December 1, 2010 - 2:58 pm
By Mindel De La Torre | Chief of the International Bureau


If you're traveling to countries outside of Europe, check the State Department website before you depart to identify the emergency calling number in the countries you'll be traveling to. These numbers are available from the State Department. (Click on the specific country, then search under "Information for Victims of Crime.") You will see that "112" also is the emergency calling number in many other countries. But it is not the number everywhere. For example, the emergency number in South Africa is "10111." And in some countries, there may be variations. In India, the local equivalent to our "911" emergency number is "100," but "112" also works on mobile phones; and from a mobile phone in South Korea, the number is "02-112." Be aware too that in some countries such as Brazil and Haiti, you have to call a different number for different services. For example, in Brazil, the number for police is "190," while the number for fire and medical is "193." When traveling abroad, also keep in mind that the response times and services available on the other end of the call may be different than those in your local community in the United States.

Here is additional international travel information that you may find helpful: