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

Sockets and voltage in India

  • Type CCEE 7/16 (Europlug)No earth
  • Type DBS 546, 5 AEarthed
  • Type MBS 546, 15 AEarthed
Voltage
230 V
Frequency
50 Hz
Earthed sockets
Type D, Type M

Older Type D and heavy-duty Type M sockets sit alongside each other, and a Europlug pushed into a Type D socket is a loose, unsafe fit.

What you need, by where you are coming from

  • 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 IrelandPlugs go straight in and the voltage matches. Nothing to pack.
  • Arriving from most of continental EuropePlugs go straight in and the voltage matches. Nothing to pack.
  • 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.

Indian sockets are Type and with Europlug holes alongside, at 230 V - and a European plug in a Type socket is a loose, unsafe fit.

Sockets in India are Type , and at 230 V, 50 Hz - the round three-pin British colonial pattern in two sizes, plus two-pin outlets for Europlugs.

  • Type is the everyday socket - three round pins in a triangle, the fat one on top being earth. Type is the same shape scaled up for air conditioners and geysers.
  • A Europlug fits the small holes of a Type socket loosely. It works, it is common, and it is a poor contact that can arc; the Bureau of Indian Standards has been pushing it out since 2015.
  • British, American and Australian plugs need an adapter. A UK Type plug does not fit a Type socket despite the shared ancestry.
  • 230 V means American 120 V-only equipment needs a converter.
  • Hotels above budget level fit universal sockets in most rooms; guesthouses will have plain Type and nothing else.

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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.