Located in the Central and Eastern Europe, Ukraine is a the the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, it comes after the Russian Federation. If a tourist wants to travel to Ukraine, some of the things he or she must know are the standard voltage used by the appliances and electronic gadgets there, as well as the primary types of electrical outlet and plug.

In Ukraine, the standard voltage is 220-240 volts with a frequency of 50Hz and the type of electrical outlet and plug present is the Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug.

In addition to the knowledge about standard voltage, plug, and electrical outlet, knowing what to bring along will also help a tourist going to Ukraine. Adapters and voltage converters are the two most helpful things that will make any tourist’s trip to Ukraine more convenient. Adapters are used to alter the shape of the plug when it is not compatible with the shape of the electrical outlet in Ukraine or any other country, while voltage converters are used to adjust the voltage difference between the electrical outlet and the appliance or electronic gadget.

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 Ukraine. 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 Ukraine. Also, the receptacle end of the adapter in Ukraine is usually compatible with any standard electronic household plug in Ukraine 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 Ukraine, 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 like Ukraine and in the former Soviet Republics. This plug is also non-polarized and non-grounded. Aside from Ukraine, 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.

Voltage Converters and Universal Adapters

Transformer

If a tourist wants to use his or her gadget in Ukraine, 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 Ukraine 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.

Combination Voltage Converter

If a tourist would want to use a laptop computer or charge batteries for camera, mp3 players, camcorders, and radios in Ukraine, the ideal voltage converter is a transformer which lowers maximum watt rating. 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 Ukraine that are not compatible with the electrical outlet present in Ukraine is the combination of resistor-network converters and transformer. Most appliances and electronic gadgets made in the United States of America (USA) have a voltage of 110-120 and using it directly on a 220-240 electrical outlet in Ukraine would cause damage to the appliance or electronic gadget, to the extent that it might be totally fried out or  might even cause a fire.

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