There are two main emergency numbers in Germany:
- 112 is used for fire and medical assistance emergencies.
- 110 is used for emergencies requiring the police.
Calls to both numbers are free of charge and can be made from a landline, pay phone or a mobile phone, even if your phone is locked. In Germany, calls are answered on average after nine seconds. The operators can usually be expected to speak English as well as German.
112 / 110 instructions:
- Dial and wait to be connected to an operator.
- Clearly state the incident.
- Indicate your location and explain how to reach you.
- Answer all the questions asked and follow the operator’s advice.
- Do not hang up until you are told to do so.
- Try to keep your phone free after hanging up, as they may try to call back.
Call 112 in case of:
- Fire / smoke / explosives
- Serious accidents
- Someone is trapped / unconscious / bleeding / suffocating
- You witnessed a suicide attempt
Call 110 in case of:
- Attempted theft / damage
- Assault / risk to life
Do not use 112 / 110:
- For a prank
- To check it works
- To report an accident / emergency again
- For contact details for doctors, dentists, pharmacies etc
- For minor, non-urgent accidents or incidents - either go to a hospital or contact medical emergency services
Using 112 in other countries
112 is a single emergency telephone number that can be used in all EU countries. Depending on the country, it either operates alongside other national emergency numbers or as the main number. You can use 112 in: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican and the United Kingdom.
