Iceland power adaptor

Iceland power/plug adapter – What adapter do I need for Iceland?

As my travel date to Iceland approached, the packing phase kicked in and this question popped inside my head – What adapter do I need for Iceland?’ I googled a bit and was left confused, as the information was scattered or put in a confusing way. So, like me, if you are searching for a plug adapter for Iceland, then this article will help you find one. I shall try to lay out the ‘Iceland power adapter’ information in an easy and understandable manner which will make your shopping and packing a breeze.

First, let’s understand the basics.

Power output in Iceland

Iceland power sockets output 230 volts at a standard frequency of 50 Hertz. This is often short coded as 50 Hz/220 volts. The power sockets in Iceland are of ‘F type’. Ok, now before things start flying above your head, look at this picture below which shows how a power socket or wall plug in Iceland looks like.

Iceland power adaptor


Power output in your country

Now, let’s simplify things further and check what is the power output from the wall sockets in your country. And who better than Wikipedia for this information. Here, they have listed all the countries with their mains voltages and frequency.

As a summary, many Asian countries, European countries, UK and Australia run on 230V and 50 Hz, while, America and Canada have a standard voltage of 120V and 60 Hz.


Type of outlet plug

Now, before you jump in joy that the mains voltage in your country and Iceland are a perfect match, let me introduce you to the new villain in the scene, ‘The type of outlet plug’. Plugs are divided into categories and are named as ‘Type A’ and goes all the way till ‘Type N’. Each plug goes into a specific type of socket that matches it.

So, even if the voltages in your country and Iceland match, the wires and cables you use daily that suit the plugs and sockets in your country, may or may not match with the sockets in Iceland. This is a fairly straight forward problem and can be solved easily. Travel adaptors can be used to tackle this issue. More on that later.


What if the mains voltage in your country and Iceland are different? (This is for US and Canada peeps!)

If you are from US or Canada and are travelling to Iceland, then you definitely need an arrangement to charge your devices. The mains output in US and Canada is half of that of Iceland. So, clearly there is a mismatch and you need to buy either ‘Power Adaptors’ or ‘Power Convertors’ depending on the specification given on your devices. Let’s make it simpler by understanding a few terms here:

Power Adapter:

To understand the definition and the work of a Power Adapter is simple. As the name says, it ‘Adapts’, so it gets adjusted with what is already present and does NOT attempt to change anything.

Iceland power adaptor

Power Converter:

Again, as the name says, a Power Converter converts a specific input power into a different output power.

Let us also know about the types power input the devices or appliances like your phone, laptops, camera and hair dryers accept.

Single voltage devices:

These devices accept and operate at a specified voltage and may malfunction if a different power input is provided.

The common devices that fall under this category are hair dryers, curling irons, beard trimmers and a few kitchen appliances.

For example, check the specification on my hair dryer in the picture below. It says 220 – 240V only. Though this might work perfectly fine is Iceland (230V in Iceland), it might not work well if used in USA or Canada (power output is 120V)

The vice versa, i.e. Single voltage devices that work well in US/Canada will not work in Iceland.

Iceland power adaptor

Dual voltage devices:

These devices operate at a specified range of voltages without any issues.

Check my laptop charger below. It says, ‘Input 100 – 240V ~ 50-60Hz’. This denotes that this charger can accept voltages from 100V to 240V and can give an output of 19V.

These type of devices can be easily charged from any voltage source, ranging from 100V to 240V. So, this device would work well both in US which has 120V and in Iceland which has 230V.

Most newly manufactured devices/chargers fall into the wide range of power supply modes. You can find it out from the label on your device/charger easily.

Iceland power adaptor

My Nikon camera charger says 100-240V which indicates that it is a dual voltage device

If my device is a Dual Voltage rated, then do I need to worry about buying an adaptor?

Absolutely YES! Because, the device you have might be compatible for the power source, but the plug that goes inside the socket might not fit, as it varies from country to country. Remember the villain I mentioned in the beginning of this article? Yes, the same one is the trouble maker here!

Ok, now which one to buy? Power Adapter for Iceland or a Power convertor?

To begin with, lets segregate things by device type.

For Dual voltage devices:

As these devices can accept a range of power supply, they need the right ‘Power Adaptor’ which can plug into a socket in Iceland on one side and accept the plug of your device on the other.

Another point to note is that, no matter if you come from a country that has a 230V output which is the same as Iceland – if your device doesn’t plug into the socket, you have no other go than buying a compatible adaptor.

Here are some basic Power Adaptors that will rock your Iceland vacation 🙂

  • JMFONE International Travel Power Adapter: This adapter works for more than 160 countries and will defiantly help you in your future travels too!
  • HAOZI All-in-one International Power Adapter: This is yet another highly recommended adapter by users on Amazon. The only difference between the above adapter and this is that, it has only 2 USB ports as compared to 4 in the above adapter. And obviously, for the same reason, it costs a few bucks less.
  • Dandelion Travel adapter: This adapter is cute and handy. The advantage of this one is that it has a spare fuse, just in case the current ones dies. Smart, I’d say!

For Single Voltage devices:

If you are from a country that outputs 230V like where I come from (remember my hair dryer picture?), then a simple adaptor will help the device to work fine in Iceland.

But trouble starts to brew if you come from a country with a different power output, like US or Canada, then you might need a ‘Power Converter’ which converts the power from a specific voltage to a different output voltage.

❗️ Mistake: A common mistake committed by travellers to Iceland is to use their hair dryer without checking the specifications, thus damaging the product and creating a potential hazard.

To avoid this situation, most hotels and accommodation in Iceland have a hair dryer which guests are free to use.


On a side note, you might want to know where we stayed during our Iceland Holiday. Here it is. You can read, where we stayed and how was our experience.


You can either buy a good Power Adapters or buy a dual voltage hairdryer/ trimmer which works well, both in your country and in Iceland.

Power Converters to buy:

Dual voltage Hair appliances:

Iceland electrical plug adapter – What adapter do I need for Iceland?

Iceland plug adapter UK:

Adding this info here as this is one of the most asked questions. If you are from UK, the power output in your country will be 230V. But the plug type widely in UK used is ‘Type G’ and the one widely used in Iceland is ‘Type F or C’, so you must buy the correct adaptors to go with your devices before you embark on your Iceland holiday.

Iceland power plug adapters for UK:

Iceland power adaptor US and Canada:

I have explained in detail above about the cases for USA and Canada. Anyways, here are some products that will solve your problem.

Some Iceland plug socket adapters for US and Canada:

What if I forget to bring an adaptor from my country?

If you forget to bring an adapter then fret not, you can get these in duty-free stores in Keflavik airport or in supermarkets and electric stores in Reykjavik. Just remember that these might cost 4x-5x times what it would have cost you back home. So, it’s always wiser to be prepared and buy a travel plug adapter for Iceland online before you leave home.

Iceland Car charger

The car charger you use back home will perfectly fit the cigarette lighter socket in Iceland. So, you can bring the same to Iceland and it will work just fine!

Usually there is an USB charging socket in the car, but if you use a GPS or play songs through USB, then you might have to use the Cigarette lighter socket to charge your devices.

👍Helpful Tip: A smart strategy here is to buy an inverter which works through a cigarette socket and in turn you can use it to charge multiple devices. Some examples of these inverters are this and this.


FAQs:

Phone chargers in Iceland and Charging iPhone in Iceland

iPhone chargers are dual voltage chargers. So, these are perfectly fine to use with the adaptors. Check the snapshot of my iPhone charger here. This must tell it all! (I know, you will run and grab yours to check now! 😂)

Iceland power adaptor

Are Iceland plugs the same as Europe?

Europe is not a country but a continent which consists of many countries. Every country has a different practice and it’s always good to check if the adapter you have will work for Iceland or not.

👍Useful Hack: USB in Televisions, some hotels/accommodations have USB charging outlets which can be used to charge your phone.

Will the northern Europe adapter work as power adaptor for Iceland?

Yes. These kind of adapters work.

What is the best Travel USB chargers for Iceland?

Here are a few recommendations.

What is Iceland plug adapter type called?

Iceland uses the plug adaptor type ‘C’ or ‘F’ which has a rounded socket inlet with 2 rounded prongs.


Some super cool strategies to sort out your charging woes in Iceland

So, it’s clear that most of us need to use power adaptors to charge our devices in Iceland. And usually, we either have multiple devices or there are many people in the group, which again results in several devices o be charged.

Super cool strategy 1:

Instead of buying one adaptor for one person or allotting one adaptor to use one device at a time, a superb strategy is to buy one power adaptor and a power strip that goes with it. And then this power strip can be used to charge multiple devices at a time!

Check prices of Power strips.

Super cool strategy 2:   

As I mentioned somewhere in the article, it is useful to buy a car invertor which allows a couple of devices to be charged at a time through the 12V car charging socket.

Here is how an inverter for car looks like.

Super cool strategy 3:

How to go about charging your devices when not in car or in your room? What if your phone battery is about to run out while on a hike?

A power bank comes to the rescue. Here are some recommendations for good and sturdy power banks.


Hope this article has helped you sort out your thoughts about buying a good travel adaptor for your Iceland trip. Let me know if I have forgotten to add anything or if there’s something you’d like to share with us in the comment box below.

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Iceland power adaptor


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