Numbers to call in the event of an emergency
Emergencies catch most people unprepared. This overview explains who can help with urgent health problems, acute crises and poisoning. Depending on the urgency and nature of the problem you can call the emergency services, non-emergency medical assistance, help and crisis lines or a poison control center.
At a glance
- There are various hotlines and helplines for medical or mental health emergencies.
- Call the emergency services if the situation is life-threatening or there is a risk of permanent damage.
- The non-emergency medical assistance line should be called in urgent but non-life-threatening situations when the medical practice is closed.
- The Telefonseelsorge (German telephone helpline) is a potential point of contact for people with urgent psychological problems. There are many other crisis helplines in the various regions.
- In the case of poisoning call the poison control center; if the situation is life-threatening, call the emergency services on 112.
When should I call the emergency number?
Telephone: 112
Fax: 112
NORA emergency call app
You should only call the emergency number if the situation is life-threatening or there is a risk of permanent damage.The emergency service will then send you an ambulance or emergency doctor ambulance.
The emergency service can be called round the clock by dialing the number (no need for a code) from a land line, cell phone or emergency phone. The call is free.
Use it, for example, following
- a heart attack or signs of a heart attack (chest pain, breathlessness, cold sweats)
- a stroke or signs of a stroke (visual impairment, slurred speech, paralysis)
- accidents involving serious injuries
- significant blood loss
- loss of consciousness (fainting) or impaired consciousness
- an allergic (anaphylactic) shock
- severe pain
- severe burns
- breathlessness and severe asthma attacks
Emergency call by app
Since Autumn 2021, it has been possible to make an emergency call nationwide using the NORA emergency call app. You can use the app like a messenger service to communicate by text with the local emergency services.
Your location is automatically transmitted when you make the emergency call. However you can also change location yourself, for example if the accident happened at a different location.
The NORA app is the official emergency call app for the federal states. It is free to download from app stores.
The NORA emergency call app can also be used as an alternative to the emergency fax number to make it easier for people with hearing or speech and language impairments to contact the emergency services. You can also send a fax or use a Tess relay service.
When should I call the non-emergency medical assistance service?
Telephone: 116 117
Fax: 0800 – 58 95 210
“Non-emergency medical assistance” fax form for people with hearing and speech or language impairments
The non-emergency medical assistance service helps people with urgent medical problems outside of medical practice consulting hours. It is intended for patients who do not have a life-threatening condition but cannot wait until the practice opens.
Use it, for example, following
- common cold or flu with a high temperature and pain
- severe sore throat or earache
- gastrointestinal infections with persistent diarrhea with vomiting
- acute abdominal pain, back pain or headaches
The non-emergency medical assistance service will advise you on how to proceed and inform you of practices you can consult if your medical practice is closed. If necessary, you can have a house visit from the non-emergency medical assistance service.
The employees on the non-emergency medical assistance hotline are medically trained and can assess how urgent your problem is. However, if it is an emergency they will forward your call directly to the emergency service.
Important: During consulting hours it is best to contact your medical practice first; use the non-emergency medical assistance at night-time, at weekends and on public holidays. Hospital emergency departments are not the right place to go in these cases – they are reserved for emergencies.
The non-emergency medical assistance service is for patients with statutory and private health insurance. The costs are covered by statutory health insurance. For private patients this will depend on the contract and deductible.
On-call practices
Many cities and local authorities have on-call practices that patients can consult outside consulting hours, at night-time and on Sundays and holidays.
They are also called standby practices, emergency medical assistance or out-of-hours practices. Some are located in hospital clinics.
Some on-call practices cover a specific medical specialty such as children and adolescents, gynecology or ophthalmology.
You can find on-call practices in your area on the website of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Providers (Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung).
Out-of-hours dental service
You can find out-of-hours dental practices in your area in an overview provided by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Providers (Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung).
Who should I call in cases of poisoning?
The poison control centers are run by the federal states and provide emergency advice by telephone on cases of human poisoning.
If you or your children have accidentally ingested medicines, household products or potentially poisonous plants, the poison control center will give you advice on what to do and whether further medical treatment is required.
If the situation is life-threatening, please call the emergency number 112 immediately.
The poison control centers are contactable 24 hours a day.
For the telephone and fax numbers for your local poison control center, visit the website of the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL).
Who do I call if I have a medical emergency abroad?
Calls made to 112 within the European Union will be directed to the national emergency services.
Calls made to 112 from a cell phone will also be forwarded to the emergency services in some countries outside Europe.
You can reach the non-emergency medical assistance even if you are outside Germany by dialing 0049 116 117.
You can reach the Telefonseelsorge from outside Germany using a cell phone with a German SIM card, by Internet telephony or the Telefonseelsorge’s online service.
What points of contact are available for help with urgent mental health problems?
“Telefonseelsorge”: 116 123
“E-Mail- und Chatseelsorge”: online.telefonseelsorge.de
If you are having mental health problems, are in a crisis or are thinking of self-harming or taking your own life, you can contact the Telefonseelsorge (German telephone helpline).
Its psychologically trained employees will give you free, anonymous advice on a number of issues troubling you, for instance problems with your marriage or partnership, loneliness, anxiety, a crisis of identity or sickness.
This advice is only provided in Germany.
Other languages
There are also mental health helplines in other languages in Germany
“Mutes” is a Muslim mental health helpline (muslimische Telefonseelsorge) that provides advice in Turkish, Arabic and Urdu.
Telephone: 030 – 44 35 09 821
Doverija is a mental health helpline that provides advice in Russian.
Telephone: 030 – 440 308 454
Telefonseelsorge provides an overview with telephone-based assistance in other languages.
Psychological support for children and adolescents
“Nummer gegen Kummer”: 116 111
“E-Mail- und Chatseelsorge”: www.nummergegenkummer.de/kinder-und-jugendberatung/online-beratung/
“Elterntelefon” (parents’ helpline): 0800 – 111 0 550
The “Nummer gegen Kummer” helpline for children and adolescents is a point of contact for children and adolescents with worries and problems. Its psychologically trained employees provide free, anonymous advice. They will listen sympathetically to any concerns, whether it is stress with parents, friends or schoolmates, relationship problems, problems at school, violence or anything else that is troubling the caller.
Crisis services/social psychiatric services and specialist crisis helplines
Crisis services/social psychiatric services provide professional consultations in psychiatric and psychological emergencies.
You can find out about these regional consultation services, for example, from the city and local authority administrations.
There are also various specialist help and crisis lines, for example for parents, pregnant women or family caregivers.
The Federal Family Ministry’s Family Portal provides an overview of crisis lines and contact points for emergencies.
App-based psychological support
The Telefonseelsorge’s “KrisenKompass” app provides materials, techniques and contacts that can help in crisis situations. The app can also be used offline so it can provide support at the right moment.
More information is available on the Telefonseelsorge’s website.
How do I find an out-of-hours pharmacy?
Out-of-hours pharmacies are also open at night-time, on Sundays and holidays.
You can find an out-of-hours pharmacy in your area on the website of the Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists (Bundesvereinigung Deutscher Apothekerverbände).
