Nobody plans for something to go wrong abroad. You’re in a foreign city, maybe you don’t speak the language, and suddenly you’re dealing with something you’ve never dealt with before — a stolen wallet, a trip to the ER, a passport that’s no longer in your bag where you left it.
Here’s the good news: most emergencies abroad are completely solvable. People deal with them every day and get back to enjoying their trip. The difference between a crisis and an inconvenience usually comes down to one thing — whether you knew what to do before it happened.
This guide is the “what to do.” We’ll cover how to handle an emergency abroad step by step: the numbers to call, who can actually help you, and the specific actions to take for the most common situations. Bookmark this. Screenshot the emergency numbers table. You probably won’t need any of it. But if you do, you’ll be glad you have it.
Convierge puts emergency numbers, embassy info, and key phrases on your phone — available offline, organized by country. Because the worst time to start Googling “what’s the emergency number in Thailand” is during an actual emergency.
Before you do anything else, do these three things:
1. Stop and breathe. This sounds like throwaway advice. It isn’t. Panic is the enemy of good decision-making, and adrenaline makes everything feel more urgent than it is. Take ten seconds. You have ten seconds.
2. Assess what’s actually happening. Is anyone in immediate physical danger? Is this a medical emergency or a logistical problem? A stolen wallet feels like the end of the world in the moment, but nobody has ever been permanently stranded in Paris because they lost a credit card. A medical emergency requires a different speed of response than a missing passport.
3. Know your location. This one matters more than you think. Look at the street signs around you. Look for a building number, a landmark, a metro station name. Drop a pin on your phone’s map app right now — even without data, GPS still works. If you need to call for help, “I’m on the corner of Rue de Rivoli and Rue du Louvre” gets an ambulance to you. “I’m somewhere near the river” does not.
Here’s what most travelers don’t realize: the systems for handling emergencies abroad are well-established and surprisingly efficient. Embassies deal with lost passports daily. Hospitals in most developed countries treat foreign patients routinely. Police in tourist-heavy cities have seen every kind of theft and know exactly how to process a report. You are not the first person this has happened to, and the people who help you will know what to do even if you don’t.
Your job is to stay calm, figure out what kind of problem you’re dealing with, and then follow the right steps. Which brings us to the most basic and important piece of information you need.
In the US, you call 911 for everything. Abroad, it’s not that simple. Different countries use different numbers, and some countries split their emergency services across multiple numbers — one for police, another for medical, another for fire.
Here are the emergency numbers for the countries American travelers visit most:
| Country | Police | Fire / Ambulance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 999 | 999 | 112 also works |
| France | 112 | 112 | 15 for medical, 17 for police, 18 for fire also work |
| Italy | 112 | 112 | Single EU-wide number |
| Spain | 112 | 112 | Single EU-wide number |
| Germany | 112 | 112 | 110 also works for police |
| Portugal | 112 | 112 | Single EU-wide number |
| Japan | 110 | 119 | Separate numbers for police vs. fire/ambulance |
| Mexico | 911 | 911 | Same as the US |
| Australia | 000 | 000 | 112 from mobile phones also works |
| Thailand | 191 | 1669 | Tourist police: 1155 |
A few things worth noting:
112 works across the entire European Union. If you’re traveling through multiple European countries, you only need to remember one number for emergencies: 112. It connects you to emergency services in every EU member state, and operators can often handle calls in English. This is one of those rare cases where the EU genuinely made life simpler for everyone.
Japan and Thailand split police and medical into separate numbers. In Japan, you call 110 for police and 119 for fire or ambulance. In Thailand, it’s 191 for police and 1669 for ambulance. This matters when seconds count — calling the wrong number still gets you help, but it adds a transfer step. If you’re heading to Japan, our complete Japan travel guide covers more on-the-ground logistics that are useful to know.
Thailand has a dedicated tourist police line: 1155. Operators speak English, and they handle crimes against tourists, scams, and other situations where you need police assistance but the language barrier might be a problem. It’s a genuinely useful resource.
Mexico uses 911, just like the US. If there’s one number you already know, it works south of the border too.
Save these numbers in your phone before you leave. Not in a note-taking app. In your actual contacts, labeled clearly — “Emergency - [Country].” You don’t want to be scrolling through a travel document while someone needs help.
The US Embassy is not a magic fix-it button, but it is an incredibly valuable resource when things go seriously wrong. Understanding what they can and can’t do will save you time, frustration, and misplaced expectations.
Lost or stolen passport: This is the single most common reason Americans contact embassies abroad. They can issue emergency travel documents — usually within 24 to 72 hours — so you can get home. More on this process below.
You’ve been arrested: An embassy officer will visit you, help you find a local attorney, contact your family if you want them to, and make sure you’re being treated fairly under local law. This is not a small thing. In an unfamiliar legal system, having someone from your own government check in on you is significant.
Medical emergency: They can help you locate English-speaking doctors and hospitals, assist with transferring funds for medical costs, and notify your family back home. In countries where medical infrastructure varies by region, the embassy’s list of vetted doctors is worth its weight in gold.
Death of a US citizen abroad: They assist the family with notification, local requirements, and arranging the return of remains. Nobody wants to think about this. But the system exists and it works.
Natural disaster or civil unrest: If something big happens — earthquake, political crisis, security situation — the embassy coordinates with US citizens in the area, provides safety information, and can assist with evacuation if necessary.
This is where expectations sometimes crash into reality:
The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is free, takes about five minutes, and is one of the most underused travel tools the US government offers. Register at step.state.gov before your trip, and the nearest US Embassy or Consulate knows you’re in-country. This means:
Our international travel checklist includes STEP enrollment along with every other pre-departure step worth taking. If you haven’t gone through that checklist yet, now’s a good time.
A medical emergency is probably the highest-stakes situation you might face while traveling, and it’s also the one where preparation makes the biggest difference. Here’s what you need to know.
This surprises a lot of Americans. Most domestic health insurance plans — including many employer-provided plans — do not cover medical expenses outside the United States. Some provide limited coverage, but “limited” in the context of a foreign hospital stay can leave you with a bill that wipes out your savings.
Travel insurance with medical coverage is not optional. A good policy costs $50-150 for a two-week trip and covers emergency medical treatment, hospital stays, and — critically — medical evacuation. A medical evacuation flight can cost $50,000 to $100,000 or more. That alone justifies the premium.
If you’re still on the fence: an emergency room visit in the US costs an average of $2,200. In many European countries, even without insurance, you might pay a few hundred euros for similar treatment. The EU’s health systems are generally excellent and more affordable than what you’re used to at home. But “more affordable” is not the same as “free for foreign visitors,” and a serious illness or injury can still generate a significant bill. Don’t gamble on it.
When you need medical care in a country where you don’t speak the language, you have several solid options:
If your medical issue isn’t an emergency — a cold, a stomach bug, a minor infection — head to a pharmacy before a hospital. European pharmacies, especially in France, Spain, Italy, and Portugal, operate very differently from US pharmacies.
Look for the green cross sign (it’s universal across Europe, and it usually lights up and rotates — you can’t miss it). Pharmacists in Europe undergo extensive training and can do more than their US counterparts. They can assess symptoms, recommend treatments, and dispense medications that would require a doctor’s visit and a prescription in the US. Many common antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and other medications are available directly from the pharmacist.
This saves you time, money, and the stress of navigating a foreign hospital for something that doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. If the pharmacist thinks you need a doctor, they’ll tell you — and they’ll usually know where to send you.
Losing your passport abroad feels catastrophic. It isn’t. It’s a hassle, and it’ll eat a day or two of your trip, but there’s a clear process and it works. Here’s what to do, step by step.
Go to the nearest police station and report your passport lost or stolen. You’ll receive a written police report or a report number. You need this document. The embassy requires it before they’ll issue a replacement, and your travel insurance may need it to process a claim.
In most tourist-heavy cities, police stations are accustomed to processing these reports for foreign visitors. In countries where English isn’t widely spoken, you can usually get through the process with basic phrases, patience, and the translation app on your phone. In Thailand, the tourist police line (1155) can assist. In Mexico, tourist police in major cities often speak some English.
Call or visit the nearest US Embassy or Consulate. Bring your police report and, if possible:
The more documentation you can provide, the faster this goes. If you have nothing — no copies, no other ID — the embassy can still verify your identity, but it takes longer.
The embassy will issue either a limited-validity emergency passport or an emergency travel document. These allow you to return to the United States (and often to continue traveling for a limited time, depending on the document type and the countries you’re visiting).
Timeline: In most cases, emergency travel documents are issued within 24 to 72 hours. If you’re in a major city with a fully staffed embassy, it can sometimes happen same-day. In smaller consulates or during high-demand periods, plan for the full 72 hours.
Cost: There’s a fee for emergency passport replacement — currently around $194 for a full-fee passport.
STEP enrollment speeds this up. If you registered with STEP before your trip, the embassy already has your information on file, which can shave significant time off the verification process.
The bottom line: losing your passport is not the end of your trip. It’s an annoying detour. The system for handling it is well-oiled. Stay calm, follow the steps, and you’ll be back on your way.
Everything in this guide boils down to one principle: the time to figure out what to do in an emergency is before the emergency happens.
That means having emergency numbers saved in your phone. Knowing where the nearest US Embassy or Consulate is. Having copies of your passport stored separately. Carrying your travel insurance policy number where you can actually find it.
The problem is that most people don’t do this. They figure they’ll look it up if they need it. And then the moment arrives — they’re standing on an unfamiliar street at 2 AM with a dead phone battery or no data connection, and “I’ll look it up” becomes “I have no idea what to do.”
This is exactly the problem Convierge was built to solve.
For every country in our system, Convierge gives you:
The worst time to Google “what’s the emergency number in Thailand” is during an actual emergency. The second-worst time is standing in the Bangkok airport after you’ve already landed. The right time is before you leave — and the even better move is having an app that’s already done it for you.
Nobody travels expecting things to go wrong. But the smartest travelers know that preparation isn’t pessimism — it’s just common sense. Take five minutes now so you don’t have to figure it out under stress later.
Download Convierge and get emergency info for your destination — set up in under two minutes.