The full guide
When to call 112
Call 112 for any life-threatening situation: chest pain, breathing difficulty, signs of a stroke, serious injury, unconsciousness or heavy bleeding. It’s free, works across the EU, and connects you to ambulance, police and fire services. Many regions also run 061 for health emergencies and medical advice.
Say where you are first, then what happened. Give the street, number, floor and door, and the town.
Where to go for urgent care
| Situation | Where to go |
|---|---|
| Life-threatening | Call 112 |
| Serious but stable, needs tests or X-rays | Hospital emergency department (urgencias) |
| Urgent but minor, outside GP hours | Out-of-hours primary care centre (names vary by region, such as CUAP, PAC or SUAP) |
| Not urgent | Book with your GP at your health centre |
| Minor ailments and advice | A pharmacy, or the farmacia de guardia at night |
At hospital urgencias, patients are triaged by severity, so waits for minor problems can be long.
What to bring
Your ID or passport, your health card (tarjeta sanitaria) or private insurance card, a list of medicines, and your phone and charger. For children, bring their health card and vaccination record.
Insurance and visitors
| You are | How you’re covered |
|---|---|
| Resident in the public system | Your tarjeta sanitaria |
| Resident with private insurance only | Your insurer’s hospitals; public urgencias will treat you but may bill you |
| EU visitor | EHIC for necessary public healthcare |
| UK visitor | GHIC or EHIC for necessary public healthcare |
| Other visitor | Travel insurance |
If you have private insurance, call its 24-hour line on the way: it can tell you the nearest hospital in its network.
Useful phrases
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Es una emergencia | It’s an emergency |
| Necesito una ambulancia | I need an ambulance |
| Me duele aquí | It hurts here |
| Soy alérgico/a a… | I’m allergic to… |
| ¿Hay alguien que hable inglés? | Is there anyone who speaks English? |
After the emergency
Keep the discharge report (informe de alta) and any test results. Book a follow-up with your GP. If you’re not yet registered, see getting your tarjeta sanitaria and prescriptions and pharmacies.
Frequently asked questions
Is the ambulance free?
Emergency ambulances in the public system are free for people covered by it. Visitors without cover may be billed.
Will they treat me if I’m not registered?
Public urgencias treat emergencies, but people without public cover may receive a bill afterwards.
