How to Call 911 in Europe (with List of Every Emergency Number in Europe)

Need to call an emergency number in Europe? Here’s exactly how to call 911 in Europe with a list of every emergency number in Europe in alphabetical order.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. While the information is up-to-date at the time of writing, please check with your local embassy or government website before traveling.

What Happens if You Call 911 In Europe? Does 911 Work Everywhere?

911 might not work all around Europe. This is a North American emergency phone number and only works in the US, Canada, and parts of the Caribbean. If you ring 911 in many European countries, you won’t get through to the local emergency services unless they can reroute the call to the local number on their switchboard. Some countries are a lot better than others. For instance, the UK will automatically redirect you to the local emergency number, which is 999, as long as your phone is in the UK physically. However, as some countries don’t always reroute 911, it’s best to know the emergency number for the country you’re traveling to.

What is 911 in Europe?

The 911 equivalent in Europe largely depends on which country you’re in at the time. For many places, the European emergency number is 112 instead of 911, but this does vary by the country. Some countries will have one number that covers all three emergency services (police, ambulance, and fire), as 911 does, but some will have dedicated emergency numbers for each service. I’ll dive into the correct emergency numbers for each country in the next section.

List of Emergency Numbers in Europe (in Alphabetical Order)

Albania

Ambulance: 17
Fire: 18
Police: 19

Andorra

Ambulance: 118
Fire: 118
Police: 110

Armenia

All Emergency Services: 103

Austria

All Emergency Services: 112/122

Azerbaijan

Ambulance: 03
Fire: 01
Police: 02

Belgium

All Emergency Services: 112 (cell) /102

Belarus

Ambulance: 03
Fire: 01
Police: 02

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Ambulance: 124
Fire: 123
Police: 122

Bulgaria

Ambulance:150
Fire: 160
Police: 166

Croatia

All Emergency Services: 112

Cyprus

All Emergency Services: 112

Czechia

Ambulance: 112. 155
Fire: 150
Police: 158

Denmark

All Emergency Services: 112

Estonia

Ambulance: 112
Fire: 112
Police: 110

Finland

All Emergency Services: 112

France

Ambulance: 112, 15
Fire: 112, 18
Police: 112, 17

Georgia

All Emergency Services: 022

Germany

Ambulance: 112
Fire: 112
Police: 110

Greece

Ambulance: 112, 166
Fire: 112, 199
Police: 112, 100

Hungary

All Emergency Services: 112

Iceland

All Emergency Services: 112

Ireland

All Emergency Services: 112, 999

Italy

Ambulance: 112, 118
Fire: 112, 115
Police: 112, 113

Kosovo

All Emergency Services: 94

Latvia

Ambulance: 112, 03
Fire: 112, 01
Police: 112, 02

Liechtenstein

All Emergency Services: 112

Lithuania

All Emergency Services: 112

Luxembourg

All Emergency Services: 112, 113

Malta

All Emergency Services: 112

Moldova

Ambulance: 903
Fire: 901
Police: 902

Monaco

All Emergency Services: 112

Montenegro

All Emergency Services: 94

Netherlands

All Emergency Services: 112

North Macedonia

Ambulance: 94
Fire: 93
Police: 92

Norway

All Emergency Services: 112, 110

Poland

All Emergency Services: 112, 999

Portugal

All Emergency Services: 112

Romania

All Emergency Services: 112

Russia

All Emergency Services: 112

San Marino

Ambulance: 113
Fire: 116
Police: 112

Serbia

All Emergency Services: 94

Slovakia

Ambulance: 155
Fire: 150
Police: 158

Slovenia

All Emergency Services: 112

Spain

All Emergency Services: 112

Sweden

All Emergency Services: 112

Switzerland

Ambulance: 144
Fire: 118
Police: 117

Turkey

Ambulance: 112, 101
Fire: 102
Police: 100

Ukraine

Ambulance: 03, 118
Fire: 01
Police: 02

United Kingdom (UK)

All Emergency Services: 999

Vatican City (Holy See)

Ambulance: 113
Fire: 115
Police: 112

Is There a Universal Emergency Number for Europe?

Much like how 911 is universal in North America, there is a semi-universal number in Europe. 112 works in the majority of EU countries and some outside it including Russia and Scandinavia.

If you’re traveling in mainland Europe, this does work in the majority of countries. If you’re traveling in the UK or Ireland, you’re going to need 999 for all emergency services.

You’ll notice that a lot of neighboring countries or ex-blocs, like countries in the Balkan region or Europe, have the same emergency phone numbers.

So, if you’re interrailing or visiting multiple countries, check in advance and make sure the numbers are on your phone.

Do You Need a SIM Card to Call an Emergency Number in Europe?

If you’re in one of the countries where 112 is the emergency number, you don’t need a SIM card to call at all.

If you need to call 999, you will need some signal and an active SIM card, but it doesn’t need to have credit loaded onto it for it to work.

Your phone should switch to the local network when you arrive in the country, so even if you have a US SIM card, the emergency numbers should all still work.

Can you call 911 outside the US?

Yes, you can call 911 outside the US. In North America, 911 is the emergency number for many countries including the Dominican Republic, Canada, Mexico, and more. It’s even the emergency number for Argentina, Jordan, and Pakistan further afield as well.

However, if you can 911 outside of the US in a country where that’s not the emergency number, you may be rerouted to the correct one, but it also isn’t guaranteed to work. If you’re unsure about the emergency number in Europe, the majority of countries use 112, and if they don’t, it should redirect from that number.

What happens if you call 911 in the UK?

As long as your phone is actually in the UK at the time, if you call 911 in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland, your phone call should be patched through to the main 999 switchboard.

The good thing about the UK system is that it accepts calls from both 911 and 112 without a preference between the two. So, if you’re traveling around Europe and can only remember 112, you’ll also get through to the UK emergency switchboard that way too.

Does 911 work in Ireland?

911 is not guaranteed to work in the Republic of Ireland. Instead, Ireland accepts both 999 and 112 as standard emergency numbers for all services including the Garda (police), ambulance, and fire).

How to call 911 in Italy

If you’re looking for the emergency number for Italy, the standard one for all services is 112. While there are secondary ones for each individual service, neither one nor the other is prioritized, so ringing 112 will get you through to the appropriate switchboard.

The full list of options for emergency services in Italy are:

Ambulance: 112, 118

Fire: 112, 115

Police: 112, 113

How to call 911 in Greece

Similarly to Italy, the emergency number 112 works for all emergency services in Greece. Again, there are secondary numbers for individual services, but 112 will get you to the right place and saves you from remembering three separate phone numbers:

Ambulance: 112, 166

Fire: 112, 199

Police: 112, 100

Safety Tips for Traveling Europe:

Save the Embassy Number on Your Phone
Memorize or Save the Local Emergency Number
Make yourself familiar with the closest hospital or police station to your accommodation
Ensure that you have valid travel insurance, including medical