Emergency phone numbers in China
Save or screenshot this list before your trip.
| Situation | Number | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Police | 110 | Crime, theft, assault, threats, harassment or an urgent public-safety problem |
| Ambulance / medical emergency | 120 | A life-threatening illness, serious injury or a patient who cannot be moved safely |
| Fire and rescue | 119 | Fire, smoke, gas leak, entrapment, building collapse or another rescue emergency |
| Road traffic accident | 122 | A collision or road accident; also call 120 if anyone is injured |
| Maritime search and rescue | 12395 | An emergency at sea or on coastal waters |
| Immigration service | 12367 | Lost-passport, visa, stay, residence and border-procedure questions; this is not a substitute for police or an ambulance |
| Local government service | 12345 | Non-emergency public-service questions and complaints; foreign-language service varies by city |
Calls to 110, 119, 120 and 122 are free. The UK government’s China assistance page confirms 110, 119, 120, 122 and 12395. China’s National Immigration Administration provides 24-hour English service through 12367.
Do not use 12345 when someone is in immediate danger. Call 110, 119, 120 or 122 directly.
If the emergency is happening now
Move away from immediate danger if you can do so safely. Go to a staffed, public place such as a hotel lobby, station service desk, shop, hospital entrance or police post.
Call the correct emergency number. If your phone cannot make voice calls, ask hotel staff, security staff, station employees or a trusted bystander to call.
Give your location before telling the full story. Responders cannot help quickly if they cannot find you.
Keep your phone available. The dispatcher or responding team may call you back. If possible, send someone to wait at the building entrance or nearest road junction.
First, make sure help can find you
In a China travel emergency, location can be a bigger obstacle than the phone number. An English hotel name may not match its Chinese name, and a large railway station, shopping center or scenic area may have several entrances.
Show or send:
- the location’s Chinese name and full Chinese address;
- a map pin, GPS location or screenshot;
- the building, entrance, floor and room number;
- a nearby landmark, station exit or road junction;
- your name and callback number.
When calling, give information in this order:
Where you are
What happened
Whether anyone is injured, unconscious or trapped
Your callback number
Before leaving your hotel each day, keep its Chinese name, address and phone number available offline. Do not assume you will have mobile data when you need help.
Can you call 110 or 120 with a foreign SIM or eSIM?
110, 119, 120 and 122 are the official mainland China numbers. Whether your particular phone can place the call depends on its network connection and service plan.
Many travel eSIMs provide data but do not include ordinary voice calling. Before traveling, check whether your SIM, eSIM or roaming plan supports voice calls in mainland China. Do not assume that an app-based call or data-only eSIM can reach an emergency dispatcher.
Prepare at least one alternative:
- a traveling companion’s phone;
- your hotel room or reception phone;
- the phone at a station, attraction or staffed business;
- a local tour operator or host who can call on your behalf.
Dial China’s official numbers directly. Do not make 911 or 112 your primary emergency plan.
Medical emergency: ambulance, hospital or insurer?
Call 120 when the situation appears life-threatening, the person has a serious injury, or the patient cannot be moved safely. Give the exact address and describe the patient’s current condition as clearly as possible.
If the problem is urgent but the patient is stable, contact your travel insurer’s assistance line or ask your hotel to help identify an appropriate hospital. Do not delay emergency treatment while trying to find an English-speaking facility.
Choosing medical care
Foreign visitors commonly encounter three types of care:
| Option | What to expect | Most suitable when |
|---|---|---|
| Public hospital | Usually less expensive, but registration can be crowded and English at reception may be limited | You have local language help or need the nearest appropriate facility |
| International department at a public hospital | A separate service with more language and administrative support; availability and hours vary | You want major-hospital resources with more assistance for international patients |
| Private international hospital or clinic | English-language service and insurance coordination are more likely, but costs can be substantially higher | The condition is stable enough to choose a facility and your insurance or budget supports it |
This is an administrative comparison, not a judgment about medical quality. In a life-threatening emergency, use 120 or go to an appropriate emergency department rather than traveling farther solely to find English service.
What to bring to a hospital
If circumstances allow, take:
- your passport or the temporary identity document currently available to you;
- your insurance policy and 24-hour assistance number;
- at least two payment methods;
- a list of medicines, allergies and important medical conditions;
- the name and contact details of an emergency contact;
- a bilingual summary of relevant medical history.
Keep every invoice, itemized bill, diagnosis, test result, prescription and discharge document. Your insurer may require them for reimbursement.
Payment and travel insurance
Medical care is not free for foreign visitors. Hospitals commonly require payment or a deposit before treatment or admission, and not every hospital accepts an international credit card. Alipay, WeChat Pay and cash are accepted at many facilities, but availability varies.
Some major-city hospitals have direct-billing relationships with foreign insurers. This is not automatic: the insurer and hospital may need to approve treatment in advance. Contact your insurer as soon as practical after emergency care has been arranged.
The UK government’s medical guidance for China confirms the common use of deposits, limits on international-card acceptance and the need to verify direct billing with the specific hospital and insurer.
Lost or stolen passport: follow the correct order
A lost passport is both a consular problem and a Chinese immigration problem. Your embassy can issue your national travel document, but it cannot update the Chinese visa, stay or residence record attached to the missing passport.
Step 1: Report the loss
Report the passport to the local police or Public Security Bureau. The exact local sequence can vary. In some cities, you may first receive an incident report from a police station and then obtain a formal passport-loss certificate from an exit-entry administration office.
Call 12367 for English guidance on the appropriate local office and required procedure. Keep every original document and make digital copies.
The National Immigration Administration’s lost-passport guidance directs foreign nationals to obtain a passport-loss certificate and contact their embassy or consulate.
Step 2: Contact your embassy or consulate
Your embassy or consulate may issue a replacement passport, emergency passport or emergency travel document. Requirements, fees and processing times depend on your nationality and circumstances.
Do not assume that an after-hours consular line can issue a passport during a weekend. Duty officers generally prioritize life-or-death emergencies. If your flight is approaching, contact the embassy, airline and insurer immediately, but prepare for a delay.
Step 3: Confirm the Chinese immigration procedure
The next step depends on how you entered China.
If you entered with a visa, stay permit or residence permit: after receiving the new passport or travel document, contact the local exit-entry administration to confirm the required replacement, change or departure formalities.
If you entered visa-free: current Chinese guidance says an eligible visa-free visitor who later changes to a new passport, emergency passport or travel document may be allowed to leave after border authorities verify the traveler’s identity, entry record or loss report, and embassy or consular documents—provided there has been no overstay or other violation. This means a separate “exit visa” should not be presented as a universal requirement for every visa-free traveler. See China’s current official visa-free entry FAQ.
If you entered under a transit-without-visa arrangement, overstayed, or traveled outside an authorized area: contact 12367 and the local exit-entry administration. Do not rely on a general online checklist.
In every case, confirm the plan with 12367, the relevant departure port and your airline before going to the airport.
Can you still take trains or stay in hotels?
China’s official guide for foreign visitors lists several temporary documents that may be accepted for railway travel, including a passport-loss report certificate, an immigration application receipt, or an eligible temporary international travel document with the necessary Chinese visa or stay documentation. See the government’s Guide to Working and Living in China.
Acceptance depends on the document and situation. Before traveling, confirm with 12367, the railway service desk, airline or hotel. Carry the police report, immigration receipts, embassy documents and copies of your original passport and entry record together.
What if your flight is tomorrow?
Act immediately, but do not expect a guaranteed same-day solution:
Report the passport loss.
Contact your embassy or consulate.
Call 12367.
Notify the airline and ask what documents it will require.
Contact your insurer before purchasing replacement tickets or extending accommodation.
Avoid buying a non-refundable replacement flight until the embassy, Chinese immigration authorities and airline have clarified the likely timeline.
Lost phone or wallet: restore access before replacing the device
In China, losing a phone can interrupt payments, maps, translation, ride-hailing, train information, bank access and one-time passwords at the same time. Buying a new device may not restore the phone number or accounts you need.
What to do first
If the phone was stolen or you feel threatened, move to safety and call 110.
Use a trusted device to activate the manufacturer’s lost-device or remote-lock service, if available.
Contact your mobile carrier to suspend the SIM or eSIM.
Freeze missing bank cards and contact Alipay or WeChat Pay through their official support channels.
Change the passwords for your primary email and other accounts that could be used to reset financial services.
Obtain a police report if theft is suspected or your insurer requires one.
Do not save passwords on an unfamiliar person’s device. Use a hotel business center, companion’s device or another controlled option when possible, and sign out completely afterward.
Why a replacement phone may not solve the problem
A replacement device may still leave you without:
- your original number and SMS codes;
- access to your home mobile carrier;
- email or bank two-factor authentication;
- immediate Alipay or WeChat identity verification;
- an eSIM that can be installed on a device sold for the mainland China market;
- full compatibility when you return home.
If purchasing a phone in China, verify the exact model, international network compatibility and eSIM support rather than relying on the phrase “global version.”
How to keep traveling while accounts are restored
Foreign visitors can use a combination of mobile payments, international bank cards and RMB cash. Cards can also be used at compatible ATMs to withdraw cash. The Chinese government’s payment guide for overseas visitors confirms these alternatives.
Your emergency backup should therefore include:
- some RMB cash stored away from your phone;
- a second physical card stored separately from your main wallet;
- your hotel address and phone number on paper;
- printed or offline transport bookings;
- your bank, insurer and carrier contact details;
- an account-recovery method that works from another device.
Crime, scam or harassment
If there is an immediate threat, call 110 and move to a safer, staffed public place. Do not remain in a closed venue to argue over money if you feel intimidated.
When it is safe, preserve:
- the time and exact location;
- payment receipts and transaction records;
- messages, booking information and account names;
- vehicle registration or ride-hailing order details;
- photographs or video, if taking them does not create additional danger;
- a description of the person involved and the direction they went.
Ask for formal police documentation when it is needed for a passport replacement, bank dispute or insurance claim.
For a non-emergency dispute with a merchant, tour operator or local service, first contact the booking platform or merchant. You may also use the local 12345 government-service channel. China’s former 12301 national tourism complaint platform has been discontinued; the Ministry of Culture and Tourism now directs users to its online complaint system and recommends local 12345 for urgent tourism-market complaints that are not immediate police emergencies.
Fire, road accident and other rescue situations
Fire or smoke
Leave the danger area if you can do so safely, use stairs rather than elevators, and call 119. Give the exact address, the type of danger and whether anyone is trapped. Do not re-enter a building to collect belongings.
Road traffic accident
Call 122. If anyone is injured, call 120 as well. Move away from active traffic when safe, preserve ride or vehicle information, and photograph the scene only if doing so does not place you in danger.
Emergency at sea
Call 12395 for maritime search and rescue. Also alert the vessel operator, marina, tour provider or local authorities as soon as possible.
Who else can help—and what can they actually do?
| Contact | What they can help with | What they usually cannot do |
|---|---|---|
| Police and emergency services | Immediate safety, rescue, medical transport and crime reports | Replace a passport or approve an insurance claim |
| Hotel or tour operator | Explain your location, make local calls, translate basic information and arrange transport | Replace emergency responders or decide immigration status |
| Travel insurer | Identify facilities, coordinate approved care, consider direct billing, evacuation and claims | Guarantee that every hospital will accept direct billing |
| Your embassy or consulate | Issue travel documents, contact family, provide lists of local doctors, translators or lawyers, and offer consular welfare support | Pay ordinary bills, act as your lawyer, cancel Chinese legal procedures or guarantee release from detention |
| 12367 | Explain immigration, visa, stay, residence and document procedures | Issue your national passport or replace your embassy |
| 12345 | Handle non-emergency local-government questions and service complaints | Replace 110, 119 or 120 in an immediate emergency |
our embassy is not the first call for a fire, assault or medical crisis. Contact local emergency services first, then the embassy when the incident involves a lost passport, detention, serious hospitalization, death, an unreachable family member or another situation requiring consular assistance.
Prepare a China emergency kit before you travel
Save the following both securely online and in an offline form:
- 110, 119, 120, 122 and 12367;
- your embassy or consulate’s current contact details;
- your insurer’s 24-hour assistance number and policy number;
- your hotel’s Chinese name, address and phone number;
- secure copies of your passport identity page, Chinese visa and entry record;
- your medicines, allergies and important medical conditions;
- an emergency contact at home;
- account-recovery instructions for your email, bank and mobile carrier;
- a small amount of RMB cash and a backup card stored separately;
- a shared itinerary or regular check-in plan for a trusted person.
Do not keep every backup in the same phone, wallet or bag. A backup only works if it survives the original loss.