This reference covers the 50 countries British and American travellers visit most often, with the practical detail that gets left off government leaflets. The full set for all 180 countries on the Warnely platform lives on each individual country guide.
What '112' actually means
The European Union mandates 112 as the single emergency number across all member states. It works from any mobile phone, including phones with no local SIM, no credit, and a locked screen. Operators are required to handle English. The same number works in many non-EU countries that follow the standard: Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, the UK (as an alternative to 999), and increasingly across Africa and Asia.
For most European trips, 112 is the only number you need to remember. It will route you to police, ambulance, or fire depending on what you describe.
The numbers worth memorising before you leave
Western Europe
- UK, Ireland: 999 (or 112)
- France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Austria, Switzerland: 112
- Iceland: 112
Eastern Europe
- Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia: 112
- Russia, Ukraine, Belarus: 112 (state of infrastructure varies; police 102, ambulance 103 are the longer-standing direct lines)
North America
- United States, Canada: 911
Latin America
- Mexico: 911
- Brazil: 190 (police), 192 (ambulance), 193 (fire)
- Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru: 911 or 112 in major cities; older direct lines persist
- Costa Rica, Panama: 911
Asia
- Japan: 110 (police), 119 (ambulance and fire)
- South Korea: 112 (police), 119 (ambulance and fire)
- Thailand: 191 (police), 1669 (ambulance), 1155 (tourist police)
- Vietnam: 113 (police), 115 (ambulance), 114 (fire)
- Singapore: 999 (police), 995 (ambulance and fire)
- Malaysia: 999 (or 112 from mobile)
- Indonesia: 112
- Philippines: 911
- China (mainland): 110 (police), 120 (ambulance), 119 (fire)
- Hong Kong, Macau: 999 (or 112 from mobile)
- India: 112 (rolling national line; 100/101/102 still work in many states)
- Sri Lanka: 119 (police), 110 (ambulance)
- Nepal: 100 (police), 102 (ambulance)
Middle East and North Africa
- UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi): 999 (police), 998 (ambulance), 997 (fire)
- Saudi Arabia: 999 (police), 997 (ambulance), 998 (fire)
- Qatar: 999
- Egypt: 122 (police), 123 (ambulance), 180 (fire); tourist police 126
- Morocco: 19 (police, city), 177 (police, rural), 15 (ambulance)
- Tunisia: 197 (police), 190 (ambulance), 198 (fire)
- Jordan: 911
- Israel: 100 (police), 101 (ambulance), 102 (fire)
- Turkey: 112
Sub-Saharan Africa
- South Africa: 10111 (police), 10177 (ambulance), 112 from mobile
- Kenya: 999 or 112
- Tanzania: 112
- Ghana: 112 (or 191 police)
- Ethiopia: 911 (police), 939 (ambulance)
- Nigeria: 112
Oceania
- Australia: 000 (or 112 from mobile)
- New Zealand: 111
The numbers tourist-targeted countries quietly want you to use first
Several countries operate a dedicated tourist police force in addition to regular police. The tourist line handles English, knows the visa rules, often has interpreters on staff, and treats tourist-on-tourist disputes (lost property, hotel issues, taxi overcharging) without the bureaucratic weight of a full police investigation.
- Thailand: 1155. Tourist Police, 24-hour English line, fastest route for stolen-property reports.
- Egypt: 126. Tourist Police, the official channel for hassle at antiquities sites.
- Greece: 1571. Tourist Police, all major destinations.
- Türkiye (Istanbul, Antalya, Cappadocia): 155 connects to a tourist-trained desk where available.
- Japan: Japan National Tourism Organization 24-hour line +81-50-3816-2787 for non-emergency assistance in English.
For lost or stolen property abroad, the tourist police line almost always issues a usable report faster than the regular force.
What to actually say when you call
Operators handle thousands of calls. The ones that get help fastest follow a simple structure: who you are, where you are, what is happening. In that order.
- Who: "I am a British/American tourist."
- Where: the closest street name, the visible landmark, or the GPS coordinate from your phone if you have nothing else. "I'm near [hotel name], [street], in [neighbourhood]."
- What: one sentence describing the situation. "Someone has been hit by a car." "My friend has collapsed and is not breathing." "I am being followed and feel unsafe."
After that, follow the operator's lead. Do not hang up unless told to. If you don't speak the local language, repeat "English" until the operator routes you. EU 112 operators are required to handle English requests, and in practice most large-city operators in non-EU countries can too.
Why the country guide is the authoritative source
Country phone systems change. Numbers get renumbered. Tourist police lines get cut by budget reviews and replaced months later. The list above is correct in mid-2026, and the Warnely country guides at /guides carry the live version refreshed on every build, alongside the local embassy contact and the consular helpline.
Save the number for the country you're going to before the flight. Take 30 seconds. It is the lowest-effort, highest-leverage piece of travel preparation that exists.