Contact information for emergency services with the police department, fire department, ambulance and your embassy, and in case of domestic abuse and credit card theft. A short guide to Spain's emergency services.
Before we go any further, please memorize this number: 112.
112: Before we go any further, please memorize this number. 112. For general emergencies throughout Europe, call 112. It’s NOT 911 in Spain or Europe, it’s 112.
Common sense and preparation are your best weapons against misfortune. But if disaster ever does strike your Spanish paradise, take a good deep breath and try not to panic. This list of emergency phone numbers for Spain that you’re about to read and your local Páginas Amarillas (Spanish telephone directory) should do wonders to help you get to fixing whatever it is that comes your way.
Keep in mind that some Spanish emergency services have English-speaking staff, but others don’t. If your Spanish skills are lacking, the best idea would be to find a Spanish speaker you trust who can call for you. However, in an emergency that may not always be an option, so you may want to memorize these Spanish phrases, just in case:
Quiero hacer una denuncia./Quiero denunciar un crimen.=I’d like to report a crime.
Necesito una ambulancia./Necesito que me envíen una ambulancia.=I need you to send me an ambulance.
Mi casa está ardiendo.=My house is burning down.
Vivo en…=I live at…
These emergency phone numbers are for use within Spain (although 112 works throughout Europe as well). To call from outside Spain, you must first dial: 00 34.
Your Country’s Embassy
Reporting a Crime in Spain
Calling the Police in Spain (Policía)
Calling the Fire Department in Spain (Bomberos)
Calling an Ambulance in Spain (Ambulancia)
Violence Against Women in Spain
Credit Card Theft in Spain
Cooking Emergency (Pizza Delivery in Spain)
Your Experiences Using Emergency Services in Spain
If you ever get into a real bind like needing emergency funds sent from home, it may be time to call in the professionals. But don’t worry, your country’s embassy is there to help.
Most countries have several consular offices throughout Spain. However, emergency consular services to citizens are generally provided by the main embassy only:
Tel: 902 102 112
If you’ve been the victim of any crime, accident or assault, you need to report it to the Spanish police by making a denuncia.
Crimes can be reported in either English or Spanish in different ways:
However, major or violent crimes should always be reported in person.
National Police (Policía Nacional) tel: 091
Local Police (policía local) tel: 092
Civil Guard (Guardia Civil) tel: 062
The Spanish police are there when you need them. A Madrid informant tells us that exactly fourteen minutes from the time he called the police, there were four agents at his door.
And if you see the police on the street, do you know how to tell them apart? The Guardia Civil generally wear green and sometimes their characteristic black tricorn hat, while the Policía Nacional generally wear navy blue. Local police uniforms vary from province to province, from light blue in Madrid to the red of the Ertzaintza in the Basque Country.
To report a crime (make a denuncia), call 902 102 112.
Major or violent crimes should always be reported in person.
In case of fire, call 112, 080, or 085. You can rest assured that fire service in Spain is fast and efficient. Madrid’s fire service promises to arrive at the scene of a fire in an urban zone in less than 10 minutes from the time they receive the call.
In case of a medical emergency, call 112 or 061. They will send you an ambulance if you request one. Your embassy should also be able to provide you with the same list of English-speaking doctors we have.
If you have suffered any kind of physical abuse and need medical attention, please call 112 or go to your nearest hospital or health center. For free emergency consultations for abused or battered women in Spain, contact: Comisión para la investigación de malos tratos a mujeres (Research Commission for Violence Against Women) Tel: 900 100 009 Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 21:00 (You can also make a donation to help fight violence against women at the Madre Organisation's site.)
If your credit cards get stolen and you don’t feel like making a donation to the bastards who stole them, call your bank or credit card company right away. They should be able to cancel your cards in no time and help you make arrangements to get new ones. Here are some of the major players:
When you’ve burnt the paella…again, it may be time to declare a food emergency and call out for pizza. Telepizza Tel: 902 122 122 And remember, in case of fire call 112.
If you have used any of the above emergency services in Spain, please feel free to share your experience and leave a comment.
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