How to Choose the right Plug Adapter for you:

Many customers often use the terms "Plug Adapter" and "Power Converter" interchangeably, which is not correct. A Plug Adapter, or Socket Adapter, is a very tiny device that simply physically changes the shape of your appliances' Power Plug so that it can fit in to a different wall outlet in a different country; it has no moving parts inside and has no motor or electrical parts. 

A Power Converter, or Voltage Converter, is completely different because it deals with changing actual Voltage from one to another so that either American appliances can be used overseas or Foreign appliances can be used in the US; and while some Power Converters can be small, most are large and heavy. 

Since Plug Adapters do not change Voltage, they are used mostly for items that are already Dual Voltage such as Cell Phones, Laptops, some Electric Shavers, some Hair Dryers, some Hair Straighteners, some Hair Curlers, some Clock Radios, some Portable Boomboxes, iPods, iPhones, and some other electronic items as well. 

Different Plugs for Different Countries

To know which Adapter is the correct one for you, we must first understand their purpose and the issue they solve. Plug Adapters allow you to plug any power cord into a differently shaped wall outlet. For example, if you try to take an American appliance or electronic to Africa or Europe or Asia, you will see that your item won't fit into their foreign wall outlet because their wall outlets are shaped differently than American wall outlets. Here in the US, we typically use a 2-Flat Pin Plug. 

But in foreign countries overseas, they use completely different plugs. This is where the Plug Adapter comes in. The Plug Adapter connects to the end of your appliance's power cord and allows you to then plug it into the appropriate wall outlet in the country you are visiting. It is important to keep in mind that a Plug Adapter does NOT convert Voltage. 

A Plug Adapter has no electrical parts inside and is not a Power Converter; a Power Converter is completely different from a Plug Adapter. It is important to note that most American-bought appliances and electronics require an additional, separate Voltage Converter in combination with a Plug Adapter, in order to operate overseas. This is due to the "Voltage" difference between the US and every other country.

Voltage Outputs by Country

Now that you have a better idea of how Plug Adapters work, we can make one more thing clear that we haven't mentioned yet: some appliances and electronics are made Dual Voltage from the manufacturer. This means that those certain appliances and electronics will not need any Power Converters because they already accept both Voltages so they are referred to as being "Dual Voltage". These types of items are generally items that are common "Travel" related items, such as Cell Phones, Laptops, some Hair Dryers, some Hair Straighteners, some Electric Shavers, some Electric Toothbrushes, some Alarm Clocks, etc. 

The only way to know for sure if your item is Dual Voltage is to look on the item itself. On the back or the bottom of your appliance, there should be a small label or sticker or inscription that has the electrical information written on it. There, all you have to do is look to see if it says "AC 100-240V". If it says that, then yes, that item can run on both Voltages. But, if you read "AC 110-120V", then no, that item is not Dual Voltage because it can only run on the American Voltage. 

In order to give you a better idea of which voltage is used worldwide, besides looking at the map, we have comprised a list that may help you and have placed it below this paragraph; just search for the country you are traveling to. Please keep in mind that this list can change and is not permanent, due to countries being able to upgrade their infrastructure at any time. Also, please note that some countries are split voltage; their voltage is 110/120 in some parts and 220/240 in other parts. 

There is no guaranteed way to know which voltage or plug type is used in these types of countries because it all depends on which specific area you are going to. So, for example, if you are travelling to Brazil or Saudi Arabia, you should check with the owner of the building you are living in or speak with the front desk clerk at the hotel you are staying at to find out which voltage or plug type they use there.

Plug Types

COUNTRY - VOLTAGE - FREQUENCY - OUTLET TYPE 
(IN ORDER)

COUNTRY	VOLTAGE	FREQUENCY	OUTLET TYPE
Afghanistan	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Albania	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Algeria	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
American Samoa	120 V	60 Hz	A / B / F / I
Andorra	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Angola	220 V	50 Hz	C
Anguilla	110 V	60 Hz	A
Antigua	230 V	60 Hz	A / B
Argentina	220 V	50 Hz	C / I
Armenia	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Aruba	120 V	60 Hz	A / B / F
Australia	240 V	50 Hz	I
Austria	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Azerbaijan	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Azores	230 V	50 Hz	B / C / F
Bahamas	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Bahrain	230 V	50 Hz	G
Balearic Islands	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Bangladesh	220 V	50 Hz	C / D / G / K
Barbados	115 V	50 Hz	A / B
Belarus	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Belgium	230 V	50 Hz	E
Belize	110 V / 220 V	60 Hz	B / G
Benin	220 V	50 Hz	E
Bermuda	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Bhutan	230 V	50 Hz	D / F / G
Bolivia	230 V	50 Hz	A / C
Bosnia & Herzegovina	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Botswana	230 V	50 Hz	D / G
Brazil	127 V / 220 V *	60 Hz	A / B / C / I
Brunei	240 V	50 Hz	G
Bulgaria	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Burkina Faso	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Burundi	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Cambodia	230 V	50 Hz	A / C / G
Cameroon	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Canada	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Canary Islands	230 V	50 Hz	C / E / L
Cape Verde	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Cayman Islands	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Central African Republic	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Chad	220 V	50 Hz	D / E / F
Channel Islands (Guernsey & Jersey)	230 V	50 Hz	C / G
Chile	220 V	50 Hz	C / L
China, People's Republic of	220 V	50 Hz	A / C / I
Colombia	110 V	60 Hz	A / B
Comoros	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Congo, People's Rep. of	230 V	50 Hz	C / E
Congo, Dem. Rep. of (formerly Zaire)	220 V	50 Hz	C / D
Cook Islands	240 V	50 Hz	I
Costa Rica	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Croatia	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Cuba	110 V / 220 V	60 Hz	A / B / C / L
Cyprus	230 V	50 Hz	G / F**
Czech Republic	230 V	50 Hz	E
Denmark	230 V	50 Hz	C / E / K
Djibouti	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Dominica	230 V	50 Hz	D / G
Dominican Republic	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
East Timor	220 V	50 Hz	C / E / F / I
Ecuador	110 V	60 Hz	A / B
Egypt	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
El Salvador	115 V	60 Hz	A / B / C / D / E / F / G / I / J / L
Equatorial Guinea	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Eritrea	230 V	50 Hz	C / L
Estonia	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Ethiopia	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Faeroe Islands	230 V	50 Hz	C / K
Falkland Islands	240 V	50 Hz	G
Fiji	240 V	50 Hz	I
Finland	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
France	230 V	50 Hz	E
French Guyana	220 V	50 Hz	C / D / E
Gabon	220 V	50 Hz	C
Gambia	230 V	50 Hz	G
Gaza	230 V	50 Hz	H
Georgia	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Germany	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Ghana	230 V	50 Hz	D / G
Gibraltar	230 V	50 Hz	C / G
Great Britain (see United Kingdom)
Greenland	230 V	50 Hz	C / K
Grenada	230 V	50 Hz	G
Guadeloupe	230 V	50 Hz	C / D / E
Guam	110 V	60 Hz	A / B
Guatemala	120 V	60 Hz	A / B / G / I
Guinea	220 V	50 Hz	C / F / K
Guinea-Bissau	220 V	50 Hz	C
Guyana	240 V	60 Hz	A / B / D / G
Haiti	110 V	60 Hz	A / B
Honduras	110 V	60 Hz	A / B
Hong Kong	220 V	50 Hz	G
Hungary	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Iceland	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
India	230 V	50 Hz	C / D / M
Indonesia	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Iran	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Iraq	230 V	50 Hz	C / D / G
Ireland (Eire)	230 V	50 Hz	G
Isle of Man	230 V	50 Hz	C / G
Israel	230 V	50 Hz	H / C
Italy	230 V	50 Hz	C / F / L
Jamaica	110 V	50 Hz	A / B
Japan	100 V	50 Hz / 60 Hz **	A / B
Jordan	230 V	50 Hz	C / D / F / G / J
Kenya	240 V	50 Hz	G
Kazakhstan	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Kiribati	240 V	50 Hz	I
Korea, North	110 V / 220 V	60 Hz	A / C
Korea, South	110V / 220 V	60 Hz	A / B / C / F
Kuwait	240 V	50 Hz	C / G
Kyrgyzstan	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Laos	230 V	50 Hz	A / B / C / E / F
Latvia	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Lebanon	230 V	50 Hz	C / D / G
Lesotho	220 V	50 Hz	M
Liberia	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Libya	127 V / 230 V	50 Hz	D / F
Liechtenstein	230 V	50 Hz	J
Lithuania	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Luxembourg	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Macau	220 V	50 Hz	D / G
Macedonia	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Madagascar	127 V / 220 V	50 Hz	C / D / E / J / K
Madeira	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Malawi	230 V	50 Hz	G
Malaysia	240 V	50 Hz	G
Maldives	230 V	50 Hz	D / G / J / K / L
Mali	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Malta	230 V	50 Hz	G
Martinique	220 V	50 Hz	C / D / E
Mauritania	220 V	50 Hz	C
Mauritius	230 V	50 Hz	C / G
Mexico	127 V	60 Hz	A
Micronesia, Federal States of	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Moldova	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Monaco	230 V	50 Hz	C / D / E / F
Mongolia	230 V	50 Hz	C / E
Montenegro	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Montserrat	230 V	60 Hz	A / B
Morocco	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Mozambique	220 V	50 Hz	C / F / M
Myanmar (Burma)	230 V	50 Hz	C / D / F / G
Namibia	220 V	50 Hz	D / M
Nauru	240 V	50 Hz	I
Nepal	230 V	50 Hz	C / D / M
Netherlands	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Netherlands Antilles	127 V / 220 V	50 Hz	A / B / F
New Caledonia	220 V	50 Hz	F
New Zealand	240 V	50 Hz	I
Nicaragua	120 V	60 Hz	A
Niger	220 V	50 Hz	A / B / C / D / E / F
Nigeria	230 V	50 Hz	D / G
Norway	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Oman	240 V	50 Hz	C / G
Pakistan	230 V	50 Hz	C / D
Palau	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Panama	110 V	60 Hz	A / B
Papua New Guinea	240 V	50 Hz	I
Paraguay	220 V	50 Hz	C
Peru	220 V	60 Hz	A / B / C
Philippines	220 V	60 Hz	A / B / C
Poland	230 V	50 Hz	C / E
Portugal	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Puerto Rico	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Qatar	240 V	50 Hz	D / G
Reunion Island	230 V	50 Hz	E
Romania	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Russian Federation	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Rwanda	230 V	50 Hz	C / J
St. Kitts and Nevis	230 V	60 Hz	D / G
St. Lucia	230 V	50 Hz	G
St. Vincent	230 V	50 Hz	A / C / E / G / I / K
Samoa	230 V	50 Hz	I
San Marino	230 V	50 Hz	F / L
Saudi Arabia	110 V / 220 V ***	60 Hz	A / B / C / G
Senegal	230 V	50 Hz	C / D / E / K
Serbia	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Seychelles	240 V	50 Hz	G
Sierra Leone	230 V	50 Hz	D / G
Singapore	230 V	50 Hz	G
Slovakia	230 V	50 Hz	E
Slovenia	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Somalia	220 V	50 Hz	C
South Africa	230 V	50 Hz	D / M
Spain	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Sri Lanka	230 V	50 Hz	D / G / M
Sudan	230 V	50 Hz	C / D
Suriname	127 V	60 Hz	C / F
Swaziland	230 V	50 Hz	M
Sweden	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Switzerland	230 V	50 Hz	J
Syria	220 V	50 Hz	C / E / L
Tahiti	220 V	50 Hz / 60 Hz	C / E
Tajikistan	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Taiwan	110 V	60 Hz	A / B
Tanzania	230 V	50 Hz	D / G
Thailand	220 V	50 Hz	A / B / C
Togo	220 V	50 Hz	C
Tonga	240 V	50 Hz	I
Trinidad & Tobago	115 V	60 Hz	A / B
Tunisia	230 V	50 Hz	C / E
Turkey	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Turkmenistan	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Uganda	240 V	50 Hz	G
Ukraine	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
United Arab Emirates	240 V	50 Hz	G
United Kingdom	230 V	50 Hz	G
United States of America	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Uruguay	220 V	50 Hz	C / F / I / L
Uzbekistan	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Venezuela	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Vietnam	220 V	50 Hz	A / C / G
Virgin Islands	110 V	60 Hz	A / B
Yemen	230 V	50 Hz	A / D / G
Zambia	230 V	50 Hz	C / D / G
Zimbabwe	240 V	50 Hz	D / G