Fire. Robbery. Earthquake. Heart attack. Flood. Car accident.
Those are just a few of the many major emergencies that might lead someone to call 911 for help in the United States. But what happens if you’re in another country? Who you gonna call?
Most people don’t think to look up the emergency phone number for a country they are traveling to before they take a trip. However, it is a really smart step in today’s unstable world climate. You can’t be afraid to live your life, but you should be prepared for when the unexpected happens.
Consider making emergency phone number research part of your trip prep from now on. It only takes a few minutes to find the appropriate number and program it into your phone.
Keep in mind that English-speaking operators may not be available in every country so it’s a good idea to have some key phrases in the country’s dominant language in your pocket (or phone’s “Notes”) as well.
Here are the 911 equivalents for some popular vacation destinations. But you can also find a more complete list on this U.S. Department of State link.
Australia 000 (112 on a cell phone)
Bahamas 911
Bali 112 (ambulance), 118 (fire)
Barbados 119
Bermuda 911
Canada 911
Canary Islands 112
Cayman Islands 911
Chile 131 (ambulance), 132 (fire), 133 (police)
China 120 (ambulance), 119 (fire), 110 (police)
Costa Rica 911
Croatia 112
Denmark 112
Dominican Republic 911
Egypt 123
England 112, 999
France 112
Germany 112
Greece 112 (general), 166 (ambulance), 199 (fire), 100 (police)
Hong Kong 999
Iceland 112
Ireland 112, 999
Italy 112 (general), 118 (ambulance), 115 (fire), 113 (police)
Jamaica 110, 119 (police)
Japan 119, 110 (police)
Korea 119
Maldives 102 (ambulance), 999 (fire), 119 (police)
Mexico 065 (ambulance), 068 (fire), 060 (police)
Morocco 15, 19 (police)
Netherlands 112
Peru 011, 5114
Portugal 112
Puerto Rico 911
Scotland 112, 999
Seychelles 999
Spain 112
St Lucia 999, 911
Switzerland 144 (ambulance), 118 (fire), 117 (police)
Tahiti 15
Turks and Caicos 999, 911
United Kingdom 112, 999
U.S. Virgin Islands 911
It’s also a good idea to have the Embassy information available, which you can find at USEmbassy.gov.
And consider purchasing trip insurance, which we can help you with at 5678andTravel.
In case of an emergency abroad, you cannot be too prepared.
