France – Power plug, socket & mains voltage in France

What type of plugs and sockets are used in France?

When you are going on a trip to France, be sure to pack the appropriate travel plug adapter that fits the local sockets. But what do those electrical outlets look like? In France, types C and E are the official standards. Unlike almost all other European countries, France has standardized on the Belgian plug and socket system. Fortunately, this does not pose a problem since the Belgian standard is fully compatible with the German type F system, which is used in the rest of Continental Europe.

Background information

Type C Bakelite wall socket (1950s)

Although the origin of the type E plug and socket system is unclear, it was likely developed in the 1920s by the Belgian electrical accessories manufacturer Vynckier (now part of General Electric Power Controls). The design, however, was never patented, and therefore could be freely copied by other companies. This is why the governments of Belgium, France, Czechoslovakia (now Czechia and Slovakia) and Poland preferred Vynckier’s type E system over the German Schuko (type F), which was patented by Siemens and for which plug and socket manufacturers had to pay royalties.

Type C and type F plugs can also be used thanks to their compatibility with type E sockets. However, it is not permitted to install type C nor type F wall outlets in France. But why is that?

Power plug & outlet Type C

Typically, type C plug sockets are not allowed to be installed in France: these outlets are not earthed and are therefore considered dangerous. Only type E power points are permitted because they are grounded and therefore significantly safer.

The only (and rare) exception to this rule, is that an old type C outlet should be replaced by a new one. After all, if you hook up a grounded wall outlet (i.e. type E) on a two-wire circuit, the socket will not be grounded, but people will get the impression that it actually is grounded. No need to say, this is a potentially dangerous situation.

Nowadays, however, type C receptacles are not frequently installed anymore, since older properties are almost always completely rewired when they are renovated or significantly altered.

Power plug & outlet Type E

Obsolete type E plug, i.e. without top and bottom earthing clips nor plastic notches on the left and right.

Most European countries don’t have the same plug and socket standard as France; they use the German type F system instead. This used to be a problem because type E plugs and sockets were initially incompatible with type F. The reason for the incompatibility was that grounding in the type E socket is accomplished with a round male pin, which is permanently mounted in the socket. Type F outlets, on the other hand, are earthed by means of two sprung metal strips on the inside edge of the recessed socket which make a friction connection with similar metal strips on the sides of the plug body.

Old type F plugs did not have a grounding hole to accept the earth pin of the type E socket and old type E plugs did not have top and bottom indentations with earthing clips to mate with the type F socket. Moreover, old type E plugs were perfectly round and lacked a necessary pair of plastic notches on the left and right side to fit the type F socket.

Fortunately, the now standard hybrid E/F plug (officially called CEE 7/7) was developed in order to bridge the differences between E and F sockets, so technically type E and F plugs (not the sockets) have now become 100% identical.

Power plug & outlet Type F

It is not allowed to install type F sockets in French properties, even though they are equally safe and 100% compatible with type C and type E plugs. The reason is probably economic: France wants to protect its own domestic receptacle manufacturers. Most European  and international manufacturers often only sell the universal Continental European type F wall outlets and are not really interested in producing type E plug sockets as well. Allowing the installation of type F receptacles would significantly increase competition for French manufacturers.

Click here for a global map showing the spread of the different plug types used around the world.

Click here for a detailed list of the countries of the world with their respective plug and outlet types, voltage and frequency.