Nobody looks up an emergency number during an emergency. Put the four below in your phone now, and the rest of this page somewhere you can find it later.
Every number here is free unless it says otherwise, works 24 hours a day, and has been checked against the French government’s own published lists rather than copied from another site. Monaco is at the bottom, because it’s a separate country and some of it changes.
The four numbers to save first
| Number | For | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Medical emergency (SAMU) | Ambulance and emergency doctors |
| 17 | Police | Police nationale or gendarmerie |
| 18 | Fire brigade (pompiers) | Also first responders for many medical calls |
| 112 | Any emergency, anywhere in the EU | Routes you to the right service |
All four are free from any phone, including a locked one or a mobile with no SIM, and the call is geolocated.
If you’re unsure which to use, dial 112: nobody is going to mind that you picked the general number, because it reaches the same call centers and they route you.
Which number should you call if you don’t speak French?
112, and the reason is worth knowing. It exists for exactly this situation: a single number across the EU so a person away from home doesn’t have to know the local system.
Be realistic about the limits, though. The European Commission notes that operators in many countries answer in English as well as the national language, but that there is no standard or minimum range of languages guaranteed. You may get an English speaker on a French 112 line, but you are not promised one.
So if your French is thin, do two things. Say the town first, clearly, before anything else, because location is the one piece of information that matters most. And if someone nearby speaks French, hand them the phone; there’s no prize for managing alone.
114, if you can’t speak or hear
114 is the emergency number for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind or have a speech difficulty. It works by SMS and by video, not by voice, and it reaches the same services as 15, 17 and 18.
It’s also the number to use if you physically cannot speak, whether because of injury or because speaking aloud would put you in danger.
0 800 112 112, the number that calls you back
This one catches people out, and it’s a recent change. Since 1 October, when French emergency services call you back, the number that shows on your screen is 0 800 112 112.
They call back more often than you’d expect, usually to pin down an address or check a detail. Save it as a contact now. The official advice from the Police nationale is exactly that: save it so you recognize it quickly and don’t mistake it for a scam or a cold call. An unknown French number is easy to ignore when you’re new here, and this is the one you should never ignore.
Getting a doctor when it isn’t an emergency
Evenings, weekends and public holidays are when this gets confusing, because your GP is shut and the hospital is the wrong answer.
| Number | For | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 116 117 | On-call GP, out of hours | Free. A medical regulator advises you or sends you to the duty practice |
| 32 37 | Pharmacy on duty (pharmacie de garde) | Paid number. Also at 3237.fr |
| 04 91 75 25 25 | Poison control, Marseille center | Covers the whole region, 24/7 |
116 117 is the one most new arrivals have never heard of. It’s a free national number for reaching an on-call doctor when practices are closed, and the operator either gives you advice, points you to the maison médicale de garde (duty medical center) in your sector, or escalates to 15 if it’s more serious than you thought.
Use 15 rather than 116 117 if there’s any doubt about how serious it is, which is the official line and the right instinct.
The Marseille poison center covers Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, and Monaco’s own government points its residents there too.
196 for trouble at sea
On a coast this long, this is worth knowing: 196 is the number for sea rescue, connecting you to the CROSS coordination centers. From a boat you can also use VHF channel 16.
It matters more than it sounds. Calling 15 or 18 about someone in difficulty in the water adds a step, because the call has to be passed to the maritime service anyway.
Crisis and support lines
| Number | For | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 3919 | Domestic and gender-based violence | Anonymous, free, 24/7 |
| 3114 | Suicide prevention | Free, 24/7 |
| 119 | Child protection | Free, 24/7 |
| 115 | Emergency shelter | Free, 24/7 |
| 116 006 | Victim support | Free, France Victimes |
3919 does not appear on your phone bill, which matters if the person you are avoiding can see it. It is for anyone experiencing violence at home, and equally for a friend, neighbour or colleague worried about someone else, with interpreting available in several languages.
3114 is staffed around the clock by nurses and psychologists trained in crisis care. Call it for someone in distress, or because you are frightened about a person close to you and do not know what else to do.
119 takes calls about a child in danger or at risk, including neglect. Anyone can call, children included, and you do not need proof before raising a concern.
115 is run by the Samu social, for anyone without somewhere to sleep tonight and for reporting someone sleeping rough who needs help in bad weather.
116 006 is France Victimes, and it is for afterwards rather than during: what your rights are, how to report something, and how to reach practical and legal help once a crime has already happened.
Transport, utilities and bank cards
| Number | For | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 3117 | Incident on a train or in a station | Free. 31177 for the same by SMS |
| 09 72 67 50 06 | Power cut or electrical danger (Enedis) | The 06 is the department number |
| 0 800 47 33 33 | Gas leak or emergency (GRDF) | Free |
| 0 892 705 705 | Lost or stolen bank card | Premium rate. Your own bank’s line is usually better |
3117 is the SNCF and RATP alert line, and it’s the one almost nobody knows. It covers theft, harassment and assault as well as someone taken ill or an abandoned bag, anywhere on the French rail network, 24 hours a day. The SMS version, 31177, is the better option if calling would draw attention to you.
It doesn’t replace 15, 17 or 18. It reaches railway staff who get emergency services to the right platform faster than a general call can.
On the bank card line: it works, but ringing your own bank’s opposition number is usually faster and won’t cost you a premium call. Opposition is final, so a card you stop and then find in a coat pocket is dead either way.
What changes in Monaco?
Monaco is a sovereign country, not part of France, but the emergency numbers are the same ones: 17 for police, 18 for fire, 112 as the European number, and 196 at sea. Dialling them inside the Principality reaches Monaco’s own services.
Two things do change. Any Monaco landline or service number needs the country code +377 from a French phone, and a French mobile in Monaco is roaming onto a Monegasque network, which our public transport guide explains in more detail.
Worth saving if you live or work there:
| Number | For |
|---|---|
| +377 97 98 97 69 | Princess Grace Hospital, emergencies |
| +377 99 99 10 23 | IM2S, trauma emergencies |
| 04 91 75 25 25 | Poison control, the same Marseille center |
The short list, if you save nothing else
- 112 for any emergency, and the one to use when you’re unsure or your French deserts you
- 116 117 for a doctor out of hours, without going to A&E
- 0 800 112 112 is emergency services calling you back, so answer it
- 3117 for anything that happens on a train, or 31177 by SMS
Sources
- Ministère de l’Intérieur, Ma Sécurité: les numéros utiles nationaux
- Police nationale, 0 800 112 112, le nouveau numéro de rappel des services d’urgence
- European Commission, 112: the EU’s emergency phone number
- SNCF, numéro d’alerte 3117 et 31177
- Centres antipoison, numéros d’urgence
- ARS Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
- MonServicePublic Monaco, emergency telephone numbers
- Service-Public, perte ou vol de carte bancaire