This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: August 2026 by Ondřej Kadlec
Sockets and voltage in United Kingdom
Type GBS 1363Earthed
Type DBS 546, 5 AEarthed
Type MBS 546, 15 AEarthed
Voltage
230 V
Frequency
50 Hz
Earthed sockets
Type G, Type D, Type M
Type D and M survive only in stage lighting and switched-lighting circuits; everything domestic is Type G.
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 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.
The UK uses Type only, at 230 V: a big three-pin plug with a fuse in it, and nothing else fits a British socket.
Sockets in the United Kingdom are Type at 230 V, 50 Hz, and no other plug fits one.
Every British plug carries its own fuse. That is unique to this standard, and it is why UK plugs are so much larger than European ones.
Nothing else fits, including a Europlug. A Schuko or French plug will not enter a British socket, so an adapter is not optional for anything brought from the continent.
Bathrooms have shaver sockets, not power sockets. The two-pin outlet by the mirror takes a Europlug at 2.5 A - fine for a toothbrush, useless for a hair dryer, and by design there is no other outlet in a UK bathroom.
230 V is the same as continental Europe. A German or French appliance runs perfectly here on an adapter; only American 120 V equipment needs a converter.
Many sockets have their own switch. If a charger seems dead, check the little rocker beside the outlet before blaming the cable.
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