1Eleven — emergency telephone numbers of the world | 1eleven.net
An ordered walkthrough of an emergency call — connection, questions, staying on the line — with the free-of-charge and locked-phone rules.
Step one is the connection. Dial the number and wait for the operator. On a GSM network, 112 connects even without a SIM card, and emergency dialling bypasses a handset lock, so a locked phone can still reach help.
Step two is location. Give your location first, even if the system already holds location data. In Europe, 112 calls increasingly arrive at the operator with location attached, but a spoken address removes any doubt, especially in rural areas or new buildings.
Step three is the incident. Describe what happened in one sentence, then give the number of people involved and any injuries. Keep answers short; the operator will ask follow-up questions in the order the information is needed.
On narrow screens, swipe or scroll the plate sideways.
Step four is staying on the line. Do not hang up until the operator says you can. Staying on the line lets the operator update the responding crew, take additional details, or talk you through immediate first aid while help is on the way. If you dialled by mistake, stay on the line and say so rather than disconnecting.
The rules on cost and access are consistent: calls to 112 in European Union member states are free of charge from any phone, and the same free rule applies to 911 in the United States and Canada. A locked or SIM-less phone is not a barrier, because the network handles the emergency number directly.
For the number to dial in a specific country, see [Emergency Numbers by Country](/country-table). For how the network routes the call before an operator answers, see [How 112 and 911 Work](/how-112-works).
Further reading