Emergencies in China: 110, 119, 120, 122 and 12367
Call 110 for police, 119 for fire, 120 for medical emergencies and 122 for traffic accidents. 12345 is the city channel for non-emergency services, while 12367 handles immigration enquiries.
Emergency telephone numbers in China
Call 110 for an assault, theft or robbery in progress, or any other situation requiring the police to attend immediately; call 119 for a fire or rescue; call 120 for a sudden illness or medical emergency; and call 122 for a road traffic accident. 12345 mainly handles non-emergency city services and enquiries and is not a substitute for an emergency number. For a lost passport, visa or stay and residence matters, or immigration policy, you can also call 12367, but call 110 if a crime or threat to personal safety is in progress.
110: Police and public-order or personal-safety incidents in progress.
119: Fires and related rescue services.
120: Emergency medical care and pre-hospital treatment.
122: Road traffic accidents.
12345: Non-emergency city services, complaints and policy enquiries.
12367: Government services of the National Immigration Administration.
How to describe your location when calling
The operator needs to know the city, district or county, and exact address where the incident is taking place. A road or building name in Chinese, a metro exit, a shopping-centre floor or the direction of travel on a highway is more useful than an English hotel name alone. Then explain what happened, how many people are injured, and whether fire, electricity, vehicles, weapons or any other hazards are still present. Finally, give a telephone number where you can be reached.
Not every operator will be able to communicate in your language. Use short keywords and the address in Chinese, and ask hotel, station or shopping-centre staff, or a trusted Chinese speaker, to help. Do not hang up because you cannot explain everything perfectly. Keep your phone line available and wait in a safe place as instructed by the operator.
Keep an emergency information card
Save the address and telephone number of your accommodation, employer or school in both Chinese and English.
Record your name, nationality, passport number and emergency contact in China.
List allergies, chronic conditions, regular medication, blood type and insurance details.
Save the consular assistance number of your embassy or consulate and your insurer's emergency assistance number.
Save offline the links for reporting a payment account, bank card or SIM card as lost.
Give your family a copy of your itinerary and accommodation details, together with a schedule for regular contact.
What to do when reporting an incident or seeking help
Move away from any continuing danger immediately; do not remain at a fire, in a traffic lane or at a violent incident to take photographs. Once connected, give the location, incident, injuries, remaining hazards and contact details, in that order. If you can wait safely, avoid moving around; if you must leave, tell the operator your new location. When the police, fire service or emergency medical staff arrive, show your identification and relevant information and follow their safety instructions.
Check whether you or anyone travelling with you is still in danger.
Call the appropriate emergency number and give the city and exact location.
State how many people are involved, the injuries and any hazards at the scene.
Give your telephone number, turn on the ringer and wait for a return call.
Keep the case reference number and details of the responding police unit or hospital.
Notify family, your embassy or consulate, or your insurer, without obstructing the emergency response.
Lost identification, phone or money
If your passport is lost, report it promptly to the local public security authorities and contact your country's embassy or consulate for a travel document. For subsequent visa or stay and residence matters, consult the local exit-entry administration or call 12367. If your phone is lost, freeze the SIM, payment accounts and bank cards, change the passwords for your email and other important accounts, and then follow device-location options and police advice.
Keep the police report or case acceptance record.
Do not go alone to an unsafe place to negotiate with someone who says they found your property.
Do not give verification codes, payment passwords or remote-control access to anyone claiming to be a staff member.
Report bank cards and payment accounts separately as lost; disabling the phone number alone is not enough.
After replacing a document, check whether hotel, rail, flight and bank bookings need to be updated.
Common scams and non-emergency disputes
Stop immediately if someone claiming to represent the police, customs, a court or a bank asks you to transfer money to a “safe account,” share your screen, provide a verification code or download remote-control software. Hang up, then verify the request by calling a number from the institution's official website, the back of your bank card or its official app. For an ordinary consumer dispute, price complaint or service enquiry, keep the order, chat records, recordings where legally permitted, and proof of payment, and use the platform, 12345 or the competent authority.
Do not describe an ordinary dispute as an immediate threat to personal safety to obtain higher priority. If someone restricts your freedom of movement, withholds your passport, threatens injury or a confrontation at the scene escalates, leave the dangerous location and call 110. If anyone is injured in a traffic accident, also consider calling 120. Do not move vehicles or people away from the scene before it is safe to do so.
Differences between cities and languages
Foreign-language service, the scope of cases accepted and the format for calling 12345 from outside China vary by city; Beijing's official website expressly defines 12345 as a non-emergency channel. Ambulances reached through 120, hospitals' foreign-language capabilities and payment arrangements also vary by city. If you cannot connect to a short number, ask your accommodation provider or a local contact to call from a local telephone, and find the long-form number on the city government's official website.
Official verification
The uses of 110, 119, 120, 122 and 12345 are based on the Beijing municipal government's English-language service pages and guides for foreign nationals issued by the Ministry of Commerce and other authorities, checked as of 2026-8-4. These short numbers are commonly used nationwide, but availability should still be confirmed locally. For immigration matters, use the National Immigration Administration's 12367 service. Before travelling, also save the current emergency numbers for your country's embassy or consulate in China and your insurer.