Egypt uses Type C and Type F sockets, running at 220 volts and 50 hertz. They take the round two pin plug used across most of Europe. If you are travelling from the United States or the United Kingdom you need an adapter (adaptor, in British spelling), and for a few appliances you need to check the voltage as well.
That is the whole egypt plug type answer: the type of plug in Egypt is C and F. What follows is the part that saves an appliance.
What Plug Type Does Egypt Use?
Two, and they are compatible with each other.
Type C is the plain two round pin plug, ungrounded. Type F is the same two round pins with earth clips along the sides. A Type C plug fits a Type F socket, which is why a European charger works here without anyone thinking about it.
The sockets you find in the wall are usually Type F. The plugs on the small appliances you find in the room are usually Type C. Both are normal.
The Egypt Plug Type, by Where You Are Coming From
| Coming from | Your plug | Fits the socket | What to bring |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States or Canada | Type A or B, flat pins | No | Adapter, and check the voltage on each item |
| United Kingdom or Ireland | Type G, three rectangular pins | No | Adapter |
| Most of continental Europe | Type C or F | Yes | Nothing |
| Australia or New Zealand | Type I, angled flat pins | No | Adapter |
Voltage is the column that is missing from that table on purpose, because it depends on the appliance rather than on the country. That is the next section.
Adapter or Converter, and Why the Difference Matters
An adapter changes the shape of the plug. A converter changes the voltage. They are not the same object and one will not do the other's job.
Almost everyone needs an adapter. Very few people need a converter, and the ones who do usually need it for a single item.
Turn over any charger and read the small print. If it says 100 to 240 volts, it is dual voltage and an adapter is all it needs. If it says 120 volts only, a converter is the only thing standing between it and a small puff of smoke.
The Egypt Power Plug Type Question for US Travellers
The United States runs at roughly 110 to 120 volts. Egypt runs at 220. That is the real issue, and the plug shape is the easy half of it.
The good news is that most of what you are carrying does not care. Phone chargers, laptop power supplies, camera battery chargers, electric toothbrushes and tablet chargers are almost all dual voltage, because the manufacturers sell the same unit worldwide.
The bad news is concentrated in one category, and it is the category people pack without thinking.
Hair Dryers, Straighteners and the Things That Burn Out
Heat appliances are the exception. Hair dryers, straighteners, curling tongs and travel irons draw a lot of power and are often built for a single voltage.
Plugging a 120 volt hair dryer into a 220 volt socket through a simple adapter does not usually trip anything. It destroys the appliance, sometimes immediately and sometimes after a minute of smelling wrong.
Three ways out. Leave it at home and use the hotel's, which on this sort of trip is generally decent. Buy a genuinely dual voltage travel version before you fly. Or carry a converter rated well above the appliance's wattage, which is bulky and the least appealing of the three.
Check the label rather than the brand. The same model is sometimes sold as dual voltage in one market and single voltage in another.
Egypt Plug Socket Type in Hotels, on Boats and in the Desert
The egypt plug type does not change anywhere in the country. The number of sockets behind it certainly does.
Hotels of the standard used on these trips have plenty of sockets and power outlets, and many rooms have a USB point beside the bed. That does not mean you can stop reading.
Cruise boats and dahabiyas are the place to pay attention. Cabins are smaller, sockets are fewer, and on a sailing boat the power may come from a generator that runs to a schedule rather than around the clock. Charge things when you are in the cabin rather than assuming overnight will cover it.
Out in the Western Desert there is no mains at all. Camps run on a generator or on solar, and a power bank is worth more than any adapter you own.
What to Actually Buy
One adapter per person is not enough. Two each is about right, because one lives by the bed and one ends up in the day bag.
A small multi socket extension lead with your home plug on it is the single most useful item in this whole article. One adapter into the wall, four of your own plugs into the lead, and the argument about who charges what at night stops happening.
A universal adapter with USB ports covers most of it. Buy one with an actual fuse rather than the cheapest in the rack, and avoid the ones that try to be a converter as well, which are usually poor at both.
Buy before you fly. Adapters are available in Cairo, but hunting for one on the first evening is not how anyone wants to spend it.
What the Egypt Electrical Plug Type Means for Your Camera
Nothing, in practical terms, and cameras are the item people worry about most.
Battery chargers for every current mirrorless and DSLR system are dual voltage. So are drone chargers, although drones themselves are a separate problem at Egyptian customs and are routinely confiscated on arrival.
The real camera risk here is dust rather than voltage. That belongs in the packing list, along with the rest of what goes in the bag.
Before You Pack the Bag
The egypt plug type question is settled in one sentence. The voltage question takes about five minutes, and it is the only part of this you cannot do after you land.
Go through the pile of chargers on the table and read the small print on each one.
Anything that says 100 to 240 volts goes in with an adapter. Anything that says 120 volts only either stays at home or needs a converter bought deliberately. Anything with a heating element gets the hardest look.
The rest of the pre-departure list is in the practical notes on travelling here, and the Cairo guide covers what to expect in the first 24 hours. Guests on our longer Egypt tours get a briefing that covers this before they fly, which is less romantic than the temples and saves more hair dryers.
