112 is the main emergency number in the Netherlands. It should be used for urgent assistance in life-threatening situations or if you witness a crime.
Calls to this number are free of charge and can be made from a landline, pay phone or a mobile phone, even if your phone is locked or you have no SIM card. If for some reason you cannot use a phone, you can make use of the 112NL app (see below).
In the Netherlands, calls are answered on average after eight seconds. The operator - who can usually be expected to be able to speak English, German or French as well as Dutch - will alert the appropriate emergency service, depending on the nature of your emergency.
112 is a single emergency telephone number that allows European citizens and travelers within EU to contact emergency services for assistance in all member states. In order to ensure a quicker and more efficient intervention, 112 operates either alongside the national emergency numbers or as the main emergency number depending on the country.
The Netherlands also has an alternative option for people who are unable to call the 112 emergency number. If you cannot communicate with an operator as a result of:
You can get in touch with the emergency services via the 112NL app. The app is free to download on both the Apple App and Google Play stores and operates in 109 different languages, including English.
112 is a single emergency telephone number that can be used in all other EU countries, either as the main emergency number or alongside other national emergency numbers. 112 operates in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican and the United Kingdom. 112 is also available worldwide on GSM mobile networks.
Since each member state is responsible for its own national civil protection system, the operator may transfer your call to the appropriate emergency service or deal with your request directly.