Mauritius is an island nation located in the southeast coast of the African continent. It is also in the southwest of the Indian Ocean and is in the east of Madagascar. For tourists who want to spend some time in Mauritius, the standard voltage used by the electronic gadgets and appliances is220-240 volts with a frequency of 50Hz. In addition, the primary types of electrical outlet and plug are the Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug and Type G British BS-1363.

It is important that tourists know these information so they could avoid delays and problems in their stay in Mauritius. Aside from that, there are also adapters and voltage converters that are ideal to be brought along in one’s trip to Mauritius. Adapters are used to alter the shape of the plug when it is not compatible with the electrical outlet in Mauritius and voltage converters on the other hand are for incompatible voltages.

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 electrical outlet and plug in Mauritius. The Type C CEE 7/16 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 Mauritius. Also, the receptacle end of the adapter is usually compatible with any standard electronic household plug in Mauritius and from any country, aside from the “Type M” South African SABS1661 (Old British BS-546 Large) plug.

Type C adapter

The pins of the Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug are 4.0mm in diameter, 19mm long and are spaced 19mm apart. In using appliances and gadgets in Mauritius, the Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug could also be safely used with the Type C, Type E, Type F, and some Type L electrical outlets. In addition, the Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug is also the most widely used electrical outlet all over continental Europe and in the former Soviet Republics. This plug is also non-polarized and non-grounded. Aside from Mauritius, 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 G British BS-1363 Plug, Electrical Outlet, and Adapter

Type G plug and outlet

The Type G electrical outlet and plug is a Type G British BS-1363 rectangular blade used widely in Mauritius that has a protective fuse inside to protect cords from high-current circuits and, most of the time, the Type G British BS-1363 electrical outlet includes a safety switch. The Type G British BS-1363 plug of Mauritius also has a receptacle end that is compatible with most household plug types, except the Type M South African SABS1661 (Old British BS-546 Large) plug. The plug end is a British BS-1363 13-amp type. For the adapter, the live and neutral pins are 4 x 6 x 18 mm apart, with the grounding pin measuring 4 x 8 x 23mm.

Type G adapter

Also, through the Type G British BS-1363 adapter, a tourist could use his or her appliance or electronic gadget in Mauritius. The plug of this Type G British BS-1363 is polarized and grounded but not fused. Another name for the Type G British BS-1363 plug is the 13-amp plug and for safety reasons the Mauritius requires electrical outlets in households that use the Type G British BS-1363 to have shutters over the live and neutral connections of the electrical outlet. In the insertion of the longer earth pin from the plug, the safety shutters of the Type G British BS-1363 are opened. The shutters are also present to prevent the use of incompatible plugs made to other standards in Mauritius. However, there are cases wherein the safety shutters of this electrical outlet in Mauritius could be opened through a screwdriver in order to insert Type C plugs. The usage of the Type G British BS-1363 outlet along with another kind of plug is not recommended because these plugs do not have a fuse.

The regulation about the safety shutters and fuse is then followed in Mauritius and all the other countries that use the Type G British BS-1363 electrical outlet and plug like Bhutan, Tanzania, United Kingdom, Oman, Ghana, Grenada, Macau, Malta, Malaysia, Qatar, Saint Vincent, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Maldives and Kuwait. In terms of compatibility, the Type G British 3-pin electrical outlet will work together with the Type G British BS-1363 plug and adapter in Mauritius. With all the safety measures and features of this plug and outlet, it is considered as one of the safest in Mauritius, even the world. However, with all its features, this type of plug is bulky and cumbersome. Some people claim that the Type G British BS-1363 plug is mostly bigger than the appliances they are connected to but if tourists would want to use their electronic gadget or appliance in Mauritius, then they must have a Type G British BS-1363 adapter. Although the adapter would not change the voltage used, it will enable the plug of the appliance or electronic gadget to be inserted to the electrical outlet used in Mauritius. For the electrical outlet, the Type G British BS-1363 sockets are not compatible with other types of electrical outlet in Mauritius.

Voltage Converters and Adapters

Combination Voltage Converter

If a tourist wants to use his or her gadget in Mauritius, the best way is by using voltage converters such as resistor-network converters, transformers, and in some cases the combination of both. The resistor-network converters to be used in Mauritius are usually advertised to support as much as 50-1600 Watts and are just ideal to use for short periods of time. The resistor-network converter is also not recommended for digital devices like laptop computers however it is great for lightweight electronics like hair dryers and irons. If a tourist would want to use a laptop computer or charge batteries for camera, mp3 players, camcorders, and radios in Mauritius, the ideal voltage converter is a transformer which lowers maximum watt rating.

Universal Adapters

 It could be used for long periods of time but is a little bit heavy because of the large iron rods and copper wires. The last kind of voltage converter in order to use electronics in Mauritius that are not compatible with the electrical outlet present in Mauritius is the combination of resistor-network converters and transformer. Most of the time, there is a switch that enables the changing of modes from resistor-network converter to transformer. Also, if the voltage of the appliance or electronic gadget to be used in Mauritius does not match its 220-240 volts requirement, like most American products that only use 110-120 volts, a tourist in Mauritius would need a voltage converter.

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