Informational only, not legal advice. Verify with official sources before relying on this.

Know Abroad

United KingdomUnited Kingdom

Health & Medical Emergencies

Last verified August 15, 2026

Written for U.S. passport holders

Emergency Numbers

  • Dial 999 (the traditional UK number) or 112 (the EU-wide number, which also works here) for ambulance, police, fire, or coastguard. Both reach the same dispatchers; neither is more 'correct' than the other.
  • If it's not life-threatening but you still need medical guidance, NHS 111 is a free 24/7 helpline that can tell you whether you actually need 999 or can be seen elsewhere.
  • For U.S. consular emergency assistance (a detained or hospitalized American, coordinating care, notifying family), call the State Department's Overseas Citizens Services from anywhere in the world: +1-888-407-4747 (from the U.S. or Canada) or +1-202-501-4444 (from overseas). This is separate from the local emergency number and won't dispatch an ambulance itself, but it's the number that gets the U.S. government involved.

Getting Treated as a Foreigner

  • This is a genuine exception on this site: initial emergency treatment at an NHS Accident & Emergency (A&E) department is free at the point of use for everyone, regardless of nationality, residency, or insurance status. You will not be asked for a credit card in the A&E waiting room.
  • That said, 'free at A&E' doesn't extend to everything, follow-up care, non-emergency treatment, or being admitted as an inpatient can trigger charges for overseas visitors, so travel insurance still matters for anything beyond the initial emergency response.

The Gotcha

The UK is one of the only countries on this site where the emergency care itself is unambiguously free for a U.S. tourist, not billed later, not contingent on insurance. Don't let that lull you into skipping travel insurance entirely, though: it's specifically the initial A&E treatment that's free, and anything beyond that (an inpatient stay, ongoing treatment) can still generate a bill for a non-resident.

Sources

This page was drafted from the primary sources below. Rules change, so check the linked page directly before relying on any of this.