
112 is a common
emergency telephone number that can be dialed free of charge from most
mobile telephones and, in some countries,
fixed telephones in order to reach
emergency services (ambulance, fire and rescue, police).
112 is a part of the
GSM standard and all GSM-compatible telephone handsets are able to dial 112 even when locked or, in some countries, with no
SIM card present. It is also the common emergency number in nearly all
member states of the European Union as well as
several other countries of Europe and the world. 112 is often available alongside other numbers historically used in the given country to access emergency services. In some countries, calls to 112 are not connected directly but forwarded by the GSM network to local emergency numbers (e.g.,
911 in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
,
999 in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
, and
000 in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
).
Origins
112 was first standardised as the pan-European number for emergency services following the adoption of recommendation by the
(CEPT) in 1976 and has since been enshrined a CEPT Decision ECC/DEC/(17)05.
The European Emergency Number Association, founded in 1999, an organization of emergency services representatives and others, has campaigned for an efficient 112 service all over Europe on behalf of European citizens. EENA continues to promote awareness of 112 as a core element of its mission.
This choice of number has been cited in logical terms as offering the following advantages:
* Different digits: with the
numeric keypads widely used today, using at least two different digits instead of the same digit repeatedly significantly reduces the risk of accidental calls. Young children, vibrations, defective keys and collisions with other objects are much more likely to press the same key repeatedly than a particular sequence of different keys, particularly with a button-operated keypad. Accidental calls to emergency centres from mobile phones, which can dial emergency numbers even with locked keypad, are a particular problem with same-digit numbers, such as the UK's
999.
* Low digits: on
rotary dial telephones, using only those digits that require the least dial rotation (1 and 2) permits a dial lock in hole 3 to effectively disable unauthorised access to the telephone network without preventing access to the emergency number 112. The same choice also maximises dialling speed. Additionally, with telephone systems using
pulse dialling, briefly activating the hook once has the same effect as dialling "1", so repeatedly pushing the hook might result in calling 1-1-1. For this reason, Germany's
police
The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
emergency number was changed from 111 to 110. With numeric keypads, pressing only the first and second button on the keypad is marginally easier in a difficult situation than other keys.
Implementation

After adoption in continental Western Europe, other countries began to use the 112 number for emergencies. Nations that have adopted it (including as a redirect alongside a pre-existing other emergency number) include:
Africa
* (alongside 122 for Police, 123 for Ambulance and 180 for Fire)
*
* (Police only; alongside 114 for Ambulance and 115 for Fire)
* (alongside 19 for police, 15 for fire and ambulance, and 177 for the
Gendarmerie)
*
* (Police and fire brigade; 912 for Ambulance)
* (alongside 17 for Police, 18 for Fire, and 15 for Ambulance)
* (alongside 10111 for Police and 10177 for Ambulance and Fire)
* (alongside 999 for Police)
Asia
* (A recorded guidance about the correct SOS numbers in China: Police 110, Fire Services 119, Ambulance 120. GSM mobile phones will be redirected)
*
* (Automatically connects to the 999 emergency call centre from any local mobile phone network that has coverage in the location)
* (112 is now the pan-country single emergency number for all emergencies. All the existing emergency numbers like 100 (police), 101 (Fire and Rescue) and 102/108 (ambulance), 181 (Woman and Child Care), 1098 (
Childline), etc. are integrated to the unified number 112)
* (alongside 110 for Police, 118 for Ambulance, 113 for Fire)
* (alongside 110 for Police, 115 for Ambulance, 112 for Hilal Ahmar Ambulance and 125 for Fire; 911 is redirected to 112 on mobile phones)
* (Redirects to 100 – Police – alongside 911, and will serve the planned unified center. Alongside 100 for Police, 101 for Ambulance and 102 for Fire).
* (alongside 911)
* (alongside 101 for Fire, 102 for Police and 103 for Ambulance)
*
* (alongside 101 for Fire, 102 for Police and 103 for Ambulance)
* (Police only; alongside 160 for Police, 140 for Ambulance and 125 for Fire)
* (alongside 999)
* (Redirects to 999 on mobile phones)
* (alongside 102 for Police, 103 for Ambulance and 105 for Fire)
* (Police only; alongside 100 for Police, 101 for Fire and 102 for Ambulance)
* (fire dep. 102, police dep. 100, ambulance 101)
* (alongside 911)
*
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
(redirected to 999 police line)
* (Police only; alongside 119 for Ambulance and Fire)
* (Police only; alongside 119 for Police and 110 for Ambulance and Fire)
* (Police only; alongside 115 for Traffic police, 110 for Ambulance and 113 for Fire)
* (After call is connected, press 0 redirects to 110 (
police
The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
), press 9 redirects to 119 (
fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...
/rescue/ambulance))
* (call 191 for Police, 1193 for Highway Police, 1155 for Tourist Police, 1669 for Ambulance, 199 for Fire&Rescue)
* (alongside 999 for Police, 998 for Ambulance and 997 for Fire)
*
* (alongside 9999 for Royal Police (All emergencies))
Europe
* (alongside 129 and 126 for Police, 127 for Ambulance, 128 for Fire and 125 for Maritime Rescue)
* (Ambulance and Fire, alongside 118 for same services and 110 for Police)
* (fire dep. 101, police dep. 102, ambulance 103)
* (alongside 122 for Fire, 133 for Police, 144 for Rescue/Ambulance, 140 for Mountain Rescue and 141 for Nighttime General Practitioner Service; 059 133 is the non-emergency number for any local police department)
* (alongside 102 for Police, 103 for Ambulance, 911 forwards to 112 on GSM carriers only)
* (Fire only; alongside 101 for Fire, 102 for Police, and 103 for Ambulance)
* (only in French, Dutch and English (in some cases in German) ) (Ambulance and Fire; alongside 100 for same services and 101 for Police)
* (alongside 122 for Police, 123 for Fire and 124 for Ambulance)
* (only in Bulgarian, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Greek, Romanian, Turkish, or Russian) (alongside 150 for Ambulance, 160 for Fire and 166 for Police automatically redirected to 112)
* (alongside 192 for Police, 193 for Fire, 194 for Ambulance and 195 for Maritime search and rescue)
* (alongside 199)
* (only in Czech, English, German, Polish, Russian and French (not by themselves, but by aid of translation software)) (alongside 155 for Ambulance, 158 for
State police
State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction o ...
, 156 for
Municipal police and 150 for Fire)
* (in Danish, English, Swedish and Norwegian (in some cases in German)) (including in Kalaallisut/Greenlandic, Danish and English, in Faroese, Danish and English). Alongside 114 for non-emergency police and 1813 in The Capital Region for non-emergency medical.
* (in Estonian, Russian and English; sole emergency number since
11 February 2015, previously alongside 110 for Police. 1247 for non-emergency information)
* (in Finnish, English and Swedish (Emergency center uses interpreter in the case of caller speaking other language than Finnish, English or Swedish.
)
(including )
* (alongside 15 for Ambulance, 17 for Police and 18 for Fire)
* (alongside 110 for Police)
* (alongside 190 for Fire, 999 for Ambulance and 199 for Police)
*
* (alongside 100 for the
police
The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
, 108 for
Coastguard, 166 for Ambulance and 199 for the
fire service)
* (alongside 104 for Ambulance, 105 for Fire and 107 for Police is redirected to 112 on mobile phones)
*
* (alongside 999)
* (sole emergency number in most of Italy; alongside 112 for
Carabinieri
The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign poli ...
, 113 for
National Police, 115 for
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...
, 118 for Ambulance in
Veneto
Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...
,
Molise
Molise ( , ; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. Until 1963, it formed part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise together with Abruzzo. The split, which did not become effective until 1970, makes Molise the newest region in Ital ...
,
Campania
Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...
, and
Basilicata)
* (alongside 192 for Police, 193 for Fire and 194 for Ambulance)
* (alongside 110 for Police, 113 for Ambulance and 114 for Emergency gas service)
* (Police only; alongside 117 for Police, 144 for Ambulance and 118 for Fire)
*
* (alongside 113 for Police)
*
* (sole emergency number since 1 July 2018, replacing 901 for Fire, 902 for Police and 903 for Ambulance)
* (alongside 15 for Ambulance, 17 for Police and 18 for Fire)
* (alongside 122 for Police, 123 for Fire and 124 for Ambulance)
* (0900-8844 is the non-emergency number for any local police department) (In the
Caribbean Netherlands
The Caribbean Netherlands (, ) is a geographic region of the Netherlands located outside of Europe, in the Caribbean, consisting of three special municipalities. These are the islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba (island), Saba,"Bonair ...
112 redirects to 911, whereas in the European
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
911 redirects to 112)
* (alongside 192 for Police, 193 for Fire, 194 for Ambulance)
* (112 for Police only, 110 for Fire and 113 for Ambulance. Calls to any of the emergency numbers will be redirected to appropriate service when needed. 02800 is the non-emergency number for any local police department)
* (it's used alongside
999 for Ambulance, and used to be available alongside 998 for Fire, and 997 for Police; both options are available; 112 is used for all emergencies)
* (117 for reporting forest fires)
*
* (alongside 101 for Fire, 102 for Police, 103 for Ambulance and 104 for Emergency gas service)
* (alongside 192 for Police, 193 for Fire, and 194 for Ambulance)
* (alongside 155 for Ambulance, 158 for Police, 150 for Fire and 18300 for Mountain Rescue Service)
* (alongside 113 for Police)
* (alongside 091/062/092 for Police, 061 for Ambulance and 080 and 085 (in some provincial consortium) for Fire)
* (alongside 114 14 for police number for non-urgent matters and 1177 for medical advice, 911 and 90000 redirects to 112)
* (alongside 117 for Police, 144 for Ambulance, 1414 for REGA air rescue and 118 for Fire)
* 112 for all emergencies (alternatively 110-fire, 155-police, 156-gendarmerie and 177 for forest fires only. 911 redirects to 112)
* (alongside 101 for Fire, 102 for Police, 103 for Ambulance and 104 for Emergency gas service; in some cities 112 and 911 are additionally for all emergencies)
* (alongside
999)
* (alongside 113 for National Police, 115 for Fire and 118 for Ambulance)
North America
* (redirects to 911 on certain phone operating systems only)
* (alongside 911)
* (alongside 911)
* (alongside 911; 104 for Police and 103 for Fire)
* (alongside 911, 112 forwards to 911 on GSM carriers only, including AT&T and T-Mobile)
* (alongside 911)
Oceania
* (redirects to
000 from mobile phones)
* (redirects to
111)
*
South America
* (alongside 911)
* (alongside 911; redirects to 190 – Military Police – alongside 193 for Fire, 190 for Military Police,100 for human rights center, 180 for woman's care and 192 for Ambulance)
* (alongside 911; redirects to 133 - police)
* (Police only; alongside 123 for all emergencies, 125 for Ambulance and 119 for Fire)
* (alongside 911)
In many countries, emergency numbers previously used also continue to be available; e.g. 061 and 112 in Spain, 999 and 112 both function in Ireland and the UK. In the United States, only some carriers, including
AT&T
AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...
will map the number 112 to its emergency number 911.
Adoption
The number is also adopted by
candidates for EU accession and members of the
EEA agreement.
The
International Telecommunication Union
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU)In the other common languages of the ITU:
*
* is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information ...
recommends that member states selecting a primary or secondary emergency number choose either 911, 112 or both.
112 is one of two numbers (the other being the region's own emergency number) that can be dialed on most GSM phones even if the phone is locked.
European Union
112 is managed and financed in the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
by each member state (country), who also decide on the organization of the emergency call centres.
EU legislation
Adopted in July 1991, the
Council Decision 91/396/EC introduced ‘112’ as the European emergency number. The
Open Network Provision Directive in 1998, the
Universal Service Directives in 2002 and 2009 and finally the
European Electronic Communications Code in 2018 further specified how 112 should work in the European Union.
By the European Electronic Communications Code, everyone in the European Union should be able to contact the emergency services by using the European emergency number ‘112’ free of charge wherever they are in the European Union. Member States are also required to make sure that access to the emergency services for people with disabilities is equivalent to that enjoyed by other end-users.
E112
E112 is a
location-enhanced version of 112.
This obligation was strengthened with the European Electronic Communications Code in 2018 which requires the location to include both network-based and handset-derived location information. It is now possible for emergency services to retrieve accurate location information of the caller with the
Advanced Mobile Location technology.
The ''
eCall'' feature for automated emergency calls on crash, mandatory on European cars since April 2018, is based on E112.
Reverse 112
Reverse 1-1-2 is a public safety communications technology used by public safety organizations throughout the world to communicate with groups of people in a defined geographic area. Reverse 112 allows authorities to rapidly warn those in danger, directly through their mobile phones.
Article 110 of the European Electronic Communications Code makes it mandatory for all Member States of the European Union to deploy, by June 2022, a system that enables public authorities to immediately warn all the people present in a determined area of an ongoing or developing threat directly on their mobile phones. This objective can be achieved with either the
Cell Broadcast or the Location-based SMS technology.
European 112 Day
The
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
, the
Council of the European Union
The Council of the European Union, often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council, and less formally known as the Council of Ministers, is the third of the seven institutions of the European Union (EU) a ...
and the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
signed a tripartite convention in 2009 in order to introduce an annual
European 112 Day. It is supposed to raise awareness for the Europe-wide availability and the advantages of the European emergency call 112. They chose 11 February since the date includes the telephone number (11/2).
A wide variety of events take place around Europe every year to celebrate European 112 Day.
Expert Groups on 112
Getting 112 to work across the EU is a complex task. It requires in particular coordination between civil protection administrations (the emergency authorities who handle the call) and electronic communications administrations (who have to make sure that a 112 call reaches the emergency operator). That is why the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
decided to act at European level and set up the Expert Group on Emergency Access (EGEA) at the end of 2005. The group met for the last time in May 2013.
In 2020, the European Commission set up the Expert Group on Emergency Communications (EG112) with the task to assist the European Commission in the preparation of new legislations on the matter and exchange views on how emergency communications are handled within the European Union.
See also
*
ECall
*
Emergency phone number
*
Emergency telephone
*
*
In case of emergency (ICE) entry in the mobile phone book
*
International Mobile Satellite Organization
*
Single Non-Emergency Number
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
References
External links
The European Emergency Number Association 112 (EENA)
{{DEFAULTSORT:112 (Emergency Telephone Number)
Emergency telephone numbers
Three-digit telephone numbers
Telecommunications-related introductions in 1972