Travel · Peru · 220V / 60Hz
Peru: US plugs fit 220V sockets. Read the label.
Peru runs 220V at 60Hz, and its sockets accept Type A flat blades as well as Type C round pins. That is the most deceptive combination in the Americas: your US plug slides straight in with no adapter, into nearly twice the voltage some of your gear was built for.
Plugs, voltage, and what fits
| Spec | Peru | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Plug types | A (two flat blades) and C (two round pins); many sockets accept both | Your US two-blade charger physically fits — that is the trap |
| Voltage | 220V nominal | Nearly double the US; single-voltage gear fails immediately |
| Frequency | 60Hz | Same as the US — the one familiar number on this page |
| What fits | Two-blade US plugs, Type C Europlugs | No adapter needed for most chargers |
| What does not fit | Grounded US Type B three-prong plugs | Use a two-prong duckhead or a USB-C charger |
Why "it fits" is the danger
In the UK or Australia a mismatched plug is its own safety interlock — you physically cannot connect a 120V-only device. Peru removes that interlock. A US hair dryer, curling iron, travel steamer or unbranded cube marked "AC 120V" seats in a Peruvian socket and then draws roughly four times its design power, because power rises with the square of voltage across a fixed resistance. Heating elements fail fast and hot.
The protection is a habit, not a product: read the input line on every brick before you pack it. INPUT: 100–240V ~ 50/60Hz means dual-voltage and Peru is a non-event. INPUT: 120V 60Hz means leave it at home. The line sits on the face opposite the prongs in the smallest type on the product. Full explanation in voltage converters vs adapters.
What passes and what does not
Passes with no adapter and no converter: Apple's 20W to 140W USB-C adapters, Samsung's 25W and 45W chargers, every GaN charger, USB-C laptop supplies, camera and drone battery chargers, shavers and toothbrush bases marked 100–240V, and power banks. Fails: anything whose job is to make heat or spin a motor at 120V. That dividing line is drawn device by device in travel adapter vs converter.
The one shape problem left is grounding. Peruvian sockets are Type A and Type C, so a three-prong US Type B plug has nowhere to put its earth pin. Use the folding two-blade duckhead that shipped with your laptop charger, or replace the whole thing with a two-blade GaN brick.
What to pack
- 30W
Anker 511 Nano 3 30W
Two flat blades, 100–240V input, no earth pin to find a home for. Drops into a Peruvian socket unmodified.
- Output
- 30W USB-C PD
- Prongs
- 2-blade, folding
- Input
- 100–240V
- 65W
UGREEN Nexode 65W 3-port
Retires the grounded laptop cord entirely: one two-blade body, 65W, three ports, dual-voltage.
- Output
- 65W shared
- Ports
- 2× USB-C, 1× USB-A
- Input
- 100–240V
- Type C
Type C Europlug travel adapter
Cheap insurance for round-pin-only sockets; doubles for Chile, Argentina and Brazil.
- Output shape
- Type C
- Earth
- None — Class II only
- Voltage
- Pass-through only
Where Peru sits in the region
Peru is the awkward middle of South America: 60Hz like the US, 220V like Europe, US-shaped sockets on top. North to Colombia at 110V and everything US works again; south to Chile or east to Argentina you are at 220V but need a real plug adapter; Brazil changes voltage by city. The travel adapter hub maps the rest.
FAQ
Do I need a plug adapter for Peru?
Usually not. Peruvian sockets accept Type A flat blades as well as Type C round pins, so a two-blade US charger fits. You need an adapter only for a grounded three-prong US plug, and a two-blade duckhead solves that more simply.
Peru is 220V but my plug fits. Is that safe?
Only if the device is dual-voltage. Check the input line on the charger: 100-240V is safe, 120V-only is not. Because the plug fits, nothing physically stops you connecting a 120V-only device, which is why Peru catches people out.
What happens if I plug a US hair dryer into a Peruvian socket?
It draws roughly four times its design power, because power scales with the square of voltage across a fixed heating element. It will fail quickly, usually with smoke. Take a dual-voltage travel dryer instead.
Is Peru 50Hz or 60Hz?
60Hz, the same as the United States. Only the voltage differs, which is why the frequency half of the spec never causes trouble here.