Last updated: 12 January 2025
When you are going on a trip to Monaco, be sure to pack the appropriate travel plug adapter that fits the local sockets. But what do those electrical outlets look like? In Monaco, types C and E are the official standards. Since type F plugs are identical to type E plugs, they can also be used with type E sockets.
Just like the rest of Europe, the voltage in Monaco is 230 volts and the frequency is 50 Hz.
Type C Bakelite wall socket (1950s)
As the economy of Monaco is deeply intertwined with France’s economy, it is no wonder that Monaco almost always follows French standards. Wall outlets and plugs are no exception.
Monaco has standardized on type E sockets and plugs. 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. But why is that?
Typically, type C plug sockets are not allowed to be installed in Monaco: 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.
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 Monaco; 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.
It is not allowed to have type F sockets installed in your home, even though they are equally safe and 100% compatible with type C and type E plugs.
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.
