China Emergency Numbers & Contacts Every Traveler Needs

ByRui Yu Travel Essentials
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In China there is no 911 or 999. You call the specific service you need. Police: 110. Ambulance: 120. Fire: 119. Save these before you land.

China Emergency Numbers

Save these now, before you read anything else. Police: 110. Ambulance: 120. Fire: 119. Traffic accidents: 122. China does not have a single all-in-one emergency number like 911 or 999. If you are used to dialling one number for any crisis, you need to know this before you arrive. You will almost certainly never need any of these numbers. But having them saved costs nothing and could matter enormously.

Key Takeaways

  • 110: Police. Crime, theft, disputes, anything requiring law enforcement.
  • 120: Medical ambulance. The number to call if someone needs urgent medical help.
  • 119: Fire brigade.
  • 122: Traffic accidents.
  • No single emergency number. Call the right service directly.
  • Tourist police (旅游警察) at major sites. Faster than 110 for scam disputes.

Emergency Numbers: Quick Reference

EmergencyNumberNotes
Police (警察)110Crime, theft, disputes, arrest, anything requiring police
Medical Ambulance (急救)120Medical emergencies, accidents, serious illness
Fire Brigade (消防)119Fire and fire rescue
Traffic Accident (交通事故)122Road accidents
Beijing English tourist line010-12301English-speaking. Tourist assistance.
Shanghai English tourist line021-12301English-speaking. Tourist assistance.
National tourist complaint line12301Scam reports, tourist disputes

Screenshot this table and keep it accessible on your phone offline.

Embassy Emergency Contacts

Consular emergency lines are for genuine emergencies: lost passport, arrest, hospitalisation, or death of a companion. Visa questions and general queries go through the daytime number, not the emergency line.

CountryEmergency LineWebsite
USABeijing: +86-10-8531-4000china.usembassy-china.org.cn
UKBeijing: +86-10-5192-4000gov.uk/world/china
AustraliaBeijing: +86-10-5140-4111china.embassy.gov.au
CanadaBeijing: +86-10-5139-4000china.gc.ca
IrelandBeijing: +86-10-6532-2691dfa.ie/irish-embassy/china
New ZealandBeijing: +86-10-8531-2700mfat.govt.nz/china
GermanyBeijing: +86-10-8532-9000china.diplo.de
FranceBeijing: +86-10-8531-2000cn.ambafrance.org
SingaporeBeijing: +86-10-6532-1115mfa.gov.sg/beijing

If your country is not listed, search your country name plus ’embassy Beijing emergency number’ before you travel. Save it. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists all foreign embassies in China.

What Your Embassy Can and Cannot Do

They can:

  • Issue an Emergency Travel Document or replacement passport
  • Provide a list of local English-speaking lawyers (but not pay for one)
  • Contact your family if you cannot
  • Visit you if you are hospitalised or arrested
  • Provide a list of English-speaking doctors and hospitals

They cannot:

  • Pay your medical bills, legal fees, or hotel bills
  • Get you out of jail or override Chinese legal proceedings
  • Force Chinese authorities to release you
  • Provide money in most circumstances

Medical Emergencies: The Practical Steps

Call 120 for an ambulance. In some smaller cities, an ambulance may not have advanced paramedic equipment. Getting yourself to hospital by DiDi can sometimes be faster than waiting for an ambulance. In parallel, call your travel insurer’s emergency line. They can direct you to an approved hospital and potentially arrange direct billing. Full hospital guide: Getting Medical Help in China.

If You Are Arrested

You have the right to notify your embassy. Say: ‘I want to contact my embassy’ (我想联系我的大使馆, Wǒ xiǎng liánxì wǒ de dàshǐguǎn). Chinese police are not required to proactively notify your embassy, but they cannot legally prevent you from requesting contact. Do not sign documents you cannot read. Ask for a translator.

If You Are Scammed

  1. For amounts under ¥500 at a tourist site: go to the tourist police (旅游警察) near the attraction.
  2. For larger amounts: call 110.
  3. Document everything: photos of the venue, people involved, any bill or receipt. See tourist scams guide.
  4. Report to your travel insurer for possible reimbursement.

Frequently Asked Questions

China has no single all-in-one emergency number. You call the specific service: Police: 110. Medical ambulance: 120. Fire: 119. Traffic accidents: 122. There is no equivalent of 911, 999, or 112. Save all four numbers in your phone before you travel. If you can only remember one: 120 for medical, 110 for everything else.

Not reliably, especially outside major cities. Beijing and Shanghai have English-language tourist assistance lines (see the table below). For the main emergency numbers, English support is inconsistent. The practical solutions: have your hotel call on your behalf, use Alipay’s SOS function which can connect to emergency services, or have your location and situation written in Chinese ready to read out.

Report to local police (110) first to get a loss report, then contact your embassy. The police report (遗失证明 or 失窃证明) is required by your embassy to issue an emergency travel document. Most embassies issue an Emergency Travel Document within one to three working days. Keep a photo of your passport’s data page saved in your email or cloud storage. It significantly speeds up the replacement process.

All major Western embassies have 24/7 emergency consular lines for genuine emergencies. Save your embassy’s emergency number before you travel. Consular assistance covers lost passports, arrest, hospitalisation, and death of a companion. It does not cover paying your bills or getting you out of legal trouble. The table below has the main embassy emergency contacts.

Tourist police (旅游警察, lǚyóu jǐngchá) operate at major tourist sites and handle tourist-specific disputes and assistance. Look for officers with 旅游警察 written on their uniform near major attractions. For scam incidents at tourist sites, going to the tourist police directly is faster than calling 110. They are used to dealing with foreign visitors and often have some English.

For the full safety guide, see Is China Safe for Tourists?. For solo female travel safety specifically, see Solo Female Travel in China. For medical help, see Getting Medical Help in China.

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