European plug adapter for UK travellers: which one for which country

A plug adapter changes the shape of your plug so it fits a foreign socket. It does not change the voltage. From the UK you need one for every country in the table below, and you should read your charger's label for the voltage it accepts. Tourist boards name the socket type for each country.

Most of the confusion comes from two words that get mixed up. An adapter is a shape fix and a converter is a voltage fix, and most phone and laptop chargers need only the first. This guide gives the socket each official tourist board names for the main holiday countries, then what to check before you buy.

An adapter lets a plug sit in a different socket. A converter (also sold as a transformer) changes the electrical voltage. The official sources we read draw the same line: Visit The USA says "adapter plugs allow you to plug your devices into U.S. outlets", and that visitors may need a voltage converter if their appliances operate on 220 or 240 volts.

So the search "european converter plug" usually means an adapter. Before you buy anything, read the small print on each charger or appliance. Spain.info gives the same advice: always check that the electrical apparatus you plan to use works on the local voltage.

• Adapter
  Changes the plug shape only. It is the item you need for a charger that already accepts the local voltage.
• Converter or transformer
  Changes the voltage. Visit The USA says you may need one if an appliance operates only on 220 or 240 volts and you are plugging it into a 110/120 volt outlet.
• The label
  Read it on each charger before you pack, because the label tells you which of the two you need.

The table gives each destination's own tourist board or national tourism site, in its own words. The sources round the supply voltage differently (220 V on some, 230 V on others), so treat the figures as the nominal supply and not as a measurement.

• Spain.info, plugs and electricity
• France.fr, electricity requirements in France
• Italia.it, practical information
• Germany Travel, electrical equipment
• Switzerland Tourism, electricity
• Visit Greece, travel tips
• Visit The USA, travel trade FAQ
• Tourism Australia, travel tips

Read the table by plug, not by country, when you plan a trip through several. Our Greece guide and Barcelona guide cover the destinations themselves; this page only covers the sockets.

Not automatically, because the sources describe different sockets. France names a Type E socket with a male earth pin, Italy lists C-type and L-type sockets, and Germany names Type F as standard. Switzerland adds a three-pin J socket, though it says a two-pin C plug also fits it.

What helps is the shape of your own plug. A two-pin charger is the easy case: Italia.it says its multistandard socket accepts both of its main types and the German Schuko, and Switzerland Tourism says two-pin C plugs fit its J sockets. If your plug has an earth pin, read the adapter's listing carefully, because France.fr describes its socket with a male earth pin.

Buy an adapter for the countries on your route, then check it against the table above. Where Spain.info and Visit Greece say hotels or sockets can help, treat that as a fallback and not a plan.

A UK plug will not sit in a US outlet, so you need an adapter. Visit The USA says outlets are standardised at 110/120 volts, so a device that only accepts 220 or 240 volts needs a voltage converter as well. Check the label first: a charger that lists the lower voltage needs the adapter alone.

The same source says converters and sets of adapter plugs are sold at most travel and luggage stores. If you are also travelling to Australia, note that its own tourism site says the adapter needed is a different one, with two flat pins in an inverted V.

Check that it is built to UK safety standards, because regulators have stopped unsafe ones at the border. The Office for Product Safety and Standards report of 14 August 2023 rejected a multi-country adaptor for "a high risk of electric shock due to accessible live parts". The one dated 14 January 2026, a US to UK adapter sold through a marketplace, found the UK plug did not meet the dimensional requirements of BS 1363 and "presents a risk of fire".

UK law also names the product. The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 describe a travel adaptor as one that lets a plug designed for use in the United Kingdom connect to a socket used outside it. That is the item this page is about, so read the listing for the maker's or importer's details before you pay.

• ✓
  A clear maker or importer: So you know who is responsible if the adaptor fails.
• ✓
  A fuse where one is expected: The 2026 report says the fuse is needed for safe operation under fault conditions.
• ✓
  Covered live parts: The 2023 report records a high risk of electric shock from accessible live parts.

• ✕
  A listing with no maker details: You cannot tell who made it or imported it.
• ✕
  A one-piece "universal" adaptor you have not checked: The 2023 report was on a multi-plug adaptor with interchangeable pins for the USA, Japan, Australia, Europe and the UK.

Adapters sit near the end of a packing list, after your documents. Our holiday packing list puts passports and visas first, and our entry requirements guide covers the rules for British passport holders by destination. The travel tips for UK travellers collect the other checks worth making before you go.

• Do I need a European plug adapter to travel from the UK?

  Yes, for the countries in the table above. France.fr says you will need a plug adapter for foreign appliances, and the other tourist boards name sockets of their own.

• What is the difference between a plug adapter and a converter?

  An adapter changes the plug shape and a converter changes the voltage. Visit The USA says visitors may need a voltage converter if their appliances operate on 220 or 240 volts, and Spain.info says to check that your apparatus works on the local voltage.

• What is a European converter plug?

  The phrase is usually used for an adapter. Check the charger label: if it accepts the local voltage, you need only the adapter, and if not, the Visit The USA source says you may need a voltage converter.

• Which plug does France use?

  France.fr says France uses a Type E plug, with a round pin and receptacle with a male grounding pin, on a 220-volt, 50-hertz supply.

• Which plug does Spain use?

  Spain.info says sockets meet European regulations and use the round pin system, on a supply of 220 volts and 50 hertz. It does not name a plug letter.

• Does one adapter work in Italy and Switzerland?

  Possibly for a two-pin plug. Italia.it lists C-type and L-type sockets, and Switzerland Tourism says Type C two-pin plugs also fit its three-pin Type J sockets. Check the adapter against your own plug.

• Can I use a British plug in a German hotel bathroom?

  Germany Travel says hotel bathrooms usually have shaver sockets that can also take British and US plugs. The same page still asks you to bring your own adapters.

• Do I need a travel adaptor for the USA?

  Yes. Visit The USA says outlets run on 110/120 volts and that adapter plugs let you plug devices into US outlets. A device that only accepts 220 or 240 volts needs a voltage converter too.

• Which adapter do I need for Australia?

  Tourism Australia says you may need an adapter and that the plug needed is a Type 1, with two flat metal pins in an inverted V. It gives the supply as 220-240 volts, AC 50Hz.

• Are cheap travel adapters safe?

  Not always. GOV.UK product safety reports from 14 August 2023 and 14 January 2026 describe adaptors rejected at the border for a risk of electric shock or fire, and one that did not meet the dimensional requirements of BS 1363.