Emergency Numbers and Official Alert Apps by Country
The official emergency number, national civil-protection authority and government alert app for 18 countries across Europe, plus the UK, US and Canada. Install the app before you need it.
Every country in this table runs an official warning system. Most people discover theirs during the emergency, which is the worst possible moment to be reading installation instructions. This page exists so you can do it now, in ninety seconds.
The quick version
- 112 is the single European emergency number. It works in every EU member state, plus Norway, Switzerland and the UK.
- 999 is the UK's own number; 911 covers the US and Canada. 112 does not work in North America.
- Install your country's alert app before you need it. Some countries also broadcast to every handset with no app at all.
By country
| Country | Emergency | Other national numbers | Civil-protection authority | Official alert system |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇵🇱 Polska PL | 112 | Pożar 998 · Policja 997 · Pogotowie 999 | RCB Rządowe Centrum Bezpieczeństwa | Alert RCB SMS from RCB via mobile operators — no signup, no app |
| 🇩🇪 Deutschland DE | 112 | Polizei 110 | BBK Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe | NINA Warn app — plus Cell Broadcast to every phone since 23 Feb 2023 |
| 🇸🇪 Sverige SE | 112 | — | MCF Myndigheten för civilt försvar | VMA / SE-Alert Cell broadcast, phased rollout from 1 July 2026 — krisinformation.se is the info portal |
| 🇳🇴 Norge NO | 112 | Brann 110 · Politi 112 · Helse 113 | DSB Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap | Nødvarsel Cell broadcast — nothing to install |
| 🇫🇮 Suomi FI | 112 | — | Sisäministeriö Ministry of the Interior — Department for Civil Protection | 112 Suomi Official app — FI-Alert cell broadcast due late 2026 |
| 🇩🇰 Danmark DK | 112 | — | BRS Beredskabsstyrelsen (national coordination: SAMSIK) | S!RENEN Cell broadcast — not an app, nothing to download |
| 🇳🇱 Nederland NL | 112 | Geen spoed, wel politie (non-emergency) 0900-8844 | NCTV Nationaal Coördinator Terrorismebestrijding en Veiligheid | NL-Alert Cell broadcast — not SMS, no signup |
| 🇪🇪 Eesti EE | 112 | Riigiinfo 1247 | Päästeamet Estonian Rescue Services Agency | EE-ALARM Location-based SMS — cell broadcast planned by 2027 |
| 🇱🇻 Latvija LV | 112 | — | VUGD Valsts ugunsdzēsības un glābšanas dienests | Šūnu apraide (cell broadcast) Cell broadcast since 1 July 2025 — no app; "112 Latvija" app is secondary |
| 🇱🇹 Lietuva LT | 112 | — | PAGD Priešgaisrinės apsaugos ir gelbėjimo departamentas | GPIS (lt72.lt) Sirens + cell broadcast + SMS — no app needed |
| 🇪🇸 España ES | 112 | Policía Nacional 091 · Guardia Civil 062 | SGPCyE Secretaría General de Protección Civil y Emergencias | ES-Alert Cell broadcast — no app needed |
| 🇫🇷 France FR | 112 | Police 17 · Pompiers 18 · SAMU 15 · Sourds/malentendants 114 | DGSCGC Direction générale de la sécurité civile et de la gestion des crises | FR-Alert Cell broadcast — no app needed |
| 🇮🇹 Italia IT | 112 | Polizia 113 · Vigili del Fuoco 115 · Sanitaria 118 · Guardia Costiera 1530 | Protezione Civile Dipartimento della Protezione Civile | IT-alert Cell broadcast — no app needed |
| 🇨🇭 Schweiz · Suisse CH | 112 | Polizei 117 · Feuerwehr 118 · Sanität 144 | BABS Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz | Alertswiss Official app — Switzerland has no cell broadcast yet |
| 🇦🇹 Österreich AT | 112 | Feuer 122 · Polizei 133 · Rettung 144 | BMI Bundesministerium für Inneres — Krisen- und Katastrophenmanagement | AT-Alert Cell broadcast — replaced KATWARN in Oct 2024 |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom GB | 999 | 112 also works — both are UK national numbers | Cabinet Office COBR Directorate, Cabinet Office | Emergency Alerts Cell broadcast — no app needed |
| 🇺🇸 United States US | 911 | — | FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency | FEMA App Official app — plus Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) to every phone |
| 🇨🇦 Canada CA | 911 | Not available in Nunavut | Public Safety Canada Public Safety Canada — Emergency Management | Alert Ready Cell broadcast + TV and radio — no app needed |
How to use this
- Install the app today. An alert app is worth nothing on the day you download it under pressure.
- Allow its notifications, including critical alerts. A silenced warning is not a warning.
- Write the number down somewhere that does not need power. A phone with a dead battery cannot tell you what to dial from a neighbour's landline.
- Cell broadcast is not the same as an app. The UK, Netherlands, France, Italy and Spain push alerts to every handset in an area with no app installed. The app adds the detail the broadcast cannot carry.
Common questions
What is the emergency number in Europe?
112 is the single European emergency number and works in every EU member state, as well as in Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It works from any phone, free of charge, and reaches fire, police and ambulance.
Does 112 work in the United Kingdom?
Yes. The UK's own emergency number is 999, but 112 also works everywhere in the UK and reaches the same operators.
What is the emergency number in the United States and Canada?
911 in both. 112 does not work in North America.
Which official alert app should I install in Germany?
NINA, the Notfall-Informations- und Nachrichten-App, published by the Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe (BBK).
Which official alert app should I install in Poland?
RSO, the Alert SMS od RCB — bez rejestracji, published by the Rządowe Centrum Bezpieczeństwa (RCB).
Do I need an app to receive government emergency alerts?
Usually not. Most countries here warn by cell broadcast, which reaches every switched-on handset in the affected area with nothing installed and no registration — Germany (since 23 February 2023), Norway (January 2023), Denmark (April 2023), France and Spain (June 2022), the Netherlands, Italy, Austria, the UK, Lithuania, Latvia (1 July 2025), Sweden (phased from 1 July 2026) and Canada. Four are different. Poland warns by SMS through the mobile operators, not cell broadcast. Estonia uses location-based SMS and plans cell broadcast by 2027. Finland's FI-Alert is not built yet — it is due by the end of October 2026. And Switzerland has no cell broadcast at all, so there the Alertswiss app genuinely is the primary digital channel.
Sources
Every authority and app in the table above links to that country's own official page. If an official page disagrees with this table, the official page is right and we want to know — corrections@systemsfaillab.com.
Coverage is 18 countries. If yours is missing, tell us and we will add it.