SWITZERLAND | Which Adapter Do I Need? Electricity & Plugs Explained
SWITZERLAND | Which Adapter Do I Need? Electricity & Plugs Explained
Hey guys, welcome back to another Switzerland basics video! This time we are discussing everything you need to know about plugs/outlets and electronics!
☞ Key Points
– Switzerland uses plug Type J (this is only used in Switzerland + Lichtenstein, not in the rest of Europe)
– Switzerland also uses Type C (electronics with type C plug will fit in outlets in the EU except for in UK, Ireland, Cyprus and Malta)
– The voltage is 220 – 240 V in Switzerland
– Only bring dual voltage electronics or electronics designed for 220 – 240 V
– If your electronic is NOT dual voltage you need an adapter PLUS a converter (but I do not recommend this as a long term plan!)
– If your electronics are EU plug Type F, they will not fit in Swiss sockets even though they look very similar! The prongs are too big.
☞ My favorite adapters!
USA to Swiss (3 Prong – Type J): https://amzn.to/2DdCg5R
USA to Swiss/EU (2 Prong Input – Type C): https://amzn.to/2UzJJqB
USA to Swiss/EU ( 3 Prong Input – Type C): https://amzn.to/2UysqGH
Universal Adapter: https://amzn.to/2D6xE1o
USB to Swiss/EU: https://amzn.to/2Isbpq6
***forgot to mention it but these USB plugs are great, you don’t need adapters for your phone charger and other USB items…these are better and work in most of the EU + Swiss!
Grüezi! Welcome to the most informative and entertaining guide to Switzerland on the Internet! Sarah started How To Switzerland in mid-2018 because she loves Switzerland and wants to share her experience. She hopes to help others who want to move here. Make sure to subscribe to join the family!
☞ Sarah’s main channel https://goo.gl/EGrdLR
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Pls make a video which things swiss people LIKE and DONT LIKE on amerikans. 🤓
Does Type F work for Type C?
Just answered this question! Moving on to your next video! 😉
I actually still use DVDs and Blu-rays
The small adapter you have is a death trap, Get rid of it ASAP. Some of them do not even pass ground. The universal one you presented is an excellent one. In general it is better to get a new power cord for your laptop.
Love the tip on bringing a US power strip with me on my upcoming move. These tips are why I watch!! Thanks for the videos.
No amazon?
Hey! Can someone please tell me where is made the amazing foto with Sarah?? The first foto from the intro, the one where she stand in front of a lake. It’s just incredible! Amazing videos!!!
I didn’t know I needed this video, but I did! Thank you for the great info!
Chönntät dir mau äs video zu bärn machä? Ig meinä isch ja d houptstadt 😉 aso aui bärner wo sittr???!!!
Seen many of your videos, wonderful compilation on different topics and very very useful for a traveler. Many of the daily things we take for granted in other parts of the world are NOT OK there, your videos gives a heads up to merge with the land and culture.
Wish they are shorter, maybe half of what it is now, all of them. If you can quickly get to it, would come off more useful as time is a constraint now a days for all. Just something you might want to work on. Otherwise, thanks for the awesome clips.
I’m Bangladeshi.
I would like to go to switzerland
Help plz
What a super useful video! I unfortunately learned all of this the hard way, but so many people will benefit from this 🙂
I hope you enjoy episode 3 of "Switzerland Basics" !! If you have any confusion after watching this video, check the description, I explained the key points! ( ps sorry for the glare in my glasses :p ) – Sarah
The plug with the 3 "sticks" is just a normal plug with a earth. So its more/otherwise secure than the plug with just 2 "sticks". Both plugs named "Type 12 / T12". The deeper outlets are just the newer ones and the flat ones we dont allow to install since 2014 i think. This is also beacause of the security. If you want to know more go and ask google. 👍
So much here to comment on. 1) the third prong on the Swiss adapter, type J, is a grounding plug, not a mounting plug. 2) Switzerland, and most of western Europe used what is called a Type C in the distant past, when there were almost no grounded electrical outlets; much like almost all US outlets used to be Type A, the two prong type, before grounding became the norm and all the outlets started to become three prong, Type B. 3) Once grounding became the norm, there was wild proliferation in western Europe. Some countries went to 2 prong on the plug and a third on the outlet (Type E), others had two similar prongs but the grounding clips on the side (Type F), Italy went to 3 prongs in a row (Type I), and Switzerland went with the offset third plug. Type C plugs fit into Type C, E, F, I, and J outlets, without having a ground. 4) On the power strip, a better choice is to get one on the US that has a Universal outlet type. I brought a 5 outlet grounded universal power strip so I can, accomodate electrical items that have almost any type of plug used in the world. 5) Another option if staying for long is to replace the plugs on the cords; less than 2 CHF for grounded plug at Migros, etc., and 5 minutes or less to replace the plug. 6) and most important: all of this is relevant for electronics and electrical items that do not have a motor (mixers, blenders, etc). Motors complicate things mostly for another electrical property that is different in Europe. US power is 60 Hz; Europe uses 50 Hz. This means that even if an appliance with a motor can handle the voltage difference the motor will run slower due to the frequency difference. A nice powerful VitaMix for the US market will have a lot less oomph when run on the Swiss power grid. There is a fix; there are transformers that alter both voltage and frequency, but they tend to be big and relatively expensive. One more comment. Even if things work, running them here can invalidate the warranty! Our Roomba is dual voltage, came with us, is working well, but iRobot is very explicit in letting me know that using it here invalidated my warranty.
Make sure the adapter is rated for the amperage and wattage. A curling iron will literally burn up one of the small converters. I know this for a fact since my wife did it once. Curling irons draw a lot of amps.
OMG!! How do you live without Amazon?!
💩
Thanks, Sarah. I didn’t know that the Swiss electricity system is different than the rest of Europe. I also didn’t know about country coded-products. Thanks for sharing!!!
Hey
Grate Video.
You know, that you have Amazon in Swizerland?
And the 3th Plug in Swizerland is even the same ground plug like in US😉
The type C plug is also used in Latin America (Uruguay for example) and also in some parts of Europe. Convenient!
Throw those cheap adapters away unless you like curry hair 😹
Buy Swiss cable for Laptops, its cheap 5 to 20 chf
*accidentally gets electrocuted”
I recommend to every body how stays longer in Switzerland to cut of the plug and mount a swiss one. I do this always when I buy electric items abroad.
An other option instead of plug adapters: Get new cables. Many appliances use cables with a IEC-60320 C5/C6, C7 or C13/C14 coupler. Cables with one of those couplers to the local wall outlet connectors should be cheap and easy to get. It is saver, less clunky and more reliable then using lots of adapters.
Ich verstehe kein englisch. Verstehst du deutsch? Liebe Grüsse.
Switzerland people are very Resist
Actual information starts at 1:14
Learned a lot and thought I already knew about adapters. Thank you!!
Glad I watched this one. Be in Switzerland in a three weeks and had assumed my "universal adapter" would work for our electronics. I’ll have to check them when I get home.
It doesn’t exist Amazon there?
With power strips you have to be careful too. A lot have surge protectors in them (an treat 220v as a surge, of course), and that is worse for the electrical system that a device that blows up once… So when you buy one in US, examine it carefully to see that there are no lights or buttons on it. And it doesn’t say “surge protector”. The cheapest ones won’t have that, that’s good news))
THERE IS NO AMAZONNN??!!?
You’ve described so many real-world pitfalls, but I’m afraid you’ve gotten a lot of the details wrong. By pure coincidence I’ve been doing deep research on Swiss plug standards lately. So some comments:
– Both of the non-universal adapters you showed (both the J and C) are potentially dangerous, non-compliant plugs. The J one is also just plain wrong, in that it’s not even the right shape to fit in the recessed outlets (which are now mandatory for all new construction). I STRONGLY recommend the “Particle Prime” brand of adapters sold at travel shops in Switzerland (including the airport). They’re the only brand I’ve found that is both well made AND follows the latest revisions of plug standards. High quality universal adapters (e.g. Skross) work well but are fidgety and rather expensive. Cheap universal adapters (like from eBay, and many on Amazon) are outright death traps that can electrocute you.
– The grounded “J” plug is formally known as the T12 plug in Switzerland.
– The C plug, formally CEE 7/16 Alternative II, is mostly called the “Europlug” (“Eurostecker” in German). This is a general European standard, and is formally adopted by Switzerland (as T26). It is only for low-power devices up to 2.5A.
– Most people don’t realize this, but there is a different, Swiss-only 2-prong plug that looks almost like a Europlug, but is not the same! It’s the T11, and it’s good up to 10A. So a hair dryer or vacuum cleaner in Switzerland does NOT have a Europlug on it, it’s a T11. The way to tell them apart is that a T11’s prongs are absolutely parallel, while a Europlug’s prongs are ever so slightly bent inwards. (The bend in the Europlug is to accommodate outlets for thinner and thicker prongs while providing a tight fit.)
– The fat-pronged plug you showed is the CEE 7/17, commonly called a “Konturenstecker” in Germany. It’s the non-Swiss equivalent to the T11. It is NOT a type F!
– Type F (CEE 7/4) specifically means the grounded German plug. It’s two fat prongs and a ground clip on the edge.
– Type E (CEE 7/6) is the French grounded plug. It’s two fat prongs in the plug, and one fat ground prong sticking out of the outlet.
– The CEE 7/7 plug is what you commonly find on EU appliances, as the generic “Europe” grounded plug, and is designed to fit both E and F sockets.
– The voltage in Switzerland (and all of continental Europe) is 230V at 50Hz. It is not 220 or 240V.
– UK and Australia are 240V at 50Hz.
– North America is 120V at 60Hz. (Not 110V any more, though it was long ago.)
– Japan is 100V (not 110) at 50Hz in some areas and 60Hz in others.
Hi! Where do you live in Switzerland? I live near of Sankt Gallen. we can be in touch 🙂
Actually really helpful as I am moving there at the end of the month
Hello. I just moved to Switzerland from the EU. I was not aware of the different outlet reqs. I’m having a heck of a time, because our apartment doesn’t have that many outlets. The ones it does have have three ports each. But once I plug in a swiss to EU adapter, the size / girth of the adapter takes up so much space that it renders the other two outlets useless, so for every three sockets I can only use one. Then the next problem is that no matter where I go in switzerland the adapters they have for sale are just enormous. They stick out so far from the socket that once I plug in my EU plug, I have to pull any furniture in front of the outlet so far off the wall (close to six inches) that it looks absurd and wastes what little space the tiny apartment has. Do you know of any company that sells ultra slim adapters that don’t stick out so much? Do you know of any adapters that in addition to being slim, provide more than one to one conversion? My dream converter would essentially fit snuggly, almost flush to the wall. While it wouldn’t stick out far, it would be wide and long enough to have multiple sockets so I could plug in two, three, or even four devices. I haven’t found anything like what I dream of, only those massive one to one size converters that end up blocking al the other sockets on the outlet and that stick out six inches.
The other problem with European current is it alternates at 50 cycles per second (50 Hz.) and North American current is 60 Hz.
If the device is not rated at 50 Hz, it may overheat. U.S. clocks will not keep correct time, unless they are battery operated only.
For your DVDs, use your laptop, if it has a DVD player, and connect to your tv by using a HTML cable.
Swiss plug is the same as Brazilian plug, just a curiosity haha
I have a question. How to fly legal to Switzerland
Sometimes you’ll have to flick a switch to change the voltage
Chömet doch mal uf lutterbrunne
2:35 That adapter looks dangerous… It looks like a standard europlug (type C), but it’s not. Type C plugs are supposed to have the prongs insulated half way. That way if you insert them half way into the socket you can’t touch the metal and get a 240V shock.
In Switzerland is there Pepsi, coke, Fanta, Dr.pepper
Could you make an Episode about Austria? Not ot Australia no Kangaroos in Austria!! 🇦🇹🇦🇹
For bringing US power strips, all of the ones I have are rated for 120v. I don’t know what will happen if I use them with 230v in Switzerland, but I don’t recommend it unless they are rated for 230v.
Hello. My wife and I are coming for two weeks from Washington state. 17-30.04.19. Do you have a recommendation for clothes for men? Can I fit in with jeans and layering for the weather in April? The people seem to dress very well. A lot of dark colors and sweaters. Is Seattle culture similar to Swiss common dress culture?
Where In Switzerland do you live