In an emergency

The most important partner for you to talk to, in case of an emergency, is the police. In Germany, the police ensures safety and order. Police officers do not only protect you when you are taking part in every days traffic or at major events, but are also there for you if you experience any kind of emergency. There are female as well as male officers; they are on an equal footing which means that both have the same rights; carry out the other's instructions.

If you have an emergency, you will call it in via the centralised telephone number 110. It is the same phone number wherever you are in Germany. In the emergency call centre, important data is collected, such as family name, first name, street and city, telephone number, age, the reason why you are calling, number of people involved, as well as the number and type of injuries. After having done this, further steps will be initiated and you will be aided via telephone at the scene of the emergency until help arrives.

If there is a fire, people have to be rescued, a general accident or a medical emergency has happened, the correct number to call is 112. This number is also the same nationwide, no matter where you are in Germany.

Always, when you are in need of medical attention, your family doctor is not within reach and you do not know wether there is an on call medical service centre nearby, please call the phone number 116 117 without a prefix. As with all other centralised phone numbers, the same goes for this one: No matter where you are in Germany, it is the same one.

If you are searching for a pharmacy during after hours or during public holidays, please call the following number:

0800 00 22833 (toll free from a landline within Germany)

22833 (69ct/Min if using the mobile)

The German federal police protects Germany's borders. As a refugee you surely will have met federal police officers on your way to Germany, when you were registered at the border, at the train stations or at the airport.

You can recognise customs officers rather easy, as they are wearing blue uniforms. They are responsible for fighting the smuggling of goods at border entries and exits, as well as illegal employment (undeclared work).

You can reach the federal police under the following phone number: 0049 800-6 888 000

Maritime search and rescue

Maritime Search and Rescue (S.A.R.) is the help for people, who have gotten themselves into distress at sea. Among others, their duties are the rescuing of shipwrecked persons, searching for missing people at sea, fire fighting at sea, recovering of dead and deceased, but also the recovery of ships and boats or other objects at sea.

If you are in distress at sea:

Landline: 0049-421-536 870

Mobile: 124 124

Blocking of EC and credit cards

As soon as you notice that your EC-card is missing or was stolen, you have to call the Blocking-Emergency-Phonenumber. The card in question will then be blocked at once and cannot be used anymore. The numbers of choice are:

Centralised Emergency Call: 116 116

EC-card: 0049 - 1805 - 021 021

ViSA card: 0800 - 811 8440

Mastercard: 0800 - 819 1040

Centralised phone number of car insures

In case that you are one of the involved parties in a car accident and do not have any data concerning the insurance of the other party that is affected, you can call the centralised hotline. You can report the accident by using the following number: 0180 - 25026

Spiritual welfare telephone

During our lifetime, problems or a crisis can hit us at any time. Be it, that somebody has problems with his or her partner, mobbing at school or at work, the loss of a job, addictions, an illness, loneness, a life crisis and spiritual questions.
Such events and injuries often show us that there are limits of what somebody is able to bear or what is tolerable. If you feel the urgent need to talk to somebody, be sure to pick up your phone and call one of these numbers:

Phone number for women: 0800 - 116 016

Spiritual Welfare telephone: 0049 - 800 - 1110111 or 0049 - 0800 - 1110 222

Children and Youths telephone: 0049 - 800 - 1110 333