A person who wants to go to East Timor must know some information about the country like the standard voltage used and the primary types of electrical outlet and plug. This information will not only allow people who are visiting East Timor to make the most out of their trip, it will also enable them to use their electronic gadgets and appliances in a safe way.

Knowing these things will also help the visitor going to East Timor prepare the necessary adapters or voltage converters that he or she might need in the trip. In East Timor, the primary electrical outlet types are Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug, Type E CEE 7/4 Schuko, Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko, and Type I Australian AS-3112. The voltage used by electronic gadgets and appliances in East Timor is 220-240 volts.

When using electronic gadgets or appliances in East Timor, it is important that the plug and electrical outlet and the voltage are compatible. If not, there might be some damage to the appliance or electronic gadget that could range from the frying out of its electronic system inside to a dangerous fire. The solution to the incompatibility of the shape of the plug and the electrical outlet in East Timor is an adapter. An adapter will alter the shape of the plug so that it could be used together with the electrical outlet. For the voltage, there are different kinds of voltage converters that could be used in East Timor for appliances and electronic gadgets that use 110-120 volts. So for people who are planning to visit East Timor, the basic knowledge about the country’s electronic requirements will really be handy.

Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug Electrical Outlet and Adapter

Type C plug and outlet

The Type C Europlug is also known as the CEE 7/16 (Europlug 2.5 A/250 V unearthed), which is a bit similar, only slightly smaller, to the CEE 7/17 and it is one of the most commonly used type of electrical outlet and plug in  East Timor.  Also, the receptacle end of the adapter is usually compatible with any standard electronic household plug in East Timor and from any country, aside from the “Type M” South African SABS1661 (Old British BS-546 Large) plug. Moreover, the pins of the Type C Europlug are 4.0mm in diameter, 19mm long and are spaced  19mm apart. In addition, the Europlug is also the most widely used electrical outlet all over continental Europe and in the former Soviet Republics.

Type C adapter

The Type C Europlug alters the shape of the appliance’s plug so that it could be used into a “Type C” European CEE 7/16 Class II non-grounded Europlug socket or a Soviet-era Russian GOST 7396 Class II non-grounded socket used in East Timor. In using appliances and gadgets in East Timor, the Type C Europlug could also be safely used with the Type C, Type E, Type F, and some Type L electrical outlets. The plug end of the Type C Europlug is compatible as well with the other types of sockets used in Europe, like that of the grounded “Type F” German and “Type E” French Schuko socket, “Type L” Italian socket, “Type H” Israeli socket, “Type J” Swiss socket, and “Type K” Danish socket, although connections to some of these sockets are non-grounded. This plug is also non-polarized and non-grounded. Aside from East Timor, there are also countries in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Pacific Rim region, Central and South America, and Caribbean that use this kind of adapter.

Type E CEE 7/4 Schuko French 2-Pin Electrical Adapter Plug and Electrical Outlet

Type E plug and outlet

The Type E CEE 7/4 Schuko electrical outlet and plug is the standard in France, Denmark, Poland, Belgium, and other European countries including East Timor. However, the Type E CEE 7/4 Schuko is not compatible with the Type F of Germany, the Netherlands, and other continental countries of Europe because of the round male pin in the socket.

Type E adapter

The Type E CEE 7/4 Schuko plugs used in East Timor have two round pins spaced 19mm apart with a hole for the male grounding pin of the electrical socket. The Type E CEE 7/4 Schuko electrical outlet could also be used with Type C plugs while the Type E CEE 7/4 Schuko plugs will work along with Type F outlets in East Timor. For the electrical outlet and plug of the Type E CEE 7/4 Schuko, the male pin is installed upwards in the electrical outlet, with the live connection in the left and neutral connection in the right. Through this adapter, a tourist in East Timor can use his or her appliance or electrical gadget, no matter what type of plug it has.

Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko Electrical Adapter Plug and Electrical Outlet

Type F plug and outlet

Commonly known as the Schuko plug, the Type F CEE 7/5 plug and electrical outlet was derived from the German word “Schukostecker” which means “protective contact plug.” This electrical outlet in East Timor is also similar to the Type E with the difference being its two earth clips on the side instead of the female earth contact. The Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko is used for the “Type F” CEE 7/4 Schuko style electrical socket of Germany or to a “Type E” CEE 7/5 socket of France. The receptacle end of Type F CEE 7/7 Schuko is compatible with most sockets except the “Type M” South African SABS1661 (Old British BS-546) plug and the non-grounded CEE 7/16 Europlug Socket because of its 4.0mm pin receptacles that are too small for the 4.8mm pins of the Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko.

Type F adapter

This Schuko plug and receptacle in East Timor also has side grounding contacts which allow symmetrical connection system for live and neutral to be reversed. Most European countries including Egypt use the Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko except Denmark, Italy, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta, and Cyprus that have their own standard electrical outlet. On the other hand, the plug end of Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko is compatible with the variations of the Schuko electrical outlet for France and Germany. The pins of this adapter in East Timor are 4.8mm in diameter, 19mm long, and spaced 19mm apart. They have both side-grounding clips and a receptacle for the male grounding pin which is found in French Schuko sockets. If the appliance or electronic gadget to be used in East Timor is already a Schuko, there is no need to use the Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko adapter for the electrical outlet.

Type I Australian AS-3112 Electrical Adapter Plug and Electrical Outlet

Type I plug and outlet

This type of plug and outlet is the standard in most houses in East Timor and is slightly similar to the Chinese CPCS-CCC and the Argentine IRAM electrical outlet. These three sockets are interchangeable and are classified under the unofficial “Type I” category. This plug in East Timor features a grounding pin and two flat prongs that form a V-shape. Moreover, the receptacle end of this Type I Australian AS-3112 can accept any standard household plug type in Australia except the Type M South African SABS1661, also known as the Old British BS-546 Large plug. For the blade contacts of the Type I Australia AS-3112, these are 6.5 x 1.6mm with a phase and neutral blade angled at 30 degrees to vertical at a nominal pitch of 13.7mm. This standard plug of East Timor is also polarized and grounded. However, there is also an ungrounded version of the Type I plug that only has two flat V-shaped prongs, but the electrical outlet is always three-pinned.

Type I adapter

The Type I plug has other variants that include 15 A, 20 A, 25 A, and 32 A. The Type I Australian AS-3112 electrical outlet and plug is commonly used in East Timor. Most of the time, during travels, people carry with them their laptop computers, cameras, mobile phones, mp3 players, and ipod. The batteries of all these must be charged through an electrical outlet and when the plugs do not match, an adapter that is compatible with the Type I outlet must be used. Aside from East Timor, other countries that use the Type I Australian AS-3112 are Australia, Argentina, China (mainland except Taiwan), Papua New Guinea, Uruguay, Fiji, and Tokelau (the Union Islands).

Voltage Converters

Travel Voltage Converter

It is important to know the proper voltage, electrical outlet, plugs, and adapters to use when visiting East Timor and other countries because sometimes these electric requirements vary depending on the location. In a tourist’s trip to East Timor, if the the wrong plug is inserted in the wrong electrical outlet or the voltage does not match, there could be some real damage to the appliance or electronic gadget. In worse cases, this might even cause electrocution. If the voltage of the appliance or electronic gadget to be used in East Timor does not match its 220-240 volts requirement, like most American products that only use 110-120 volts, a tourist in East Timor would need a voltage converter.

Transformer

There are three kinds of voltage converters available: the transformer, the network-resistor converter, and the combination of these two. For laptop computers, cameras, mp3 players, and charging of batteries in East Timor, the recommended voltage converter to be used is the transformer as it has a lower maximum watt rating of 50 to 100 watts and it could be used continuously although it could be heavy because of the large iron rods and copper wires inside. The resistor-network converter could support 50-1600 watts and are often used for a short period of time and in light-weight electrical appliances like hair dryers and irons.