This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: August 2026 by Ondřej Kadlec
Sockets and voltage in Saudi Arabia
Type GBS 1363Earthed
Voltage
230 V
Frequency
60 Hz
Earthed sockets
Type G
Saudi Arabia is unusual in running 230 V at 60 Hz.
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 EuropeA 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.
Saudi sockets are British Type , and the country is unusual in running 230 V at 60 Hz.
Sockets in Saudi Arabia are Type at 230 V, 60 Hz - British plugs on an American frequency, a combination almost nowhere else has.
British plugs fit straight in. European, American and Australian ones need an adapter.
The 60 Hz frequency is the oddity. It changes nothing for chargers and electronics; it only affects mains-timed clocks and some motors, which run about 20 per cent faster than they would at 50 Hz.
230 V, so American 120 V-only appliances need a converter, not just an adapter.
Older buildings carry a mixture of socket shapes left over from before the standard settled, so a universal adapter earns its space.
Comments
No comments yet. Share the first one.
Share a tip
Sign in to continue.