Power Sockets in Sweden: Plugs, Voltage and Adapters

If you’re coming from Germany, the Netherlands or elsewhere on the continent, you need nothing at all. Everyone else needs a cheap plug adapter, and the only real risk is a 120 V appliance that should have stayed home.

When you need this

You’re packing and wondering which adapter to buy. You’re flying in from North America with a hair dryer or straightener. You’ve booked a campsite pitch “with electricity” for a caravan or motorhome. Or you’ve arrived at a rental cabin and want to know what the power will cost.

Electric cars are a different plug world entirely — Type 2 and CCS — and have their own guide: EV charging in Sweden.

The plug: Type F, and why Europlugs fit

Swedish wall sockets are Type F, the German “Schuko” design: a round recess with two round holes and two metal earthing clips at the sides. The flat two-pin Type C Europlug fits the same holes. Elsäkerhetsverket, the national electrical safety board, lists the Swedish Schuko standard and the European Europlug standard among the accepted ones, and French Type E plugs fit too.

So the question is simply where your plug comes from:

One adapter also covers a Nordic road trip: Norway and Finland use the same plugs and voltage.

The voltage: adapter or converter?

Sweden runs at 230 volts, 50 hertz. The US and Canada run at about 120 V and 60 Hz, Japan at 100 V. This is a separate question from the plug shape, and it’s the one that breaks things.

An adapter is not a converter. An adapter only changes the shape of the plug. A device built solely for 120 V, plugged in through an adapter, gets roughly twice the voltage it was designed for. It burns out, sometimes with smoke or flame.

The good news: almost every phone, laptop and camera charger made in the last decade is marked 100–240 V, so it needs only the adapter. The usual casualties are heat-producing appliances: hair dryers, straighteners, curling irons and travel kettles. They’re often 120 V only, and their wattage also overwhelms small travel converters.

How to check your devices in two minutes

1. Read the label on each charger or appliance. Look for the input line, such as “INPUT 100–240V ~ 50/60Hz”. If 230 V is inside the range, it works in Sweden.
2. Look at the plug. Round two-pin (Type C, E or F) goes straight in. British, North American, Australian and other plugs need an adapter.
3. Buy a plain plug adapter for each dual-voltage device, or one adapter plus a multi-port USB-C charger.
4. For anything 120 V only, buy a converter rated above its wattage, or leave it at home and use the one at your accommodation.

A Type F adapter is the right shape. A flat Type C adapter also fits but has no earth connection.

A note on permanence: Swedish product rules require appliances to be made for 230 V with a plug that fits Swedish sockets, and Elsäkerhetsverket says permanent use of a travel adapter isn’t permitted. Adapters are for travelling. It’s also why the agency advises against buying electrical goods outside Europe to use in Sweden.

USB-C: one charger now covers more

This part of most packing lists is out of date. Since 28 December 2024, new phones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers, handheld consoles, e-readers, keyboards, mice and navigation devices sold in the EU must charge over USB-C. Since 28 April 2026, the same applies to new laptops.

In practice, one good multi-port USB-C charger plus one plug adapter now covers most of a traveller’s kit. Two side effects are worth knowing. New devices can be sold without a charger in the box; a pictogram on the packaging tells you whether one is included. And the rule covers new products only, so an older laptop keeps its own charger.

Campsites: the blue CEE plug

If you’re travelling by caravan or motorhome, the Swedish campsite electricity post is increasingly fitted with blue round CEE connectors (CEE-kontakt), built for long, continuous load. Bring a proper hook-up cable:

• blue CEE connectors at both ends
• 3×2.5 mm² rubber cable, marked H07RN-F
• no longer than 25 meters
• a short approved adapter lead, if you meet an older post

That last point matters. Caravan-sector guidance says an ordinary household extension cable isn’t acceptable even where an old post has a household socket. Use the CEE cable with a short adapter lead instead. Unroll the whole cable before plugging in: a coiled drum under load heats up.

Responsibility is split in a way many visitors don’t expect. Elsäkerhetsverket says the campsite owner answers for the fixed installation, while you are responsible for your own caravan or motorhome, the connection cable and everything plugged into it. The agency recommends that every hook-up socket has an earth-leakage breaker (jordfelsbrytare). Test the one in your vehicle with its test button a couple of times a season; a sticking breaker may not trip.

Campsite electricity is usually charged separately from the pitch. For tent campers who just want to charge phones, ask at reception — see Swedish campsites for how pricing and check-in work.

Cabins, hotels and older buildings

In hotels and hostels, electricity is part of the room. In rental cabins, it’s often metered: the reading is taken at arrival and departure and settled at key return. Photograph the meter yourself, and go easy on the sauna and heaters in winter. What to expect in a Swedish holiday cabin covers the rest of the house rules.

Houses built in 1994 or later must have earthed sockets throughout. Older buildings, including many countryside cabins, may still have unearthed sockets without the side clips. A Europlug fits them; anything with a metal casing is better plugged into an earthed socket.

Swedish sockets normally have no on/off switch. If one is dead, check the fuse board (elcentral) or ask the host. And in the north, the rows of outdoor posts at hotels are engine-heater posts (motorvärmare) — not general sockets and not EV chargers. See winter driving in Sweden.

Mistakes to avoid

• Buying a “Sweden adapter” for a German, Dutch or French plug. It already fits.
• Buying a heavy converter for a phone or laptop that’s already rated 100–240 V. Read the label first.
• Plugging a US hair dryer in through an adapter because it fits now. Use a dual-voltage model or the one at your hotel.
• Arriving at a campsite with only a household extension cable. Bring a CEE hook-up cable.
• Charging an EV from an ordinary socket without the owner’s permission. Elsäkerhetsverket warns of fire risk.
• Running the sauna and heaters all week in a cabin with metered electricity.

Practical information

FAQ

Do I need a plug adapter for Sweden?

Only if your plugs are not round two-pin European ones. Sweden uses Type F (Schuko) sockets, which also take the flat two-pin Type C Europlug, so plugs from Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland and most of continental Europe fit directly. Visitors from the UK, North America or Australia need a Type F adapter, as does anyone whose plug is not round two-pin.

Do I need a voltage converter in Sweden?

Only for devices built solely for about 110–120 V. Sweden runs at 230 V, 50 Hz. Check the input label: a charger marked 100–240 V, as nearly all phone, laptop and camera chargers are, needs just a plug adapter. A device marked 120 V only needs a step-down converter rated above its wattage, or should stay at home.

Can I use my American hair dryer in Sweden?

Not safely unless it is dual-voltage with the switch set to 230 V. A 120 V-only dryer plugged in through an adapter receives roughly double its rated voltage and can burn out within seconds. High-wattage appliances also overwhelm small travel converters. Many hotels provide a hair dryer, so ask before packing one; a dual-voltage travel model is the alternative.

Are Swedish plugs the same as German ones?

Yes. Sweden and Germany both use Type F Schuko sockets at 230 V and 50 Hz, as do Norway and Finland, so appliances move between these countries without any adapter. Denmark also accepts these plugs but adds its own Type K. French Type E plugs fit Swedish sockets too.

What plug do Swedish campsites use for caravans and motorhomes?

Increasingly the blue round CEE connector designed for continuous load. Bring a hook-up cable with CEE plugs, 3×2.5 mm² rubber cable and no more than 25 meters long, plus a short adapter lead. An ordinary household extension cable is not an acceptable substitute. You, not the campsite, answer for your cable and vehicle.

Will my USB-C charger work in Sweden?

Yes, provided its input label covers 230 V, which almost all do; add a plug adapter if the prongs are not European. Since 28 December 2024 new phones and small devices sold in the EU must charge over USB-C, and new laptops since 28 April 2026, so one good multi-port USB-C charger covers most kit.

Related guides

• Swedish campsites — check-in, cabins and why electricity is priced separately
• What to expect in a Swedish holiday cabin — metered electricity and the other house rules
• EV charging in Sweden — the car’s plugs are a separate system
• SIM cards and eSIMs — the other thing your phone needs on arrival
• Touring Sweden by motorhome — where the campsite hook-up fits into the route

Facts verified 2026-09-24. Sources: Elsäkerhetsverket, Svenska kraftnät, European Commission, SEK Svensk Elstandard, Husvagn & Camping, WorldStandards — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.