Most Dutch you can learn at your leisure. Emergency Dutch is the exception: the one set of phrases you want automatic before you ever need them. Knowing the right number, and a handful of words, can save crucial seconds in a crisis. Here is the emergency toolkit, from 112 to EHBO.
112: the one number to know
For any life-threatening emergency, dial 112. As iamexpat’s guide to medical emergencies explains and Expatica lists the emergency numbers, 112 reaches the politie (police), ambulance, and brandweer (fire service). Call it for severe accidents, chest pain, stroke signs, major bleeding, unconsciousness, or fire. Reassuringly, dispatchers speak English, and often German or French.
112 or the huisartsenpost?
The crucial distinction: 112 is for life-threatening situations only. For urgent problems that are serious but not life-threatening, you call the huisartsenpost (the after-hours GP service). As Dutchpat explains when to use 112 versus the huisartsenpost, that covers a deep cut needing stitches, a suspected fracture, a worrying high fever in a young child. One rule: you cannot just walk into a huisartsenpost, you must phone first.
| Situation | Where to go |
|---|---|
| Life-threatening (heart, breathing, major bleeding, fire) | 112 |
| Urgent, not life-threatening, after GP hours | Huisartsenpost (call first) |
| Hospital emergency department | SEH / EHBO (often via referral) |
| Your own GP, in hours | Huisarts |
What to say on the call
Lead with the service, your location, and what happened:
Er is een ongeluk. Stuur een ambulance naar [adres]. Iemand is bewusteloos. (There’s an accident. Send an ambulance to [address]. Someone is unconscious.)
Dispatchers will switch to English, but ambulance, politie, brandweer, een ongeluk (an accident), and your address in Dutch speed things up. Stay on the line until told you may hang up.
Help them find you
A 112 call is only as fast as your location. Be precise: a street and number, or on a motorway the hectometerpaaltje (the small distance marker at the roadside). If you do not know exactly where you are, say so and describe landmarks; the dispatcher can often locate you. Stay calm, speak slowly, and do not hang up first, they will tell you when help is on the way and what to do until it arrives.
The words to know now
112 (emergency), EHBO (Eerste Hulp Bij Ongelukken, first aid), SEH (hospital A&E), huisartsenpost (after-hours GP), ambulance, brandweer (fire), politie (police), spoed (urgent), bewusteloos (unconscious), het bloedt (it’s bleeding). This is the most critical end of the medical Dutch you meet at the huisarts, and it pairs with knowing how to read a medicine’s bijsluiter. Costs are governed by the eigen risico, though emergency care is not delayed over it, and the dentist has its own tandarts vocabulary.
The bottom line
Learn this before you need it: 112 for life-threatening emergencies (police, ambulance, fire), the huisartsenpost (phone first) for urgent-but-not-life-threatening problems. On the call, state the service, your location, and what happened, dispatchers speak English, but a few Dutch words shave off seconds. It is the one part of Dutch worth drilling until it is automatic.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that teaches the high-stakes Dutch you hope never to need, the words for emergencies, injuries, and calling for help, by real situation in five-minute lessons, so the critical phrases are automatic when seconds count.
Frequently asked questions
What is the emergency number in the Netherlands?
112 is the number for life-threatening emergencies: it reaches the police, ambulance, and fire service. Call it for severe accidents, chest pain, stroke signs, major bleeding, unconsciousness, or fire. Dispatchers speak English (and often German or French). For urgent but non-life-threatening medical problems outside GP hours, you call the huisartsenpost instead, not 112.
When should I call 112 versus the huisartsenpost?
Call 112 only for genuine life-threatening emergencies (police, ambulance, fire). For urgent medical issues that are not life-threatening, worsening illness, a deep cut needing stitches, a suspected fracture, a high fever in a baby, call the huisartsenpost (the after-hours GP service). You cannot walk into a huisartsenpost; you must phone first.
What do you say when you call 112 in the Netherlands?
State clearly which service you need (politie, ambulance, or brandweer), your exact location, and what happened, including whether it is life-threatening. Dispatchers speak English, so you can switch if needed, but knowing ‘ambulance’, ‘er is een ongeluk’ (there’s an accident), and your address in Dutch gets help moving faster. Stay on the line until told you can hang up.
What is the best app to learn Dutch for emergencies?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it teaches the high-stakes Dutch you hope never to need, the words for emergencies, injuries, and calling for help, by real situation in five-minute lessons, so the critical phrases are automatic when seconds count.
