Are you coming to Rio? Learn about power plugs and electricity patterns in Rio de Janeiro to plan a safe trip and don`t get a shock when you get here.
Electricity in Rio
The standard voltage of the electric grid in Rio de Janeiro is 110-120V, and the power line frequency is 60Hz. But be aware that it is possible to find 220V sockets which, in general, will have this information indicated.
Nowadays, the majority of electronic equipment are bi-volt. In general, cell phone chargers, laptops, tablets and cameras can be connected to any power grid without any problem. However, check each appliance carefully as if you use a device other than bi-volt, you may burn it.
Brazilian power plugs and sockets
Since 2011 the standard power plug in Brazil is NBR 14136. According to the international standard IEC 60906-1, it is the safest, and among other reasons, for having the ground conductor. It is a particular format, already adopted only by Brazil, South Africa, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein. So if your devices are not from these countries, it is likely that the socket types here will not fit into your plugs.
As you can see in the picture above, our sockets form a hexagon and have three pins, arranged in a triangular shape, the central pin being the ground conductor. (Chilean friend, watch out for this detail, because your socket also has three pins, but arranged in an aligned way).
The sale of other types of connectors is protected by the country regulator. Therefore, stores sell only travel adapters.
However, as this change has been recent, you’ll still find street vendors selling the old types of sockets, like the one in the picture at the side.
And if you’re staying at someone’s home or in establishments that have not undergone recent renovations, you may also come across these old model sockets. They have no ground conductor and are even more adaptable to models from other countries.
Due to all the information mentioned above, it will be handy if you bring one or more travel adapters with you. It will assure that will you be able to charge your cell phone, camera, etc without any setbacks.
It would be a shame if you failed to record our Marvelous City for lack of battery!
