Outlet Type I: need a travel adapter or not?

Planning a trip to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, China, Tonga or Argentina? It’s important to know about the type I outlets you’ll commonly find there.

Features of Type I Outlet

This outlet type is specifically designed for plugs with two slanted, flat pins or a third grounding pin.

Number of pins	2 or 3
Grounded	No
Voltage	220 – 240 volts
Ampere	10, 15 or 20 amps
Other types of plugs that fit	None
Other outlets compatible with Type I	None
Need a travel adapter?	Yes

Click here if you need a travel adapter for Type I

Travel adapter for type I

Dimensions

The dimensions of the outer pins are 6.3 millimeters in width and 17.3 millimeters in length, with a spacing of 13.7 millimeters.

The grounding pin on grounded plugs is 20 millimeters long.

Using Type I Plug

The Type I outlet is designed solely for connecting Type I plugs. While there is a variant without a grounding pin, a Type I plug will not fit into outlets of another type.

In countries that use Type I, like Australia and China, the outlets may be installed in reverse, with the grounding pin at the top in China and at the bottom in Australia. This doesn’t affect the functionality of the connected devices. Chinese plugs are officially 1 millimeter longer, but this doesn’t cause any issues.

Other countries where you’re likely to encounter Type I outlets include New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, and Argentina.

It’s wise to always bring a travel adapter when traveling to a country where Type I outlets are standard, unless your devices are already equipped with Type I plugs. For a complete list of countries that use Type I, you can use the search function on our website.

The Necessity of a Travel Adapter

Yes, it is highly recommended to bring a suitable travel adapter that is compatible with Type I outlets to avoid any risks.

Without the right adapter, you may encounter problems such as being unable to charge your devices, damaging your charger, and in extreme cases, even causing short circuits, electrical shocks, or fire hazards. Naturally, you want to avoid these issues!