If you think that calling 911 is universal, then you’d be wrong. If you’ve never been to Basque Country or Spain, you are a little fuzzy on how to call the police or an ambulance this article is for you. Emergency numbers in Spain differ from that in North America. 911 may be the one stop that hits all emergency services numbers in North America but in Europe, there are some differences.
Contacting emergency services in Basque Country and Spain, as a whole, is the same process as in other places, however, the number is different.
What is 911 in Spain?
MEMORIZE THIS NUMBER: 112
IT COULD SAVE A LIFE!
In North America you dial 911. In Basque Country, Spain, and Europe in general the emergency phone number is not 911. What you need to do is call 112. Calling 112 will work for Police, Ambulance, and Fire.
Police
The police in Basque Country are the Ertzaintza. Also known as the Polizia. As well as reaching them through 112 in the case of an emergency they can also be reached in a number of other ways in non-emergency situations. The phone number to reach the Ertzaintza in non-emergencies is 900 10 35 84. You may also get in touch in the following ways:
Email: contacta_app@ertzaintza.eus
Text: 677 99 95 55
Whatsapp: 677 99 95 55
Mail: Secretaria General de la Ertzaintza – Larrauri Mendotxe Bidea, 18 – 48950 Erandio-Bizkaia.
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Ambulance
If you have a medical emergency while in Basque Country please dial 112. Basque Country has some of the best health care in all of Europe and the world. If you are needing an ambulance or a hospital you will find a quick and efficient response. That being said, like any country that isn’t your own you should always have supplementary travel insurance. Just because you will get quality treatment from the medical industry does not mean that it is free. It is true that universal healthcare is established and effective in Basque Country, however if you do not possess a NIE (a residency card) you do not have free access to the system.
Fire Department
Finding yourself in a situation where you need to contact the fire department is quite rare. However, if you do need these emergency services of the fire department call 112. Basque Country’s firefighters are very well trained and have a rapid response time, historically.
Embassy Information
The other thing that you should do if you find yourself in an emergency, accident, or a victim of a crime is to contact your embassy. Here is some Embassy’s contact information just in case you ever need it:
Australia: Madrid Tel: 913 53 66 00
Canada: Madrid Tel: 913 82 84 00
Ireland: Madrid Tel: 914 36 40 93
New Zealand: Madrid Tel: 915 23 02 26
United Kingdom: Madrid Tel: 917 14 63 00
United States: Madrid Tel: 915 87 22 00
Finally, if you are thinking that the telephone numbers seem like they are missing a number they aren’t. Telephone numbers in Europe only have nine numbers. If you find that the number you are dialing is not working you may need to add the country code which is +34 for Spain.
The country code for North America is +001 if you find yourself not being able to connect with those there.
Knowing emergency numbers in Spain is critical information that everyone needs to know. Hopefully you will never need to use it but it is wise to have memorized. Safe travels.