What plug type is used in Germany?

Type C and Type F sockets, Type C being the most common.

What is the mains voltage in Germany?

230 V at 50 Hz. Anything not marked 100-240 V on its own label needs a converter rather than a plug adapter.

This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: August 2026 by Ondřej Kadlec

Arriving from the United States or CanadaA plug adapter, and appliances marked 100-240 V. Anything single-voltage needs a converter.
Arriving from the UK or IrelandA plug adapter is enough - the voltage is the same as at home.
Arriving from Australia or New ZealandA plug adapter is enough - the voltage is the same as at home.

Socket types, voltage and frequency are the nominal domestic supply as published in IEC/TR 60083 and the national standards it lists.

German sockets are Schuko Type at 230 V, the round recessed outlet with earth clips on the rim used across most of Europe.

Sockets in Germany are Type at 230 V, 50 Hz - the Schuko, a round recessed socket with earth clips gripping the rim instead of an earth hole.

The plug goes in either way round. Schuko is unpolarised, which is a genuine difference from British and American wiring rather than a detail.
A Europlug fits, and so does a French plug in practice. The hybrid CEE 7/7 plug that most European appliances now carry works in both German and French sockets.
British, American and Australian plugs need an adapter. Cheap two-pin adapters do not carry earth through; for anything with a metal case, buy one with the earth clips.
230 V matches most of the world outside the Americas and Japan. American 120 V appliances need a converter, not just an adapter.
Sockets in old apartment buildings are still Schuko but sometimes wired without an earth behind the wall, which is invisible from the front.

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Sources (1)

What this guide was checked against. Rules and prices change — follow the official link before you rely on a detail.