltage behind it. A plug adapter only changes the shape, so your US plug fits a foreign socket. A voltage converter or transformer changes the electricity itself. The finder reports both. It pulls the plug types, nominal voltage and frequency for the country you pick from our 20 country pages, then combines them with your device's label.

The key step is the label on your charger or device. If it reads 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz, the device is dual voltage and you only need an adapter. Phone chargers, laptop bricks and camera chargers are almost always dual voltage. If the label reads 120 V only, as many hair dryers and curling irons do, plugging into a 230 V outlet can destroy the device. In that case you need a converter rated above the device's wattage, or a dual-voltage travel model.

Take the United Kingdom as a worked example. The wall delivers 230 V at 50 Hz through type G sockets, and no US plug fits. A dual-voltage phone charger needs one type G adapter and nothing else. A 120 V-only hair dryer needs an adapter plus a heavy converter, which is why most travelers buy a dual-voltage dryer instead. Japan shows the reverse: 100 V outlets take US plugs, so 120 V devices run, though heaters may run at reduced power. Each country has a page with sources: for example the United Kingdom plug page.

Some notes matter. Hybrid sockets in places such as Thailand and China often accept US plugs, but fit can be loose, so carry an adapter anyway. Brazil uses 127 V in some states and 220 V in others. Frequency also differs: 50 Hz versus the US 60 Hz can affect clocks and motors in single-voltage gear. The full table of 20 countries appears below and works with JavaScript off. For the flight side of your trip, see the flight time calculator. This is general information, not electrical advice.

Where these numbers come from

The formulas and default values in this calculator are based on:

• Mains electricity by country and power-plugs-sockets.com, compiled in our plug adapter country pages (data_plugs.py), with each country's source URLs and as-of date on its own page

This is a planning estimate, not medical, legal or immigration advice. Fees, allowances, limits and entry rules change, so confirm the figures with your airline, cruise line, customs agency or the official government source before you book or travel, and follow their rules if they differ from this page.