When & how to call

112 was established by the European Union as the single emergency number. It is used to call emergency services in all EU countries, free of charge, facilitating access to these services in cases where a citizen needs immediate assistance.

Calls to 112 are free of charge from a landline or mobile phone.

Calls to 112 can be made from any mobile telephony network. Even if you are out of range, calls to 112 are supported by other mobile networks that cover the area (national and international roaming service).

In Greece, 112 operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, throughout the year.

Phone calls are answered immediately by specially trained operators. In addition, the 112 call center is staffed with representatives of the competent emergency service providers (Hellenic Police, Hellenic Fire Service, Hellenic Coastguard, National Center for Emergency Care - EKAV).

The 112 operators answer in three languages: Greek, English and French.

When you call 112, you need to mention the type of emergency and the location of the incident. Operators will ask questions to determine what type of assistance is needed.

When you text 112, it is important to include the answers to the following:

• What has happened?
• Where has it happened?
• When did it happen?
• Are there any injured individuals?

It is important not to hang up the phone without speaking. Let the operators know that the call was a mistake, otherwise there will be unnecessary mobilisation of help, which others may urgently need at that time.

It is a system that as of 31/03/2018 is mandatorily installed in all vehicles in the EU and which calls 112, automatically and free of charge, in the event of a serious road accident.

When the eCall is activated, it gets connected to the 112 centre via a telephone and data link. This makes it possible to communicate with all vehicle passengers, while at the same time the data transmitted (exact location, vehicle direction, accident time, vehicle identification number) allow the more direct management/response to the incident.

The eCall system works in all EU countries, regardless of where the vehicle was purchased or registered, and is automatically activated only in the event of a serious road accident.

However, you can also activate it manually, by pressing the button “SOS” which is located in the cabin of your vehicle, in case you are in an emergency and need help. Therefore, if you have a car model newer than March 31, 2018, it is very important to know where the SOS button is located and that it can connect you to 112, while simultaneously sending geolocation data, if you activate it.

When you call 112 from a mobile phone or send SMS messages to 112, your location can be accurately traced through the Advanced Mobile Location (AML) technology. Devices running on Android (version 4.1 or later) or iOS (version 11.3 or later) support automatic, free activation of the geolocation service, by collecting and sending device location data a few seconds after a call to 112.

The AML service is particularly useful in cases of incidents on mountains, where a search and rescue operation may be required in order to provide assistance, or respectively, in incidents in isolated areas, in the countryside in general and at sea.

In addition, the AML service significantly improves access to emergency services for people with disabilities, since it allows quick location tracing when communication with 112 via SMS is chosen.

If you call 112 from a device with an older operating system, your location will be approximately traced, based on the mobile antenna to which your device is connected.

Your location can be traced when you are in an emergency and:

• you call from a mobile phone
• you send a message (SMS or MMS)
• you communicate through the gov.gr app
• eCall is activated.

Only the geolocation data sent via the above methods of communication with 112 can be used to allow faster access to emergency services for the provision of assistance, when you are unable to identify and provide information about your location.

112 operates in all EU Member States, either alongside national numbers or as the only emergency number. It also operates in some non-EU countries, such as Switzerland and South Africa.

112 was introduced as the single European emergency call number in 1991 in the European Union, pursuant to Decision 91/396/EEC of 29 July 1991 of the Council of the European Communities.

In Greece, the 112 Emergency Communications Service has been operating since September 1999, based on the Joint Ministerial Decision (JMD) 1881/3-8-1999 and Law 3013/2002 (Government Gazette, Series I, 102) and subsequently Law 4662/2020 (Government Gazette, Series I, 27), Law 4727/2020 (Government Gazette, Series I, 184) and Law 4994/2022 (Government Gazette, Series I, 215).

The competent body for the implementation and operation of the 112 Emergency Communications Service in Greece is the General Secretariat for Civil Protection of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, in accordance with article 217 of Law 4727/2020 (Government Gazette, Series I, 184).