Emergencies in Istanbul

Good to Know

• 112 is the single number to remember by default in Istanbul — it's free, works without a SIM card, and dispatchers in the city can generally handle English, especially in central/tourist districts.
• The older standalone numbers (155 police, 110 fire, 156 gendarmerie, 158 coast guard) still work and are what most locals actually use out of habit — dialing either the old number or 112 gets you help.
• AFAD's 122 line and the AFAD Acil/eAfad app are worth having given Istanbul's earthquake risk — they're the main channel for disaster alerts and status updates.
• KADES is widely used and free, and foreign women can register with a passport number rather than a Turkish ID.
• Turkey does not use the US-style ACS Level I–IV trauma center certification system, so no Istanbul hospital carries an official 'trauma level' designation — the classification above reflects general emergency/trauma capability, not a formal rating.
• Turkey's national emergency number is 112, which dispatches free public ambulances; response times and equipment quality can be inconsistent, so many residents and expats calling for a serious accident/trauma still ask to be taken to a major private hospital like American Hospital, Acıbadem, or Medicana if conscious and able to choose.
• Private hospital emergency rooms are not free — you will be billed even for genuine emergencies unless you have Turkish SGK coverage or private/travel insurance that pre-authorizes or reimburses; carry insurance details.
• Large public/university hospitals (e.g., major state and city hospitals) also handle high volumes of serious trauma and are often the default destination for major road-traffic accidents, but English-language service and amenities are far less consistent than at the private hospitals listed here.
• If treatment is urgent and life-threatening, tourists can access emergency stabilization at Turkish public hospitals, but follow-up care will typically be billed unless covered by insurance.