International Emergency Phone Numbers

You're overseas. Do you know the emergency phone number in England? Japan? New Zealand? Is it 911? 999? 112? Or something else?

Armed with your passport you packed your cell phone, justifying international roaming charges in case of emergency. But what if that emergency actually occurs? Did you bother to look up the emergency phone number for the countries you are visiting?

If you're like that majority of travelers, the emergency phone number for the countries you are visiting didn't even make it onto your trip planning radar.

This is one area where foreign visitors to the United States have a distinct advantage. Thanks to years of television and movie exports, the world knows that the emergency phone number in the United States is 911. In fact, in many foreign countries calls to 911, get redirected to the countries local emergency number.

But even after many seasons of watching Doctor Who, Torchwood, and Hotel Babylon, I still don't know the emergency phone number for the United Kingdom.

The good news for travelers to Europe, all of the 27 European Union States share a single emergency phone number.

In 1991, Europe introduced a single emergency phone number so that Europeans would dial the same emergency phone number regardless of location within the European Union.

112 is the single emergency phone number that covers all of Europe, yet according to the European Emergency Number Association, in 2007, over 15 years after 112's implementation, only one in three Europeans was aware of this fact.

But there is more good news about 112. Not only is it the emergency phone number for all 27 member states of the EU, it is also recognized by GSM cell phones as a standard emergency number, often working in parallel to the countries own emergency numbers.

So, in case of emergency, below is a list of emergency phone numbers of several popular destinations for US travelers.

000 Emergency phone number - Australia

The emergency phone number for Australia is 000 (triple zero) not to be confused with OOO (triple 'o') which on an alpha numeric keypad would result in dialing '666'.

112 can be used by GSM cell phones.

911 will also redirect to 000 (on cell phones only).

111 Emergency Phone Number - New Zealand

111 is the universal emergency phone number in New Zealand. This is where things start to get tricky, as 111 is also a proposed non-emergency health care number for the UK.

112 and 911 work from GSM cell phones.

112 Emergency Phone Number - European Union and GSM Cell Phones

The 27 member states of the EU all use a single emergency phone number-112.

A map driven list of emergency numbers is EU and surrounding countries is available at www.sos112.info. It shows which countries use the single 112 emergency phone number and any parallel emergency numbers. For example, if you click on France, it will show the universal EU number 112, and the local numbers: 15 for Medical Emergencies, 17 for Police and 18 for Fire/Rescue services.

911 Emergency Phone Number - United States and Canada

Thanks to television, this is a very well known emergency phone number around the world. It is so well known, in fact, that many countries redirect cell phone calls to 911 to their local emergency number.

911 calls in the US will even connect if dialed from a deactivated cell phone. The operator however will not be able to reconnect to you if disconnected.

911 is also used in Costa Rica, Panama, Cayman Islands, El Salvador, Uruguay and Paraguay.

112 calls from GSM mobile phones are redirected to 911.

999 Emergency Phone Number - United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore and Hong Kong

In Singapore 911 or 112 dialed from a cell phone will redirect to emergency services. Singapore has different number for different services. 999 is one of those numbers

112 works in parallel to 999 in the United Kingdom.

112 connects to emergency services in Ireland and Hong Kong from cell phones.

Other Emergency Phone Numbers

There are many countries that use other ,less common and unique emergency phone numbers. For example, Japan uses 110 for police emergencies and 119 for fire and medical emergencies. A great list can be found on wikipedia.

Conclusion:

While many countries recognize our own 911 or Europe's 112 when dialed on their networks and redirect to the local emergency phone number, do not rely on this.

Emergency phone numbers also change over time, so confirm the numbers you find here independently before you leave home. Hopefully you will know the emergency phone numbers and not need them. Safe Travels.

Further Reading at Associated Content on using your cell phone overseas:

Roaming Charges and International Cell Phone Use

Sources:

Australian Communications and Media Authority

European Emergency Number Association

www.sos112.info

http://112eu.blogspot.com/
wikipedia