Emergencies in Vilnius

Good to Know

• 112 is free to call even without a SIM card or credit, and works from any phone — payphone, landline, or mobile.
• If you don't speak Lithuanian, English, Russian, or Polish, note that 112 operator language support is officially listed as those four languages, so it can be useful to have your address and situation ready in simple terms.
• Environmental incidents (like a road accident involving wildlife or a chemical spill) also go through 112 in Lithuania — this is a broader scope than in many other EU countries.
• The Kovas app is specific to Vilnius residents and is a good one to have installed if you're staying in the city for an extended period, for local alerts and reporting.
• Emergency care in Vilnius is provided free of charge to anyone regardless of citizenship or insurance status, though patients without health insurance may only receive the medically necessary minimum of care outside true emergencies.
• Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos (Santariškių g. 2) is generally the best first choice for a serious or unclear emergency — it's the largest, most comprehensive hospital in the country and English-speaking staff are commonly reported there.
• If the emergency is trauma-related (a serious accident, fracture, or injury), Lazdynai/RVUL Hospital on Šiltnamių g. 29 is the facility specifically flagged by the city for trauma and orthopedic emergency care.
• For anyone under 18, pediatric emergencies are handled at the separate Children's Hospital branch of Santaros Klinikos (Santariškių g. 4 for general pediatric issues, Santariškių g. 7 for pediatric trauma/surgical emergencies), not at the adult Emergency Department.
• Always call 112 (the EU-wide emergency number) for an ambulance rather than trying to self-transport to a hospital in a serious emergency.