Emergencies in Taipei

Good to Know

• Taiwan uses two separate emergency numbers instead of one universal number: 110 for police and 119 for both fire and ambulance — there's no single 911/999-style number for direct dialing.
• 112 works even without a SIM card or with a locked phone (as long as there's carrier signal) and gives voice prompts in English, making it a handy backup if you can't remember 110/119, though it usually takes longer to connect than calling 110 or 119 directly.
• Tourists and short-term visitors are not covered by Taiwan's National Health Insurance, so any ambulance/hospital treatment will be billed at full, unsubsidized rates — travel insurance with medical evacuation cover is strongly recommended.
• Taiwan sits on an active earthquake zone and in the typhoon belt; the government pushes automatic cell-broadcast alerts to phones for earthquakes and severe weather, so keep emergency alerts turned on in your phone settings.
• Save the Foreign Affairs Police Station number for Taipei in your phone — it's a police unit specifically staffed to help English-speaking foreigners.
• In a genuine emergency, dial 119 for an ambulance (fire department dispatch) or 110 for police; ambulances will generally take you to the nearest available hospital unless you clearly state a preference.
• Foreign visitors are not covered by Taiwan's National Health Insurance, so expect to pay out of pocket at the time of treatment and file for reimbursement with your own travel/health insurer afterward.
• Taiwan's ER culture differs from the West: patients are typically kept lying on a gurney while waiting rather than in a seated waiting room, so busy ERs can look more crowded/chaotic than they actually are.
• Ambulance crews in Taiwan may have more limited advanced life-support training and equipment than in the US/Europe; for urgent-but-not-life-threatening situations, arranging a taxi or ride-hail directly to a major hospital's ER can sometimes be faster.
• NTUH, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, and Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital are commonly cited as Taipei's main dedicated trauma centers; MacKay Memorial and the Taipei City Hospital network are also strong 24/7 options and are more centrally located for many nomad neighborhoods.