Travelling to the United Arab Emirates requires you to be aware of the different types of electrical outlet and plugs as well as the available voltage and electrical frequency in the country. The available electricity in the United Arab Emirates is 220 Volts with an electrical frequency of 50 Hertz. If you wish to travel to the United Arab Emirates and your device is not compatible with 220 V at 50 Hz, it is advisable to bring a voltage converter.

Types of Electrical Outlet and Plugs

There are three types of electrical outlet shapes and plugs available in the United Arab Emirates. The first type of plug in the United Arab Emirates is called the CEE 7/16 euro plug. The CEE 7/16 euro plug is designed for voltages up to 220 V at 2.5 A. It is a flat, two-pole domestic AC power plug. The pins of the euro plug are sized 9mm long and consists of 9mm long conductive tip, 4mm diameter with a rounded ending, 10mm long flexible insulated shaft that is not more than 3.8mm diameter.

This type of plug is most commonly used in Continental Europe, former Soviet Republics, Middle East, Africa, Central and South America, the Caribbean, South East Asia and the Pacific Rim. Most CEE 7/16 plugs are not compatible with British sockets, so you will need to use a plug adapter. CEE 7/16 electrical outlet is commonly called the “Shucko” socket and supplies up to 16 A. It has two symmetrical round receptacles and two grounding clips on the sides of the socket. The Shucko connection is symmetrical by design allowing line and neutral to be reversed. This type of socket is compatible with CEE 7/4, CEE 7/5 CEE 7/17 and other types of euro plugs.

BS-1363 Plug and Electrical Outlet

Next type of  plug in the United Arab Emirates is the British BS-1363, it is considered as  the safest type of plug and electrical outlet in the world. It has three rectangular pins in a triangular form. The two live pins are 17.4mm long and has a 22.2mm center distance between the two live pins. While the earth pin is approximately 3.97 by 7.92mm and 22.2 mm long. BS stands for British Standard, which is the most common type of plug in the United Kingdom as well as former British colonies like Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Ireland. British BS-1363 is a single-phase AC power plug and socket. It has two horizontal, rectangular pins for line and neutral, above these pins is a larger vertical pin, used as an earth connection. BS-1363 electrical outlets has three rectangular receptacles, two for the live pin and the third one for the earth pin. This type of plug and electrical outlet is compatible with IS 401 and IS 411 from Ireland, MS 589 from Malaysia, SS 145 from Singapore and SASO 2203 from Saudi Arabia.

BS 546 3 Pin Plugs: 15 A, 5 A and 2 A

The third type of plug in the United Arab Emirates is the Indian BS-546. It is also British Standard for domestic AC power plugs and sockets. It is the plug commonly used in India, South Africa, and in parts of Singapore. The design of Indian BS-546 is similar to CEE 7/16 because of its round pins, though BS-546 has three round pins in a triangular pattern. Indian BS-546 has four types – all of which are used in the United Arab Emirates – 30 A, 15 A, 5 A and 2 A. BS-546 2 A plug has 3.56mm diameter L and N pins, 5.08mm diameter earth pin and 14.48mm center distance between L and N pins.

BS 546 5 A 3 Pin Plug and Electrical Outlet 

The BS-546 5 A plug has 5.08mm diameter L and N pins, 7.06mm diameter earth pin and 19.05mm center distance between L and N pins. BS-546 15 A plug has 7.06mm diameter L and N pins, 8.71mm diameter earth pin and 25.40mm center distance between L and N pins. The BS-546 30 A plug has 7.92mm diameter L and N pins, 9.53mm diameter earth pin and 36.50mm center distance between L and N pins. BS-546 electrical outlet also differs depending on the type of plug. BS-546 2A electrical outlets are smaller than those of the BSA-546 30 A electrical outlet. There is an outlet that was designed to accept both 5 A and 15 A BS-546 plug, with adjacent holes of the appropriate gauge. Each BS-546 electrical outlet has three round pin receptacles in a triangular pattern. The two round receptacles are designed for line and neutral and the other round receptacle for the earth pin.

BS 546 15 A 3 Pin Plug and Electrical Outlet

These types of electrical outlets and plugs are installed in most residential and business centers in the United Arab Emirates. If you wish to go there and bring some of your personal gadgets and appliances, bringing a voltage converter and universal adapter is highly advised. It is always better to be prepared than to get frustrated because you were not able to use the appliances or devices you brought.

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