What should you know about healthcare and emergencies in Berlin?
Emergency number
112
Police: 110.
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: allaboutberlin.com, visaguard.berlin
Good to know
Good to Know
- 112 and 110 are two separate numbers in Germany — 112 gets you fire brigade/ambulance, 110 gets you police. Dialing the wrong one just means you may get transferred, so don't panic if you mix them up.
- Both numbers are completely free and work from any phone, even a mobile with no SIM card or credit.
- For a non-emergency medical issue after hours (not life-threatening), 116117 connects you to an on-call doctor service instead of tying up the 112 line.
- In Berlin specifically, English-speaking operators are relatively common given the international population, but starting with your address/location clearly in German (or slowly in English) helps speed things up.
- Consider installing NINA and/or KATWARN for official government-issued alerts (weather, civil emergencies) while staying in Berlin.
- For any life-threatening emergency, call 112 (free, works without a SIM/credit) — ambulance crews decide which hospital you go to based on your condition, not personal preference.
- Charité Campus Virchow-Klinikum and Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin (UKB) are the two designated supra-regional trauma centers ambulances use for severe accidents/polytrauma; most other listed hospitals handle general emergencies and lower-acuity trauma.
- Not every hospital ER handles every specialty — e.g. St. Hedwig-Krankenhaus in Mitte does not treat pediatric, obstetric, neurosurgical, or major orthopedic/trauma cases, so paramedics will route you elsewhere for those.
- Bring your European Health Insurance Card (EU visitors) or private travel insurance documents if possible, but hospitals treat true emergencies regardless of ability to pay or insurance status.
Emergency Numbers
- Language Notes
- English-speaking dispatchers are common in Berlin given it's a large international city, though German is the default language of the call centers.
Official Safety Apps
NINA
- Purpose
- Official nationwide warning app for disasters, severe weather, and civil protection alerts, including for Berlin
- Publisher
- Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe (BBK) — Germany's Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance
KATWARN
- Purpose
- Official public warning app used by many German states and cities (including Berlin) for local hazard and emergency alerts
- Publisher
- Fraunhofer FOKUS / operated in cooperation with German states and municipal authorities
How 112 Call Is Handled
- Dispatcher answers and may triage to ambulance/fire or police depending on situation
- Standard info requested (the '5 Ws' in German): who is calling, where the emergency is, what happened, how many affected, what type of injuries/weapons involved
- Stay on the line until told to hang up
Medical On Call Service
- Number
- 116117
- Covers
- Non-life-threatening but urgent medical issues (after-hours doctor, fever, minor injuries) when it can't wait for a regular appointment but isn't a 112-level emergency
Police Emergency Number
- Number
- 110
- Free From Any Phone
- Yes
- Covers
- Police (crime in progress, assault, burglary, immediate threats to safety)
- Note
- Germany uses 110 for police instead of 112, unlike some other EU countries
Non Emergency Police Line
- Number
- 0800 6 888 000
- Covers
- Reporting minor/non-urgent crimes, not for active emergencies
Universal Emergency Number
- Number
- 112
- Free From Any Phone
- Yes
- Covers
- Fire brigade and ambulance/medical emergencies (NOT police)
- Valid Across EU
- Yes
- Works Without SIM Or Credit
- Yes
Hospitals
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Virchow-Klinikum (CVK)
- Phone
- +49 30 450 552 000
- Hours
- 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
- Address
- Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin (Wedding)
- Trauma Level
- Supra-regional trauma center (highest level) — certified by the German Trauma Society (DGU) Traumanetzwerk®
- Notes
- Berlin's largest and busiest surgical/trauma ER. Certified Chest Pain Unit and dedicated pediatric emergency department on site.
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Charité Mitte (CCM)
- Phone
- +49 30 450 50
- Hours
- 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
- Address
- Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin (Mitte)
- Trauma Level
- General emergency department (adult); no on-site pediatrics — pediatric cases redirected to Campus Virchow-Klinikum
- Notes
- Central Mitte location, walkable from most nomad-relevant neighborhoods. Has a certified Chest Pain Unit.
Vivantes Klinikum Am Urban
- Phone
- +49 30 130 22 0
- Hours
- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Address
- Dieffenbachstraße 1, 10967 Berlin (Kreuzberg)
- Trauma Level
- General/regional emergency hospital (Aufnahmekrankenhaus) — treats general surgical and medical emergencies
- Notes
- Closest large public hospital ER for Kreuzberg/Neukölln-adjacent nomad areas.
Vivantes Klinikum Im Friedrichshain
- Phone
- +49 30 130 23 0
- Hours
- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Address
- Landsberger Allee 49, 10249 Berlin (Friedrichshain)
- Trauma Level
- Regional emergency hospital with certified Chest Pain Unit
- Notes
- One of the busiest ERs in eastern-central Berlin, popular nomad neighborhood.
DRK Kliniken Berlin | Westend
- Phone
- +49 30 3035 4
- Hours
- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Address
- Spandauer Damm 130, 14050 Berlin (Charlottenburg/Westend)
- Trauma Level
- Certified regional Polytrauma Center (DGU criteria)
- Notes
- Three shock rooms on site; also runs a certified Cardiac Arrest Center and Chest Pain Unit.
Alexianer St. Hedwig-Krankenhaus
- Phone
- +49 30 2311 2267
- Hours
- 24 hours a day
- Address
- Große Hamburger Straße 5-11, 10115 Berlin (Mitte)
- Trauma Level
- General ER — NOT a trauma/orthopedic surgery center
- Notes
- ER specializes in internal medicine, cardiology, general/visceral and vascular surgery, and psychiatry; it does not handle pediatrics, obstetrics, neurosurgery, or major trauma/orthopedic injuries — those cases are diverted elsewhere.
Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin (UKB)
- Phone
- +49 30 5681 0
- Hours
- 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
- Address
- Warener Straße 7, 12683 Berlin (Marzahn)
- Trauma Level
- Supra-regional trauma center (highest level)
- Notes
- Berlin's dedicated accident/trauma hospital and, alongside Charité CVK, the primary destination for severe traffic and workplace trauma. Located further east in Marzahn, outside the ~10-minute central zone, but included because it's a core part of the city's emergency trauma network.
Healthcare
- Overview
- Healthcare in Germany is mandatory by law. Two main systems available: public (GKV) and private (PKV).
- English Speaking Doctors
- Finding English-speaking doctors is easier in larger cities like Berlin.
- Out Of Pocket Annual Budget
- €100
For healthy individuals with public insurance
Public Health Insurance
- Student Cost
- €130
- Coverage Includes
- Hospital stays, surgeries, prescription medications with co-payments
- Description
- All residents must have health insurance.
Cost Range
- Employee Range
- typically 9-10.2% of gross monthly income, split between employee and employer
- Self Employed Range
- €200
- Self Employed Range Max
- €400
Supplementary Insurance
- Monthly Cost Range
- €20
- Monthly Cost Range Max
- €50
- Description
- Optional add-on to public insurance for dental, vision, and alternative therapies.
Private Health Insurance
- Cost Range
- €100
- Cost Range Max
- €500
- Monthly Cost Example
- €230
- Description
- Available for self-employed individuals and higher earners above income threshold.
Pharmacies
- Overview
- Pharmacies (Apotheke) are your best option for picking up medications, whether you have a prescription or over-the-counter needs.
- Locations
- Multiple pharmacies across Berlin neighborhoods; English-speaking staff available at many central locations
- Copay Exemptions
- No co-payments are required for children and young people under age 18, or for recommended vaccines.
- Price Regulation
- Pharmacies apply regulated percentage markup plus fixed per-package fees to manufacturer prices, resulting in uniform prices at all pharmacies nationwide.
- Prescription Copay
- A co-payment (Zuzahlung) is typically required: 10% of prescription cost, minimum €5, maximum €10.
- Foreign Prescriptions
- German pharmacies generally do not accept foreign prescriptions. EU prescriptions must meet certain conditions; non-EU prescriptions only accepted if issued by EU-approved doctors.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this emergencies research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
- 1.allaboutberlin.com
- 2.visaguard.berlin
- 3.nomadandinlove.com
- 4.expatica.com
- 5.proforg.com
- 6.health-insurance-in-germany.com
- 7.germany-visa.org
- 8.uniplaces.com
- 9.settle-in-berlin.com
- 10.expatrio.com
- 11.allaboutberlin.com
- 12.uniplaces.com
- 13.findenglish.de
- 14.berliner-sparkasse.de
- 15.housinganywhere.com
- 16.expats.de
- 17.welcome-center-germany.com
- 18.germany-visa.org
- 19.fin.do
- 20.how-to-germany.com
- 21.iamexpat.de
- 22.bfarm.de
- 23.germanmarketaccesssimplified.com
- 24.expatinfodesk.com
- 25.go.pharmazie.com
- 26.gesund.bund.de
- 27.go.pharmazie.com
- 28.germanmarketaccesssimplified.com
- 29.exchange-rates.org
- 30.exchangerates.org.uk
- 31.tradingeconomics.com
More About Berlin
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.