Emergency numbers in Germany: which line for which night

Per gesund.bund.de, you call the emergency number only if the situation is life-threatening or there is a risk of permanent damage — the emergency service then sends an ambulance or emergency doctor, round the clock. The official NORA emergency call app is the digital route to the same dispatch. And 112 is bigger than Germany: per the European Commission, it is the European emergency phone number, available everywhere in the EU, free of charge, connecting to ambulance, fire brigade or police through a trained operator.

Source: gesund.bund.de — Emergency numbers (Federal Ministry of Health portal), read 10 September 2026.

The number Germans know and movers don't: 116 117, the non-emergency medical assistance service, for people with urgent medical problems outside of medical practice consulting hours who don't have a life-threatening condition. Per the portal, it's even reachable from outside Germany on 0049 116 117. We cover the service in depth in the 116117 guide — the short version: fever at 2am is 116117; chest pain at 2am is 112.

Source: gesund.bund.de — non-emergency medical assistance 116 117, read 10 September 2026.

Two more lines from the official page: the regional poison control centres answer 24 hours a day (numbers per region via the federal BVL's list — and if the situation turns life-threatening, back to 112), and the Telefonseelsorge crisis line runs on 116 123, reachable from abroad via German-SIM mobile or its online service. Police in an emergency: 112 reaches all emergency services EU-wide per the Commission's guidance; Germany's dedicated police line sits beside it in the national system.

Source: European Commission — 112, the EU's emergency number, read 10 September 2026.