Emergency Services in Luxembourg: What to Call, When & What to Expect
Knowing exactly who to call in an emergency, and what happens after you do, is one of those things that nobody thinks about until the moment they desperately need to. For expats, the stakes are higher: emergency numbers differ from country to country, and the moment of panic is exactly the wrong time to be guessing. The good news is that Luxembourg's emergency system is simple, well-organised, multilingual, and genuinely effective. This guide covers every number you need, exactly when to use each one, what to expect when you call, and where to go for both true emergencies and the in-between situations, the sprained ankle on a Sunday, the sick child at midnight, the locked-out front door, that don't quite warrant a 112 call but still need a solution. The Two Numbers Everyone Needs to Know 112 . Medical, Fire, and Life-Threatening Emergencies 112 is the European emergency telephone number , valid not just in Luxembourg but across the entire European Union, as well as several non-EU countries including Switzerland and the UK. It is free to call from any phone, landline, mobile, or payphone, even without a SIM card or credit, and operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 112 for: Any medical emergency, chest pain, unconsciousness, severe injury, seizure, suspected stroke or heart attack Fires of any kind Serious traffic accidents, especially with injuries Any life-threatening situation Drowning, choking, severe allergic reactions Suicide attempts or situations where someone's life is in immediate danger In Luxembourg, 112 must also be dialled for any night-time medical emergency that falls outside the opening hours of doctors' surgeries, it is not only for accidents and fires, but also the correct number to call if you need urgent medical guidance after hours and don't know where else to turn. What happens when you call 112: You will be connected to an operator who will give you the advice you need to follow. For an effective response and the fastest possible dispatch of emergency services, you must provide your contact details, the location of the incident, a description of what happened, and the number of people injured. The operator can then dispatch the fire brigade, an ambulance, the police, or civil protection services as appropriate, you do not need to know which service you need; the 112 operator determines this and coordinates accordingly. Luxembourg's emergency services are grouped together under the CGDIS, Corps Grand-Ducal d'Incendie et de Secours (Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps), which brings together both volunteer and professional firefighters carrying out civil safety missions across the country. 113 . The Police 113 is the direct line to the Police Grand-Ducale (Grand Ducal Police). Like 112, it is free and operates 24/7. Call 113 for: Crimes in progress Physical assault Theft or burglary (in progress or just discovered) Traffic accidents without injuries Any situation involving danger or threat that requires police presence In the event of an emergency or any danger or threat, you should call 113 immediately. To ensure a fast and effective response, the calltaker will ask for your identity, a description of the incident, and its location. For accidents without injuries, a fender-bender in a car park, a theft you've just discovered, a dispute that needs police mediation . 113 is the right number. The Grand Ducal Police will intervene to secure the scene, take the first steps necessary for the well-being of those involved, and record your complaint if needed. When You're Not Sure Which to Call If you are genuinely unsure whether your situation is medical, fire-related, or requires police, Call 112 . The operator can connect you to police as needed, and 112 operators are trained to triage and redirect. The only scenario where 113 is clearly the better first call is for non-life-threatening police matters (theft, accidents without injury, disputes) where there is no medical or fire component at all. For Non-Emergency Police Matters If your situation does not require an urgent police response, filing a report for something that happened previously, general enquiries, or non-urgent concerns, the Grand Ducal Police can be reached for general non-emergency enquiries on 244 244 244 , or online via the police portal (police.public.lu). This number is also the right one to use if you've lost property, Luxembourg's national found property service (SNOT) can be contacted via 244-244-070, available 08:30–11:30 and 14:00–16:00, or by email at Snot@police.etat.lu . Medical Care: Understanding the Full Picture This is where Luxembourg's system genuinely benefits from some explanation, because the structure, hospitals, on-call GPs, maisons médicales, pharmacies, is not always intuitive for newcomers. Emergency Ambulance Transport Is Free Emergency ambulance transport, provided by the SAMU (Service d'Aide Médicale Urgente, Emergency Medical Aid Service), is free of charge for persons with a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or equivalent CNS coverage. Emergency medical treatment in Luxembourg is free regardless of whether you have health insurance, you will not be turned away or asked for payment at the point of a genuine emergency. If your situation requires an ambulance with a doctor on board (rather than a standard ambulance), specify to the 112 operator that you need the SAMU , this triggers dispatch of a medically-staffed emergency vehicle for the most serious cases. Hospital Emergency Departments, Not All Hospitals Have Them An important practical fact: not all hospitals in Luxembourg have an accident and emergency department. Luxembourg has four hospitals with drop-in accident and emergency services, organised regionally: Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL) , Luxembourg City (the largest, with a helipad and 579 beds) Hôpitaux Robert Schuman , Luxembourg City area (Centre, including Kirchberg and Eich sites) Centre Hospitalier Emile Mayrisch (CHEM) , Esch-sur-Alzette / Dudelange region (South) Centre Hospitalier du Nord (CHdN) , Ettelbruck region (North) Hospitals on call for emergency departments are organised in three regions, South, North, and Centre, and rotate on a duty (garde) basis. If you call 112 needing to attend an accident and emergency department outside normal working hours, the operator will tell you which hospital is currently receiving patients, this is important, because the on-duty hospital changes on a rotating schedule and showing up at the "wrong" one outside its duty window may mean a longer wait or a transfer. The full up-to-date rota is published at sante.public.lu under "Urgences et gardes." Children's Emergencies, The Kannerklinik For children under the age of 14, the Kannerklinik (Children's Clinic) at the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg is open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, specifically for paediatric emergencies. Clinique Bohler in Kirchberg also offers 24/7 paediatric emergency services and is open daily from 8am to 8pm for general care. If your child needs emergency care, these are your two primary options in the Luxembourg City area, with the Kannerklinik being the only true round-the-clock paediatric A&E. What Emergency Departments Actually Look Like in Practice It's worth setting realistic expectations. In 2017, the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg treated an average of 220 people in emergency per day, yet less than 1.6% of emergency admissions were level 1 "vital" emergencies, while 40% of admissions were level 5 (the least urgent category). Nearly one in two patients visits the emergency room between noon and 8pm. What this means practically: emergency departments in Luxembourg operate on a triage system, and if your situation is not immediately life-threatening, you should expect to wait, sometimes for several hours, while more urgent cases are seen first. This is precisely why the "Maisons Médicales" system described below exists: to divert non-life-threatening but still urgent cases away from overstretched A&E departments. The Maisons Médicales, Out-of-Hours GP Care This is one of the most useful and most under-explained parts of Luxembourg's healthcare system for expats, and it solves the very common "it's 9pm, my child has a fever, and my GP's office is closed" problem. Maisons médicales de garde (on-call medical houses) function as on-call GP surgeries operating specifically outside normal consulting hours. As of late 2025, the three locations are: Luxembourg City: 23, Val Fleuri, L-1526 Luxembourg (relocated here from 20 October 2025) Esch-sur-Alzette: 70, rue Émile Mayrisch, L-4240 Esch-sur-Alzette Ettelbruck: 110, avenue Lucien Salentiny, L-9080 Ettelbruck Hours of operation: On weekday evenings, the service is available from 8pm until 7am the next morning. At weekends, it operates continuously from 8pm on Friday evening until 7am on Monday morning, and it is also open on public holidays. How it works: During the evening, up until midnight, you can simply attend without an appointment. After midnight, if you need medical advice, you should call 112 first; you will be able to speak with the on-call doctor, who may give you an appointment at one of the maisons médicales, or arrange a home visit if needed. This system exists precisely to provide a middle ground between "wait until my GP reopens on Monday" and "go sit in a hospital emergency room for a non-emergency." For everything from a child's high fever at 9pm to a nasty cut that needs stitches on a Sunday afternoon, the maison médicale is very often the right call. Pharmacies, Finding One That's Open Pharmacies in Luxembourg operate during normal business hours on weekdays, but outside these hours, an on-duty (en garde) rotation system ensures at least one pharmacy is open in each region at all times. To find the on-duty pharmacy: visit Pharmacie.lu and look for the "Service de garde" section, which lists the currently open pharmacy nearest to you. Alternatively, in a genuine emergency, you can call 112 and the operator can direct you to the nearest on-duty pharmacy. The on-call pharmacy is also published daily in local newspapers, including on the last page of the Tageblatt. On-duty pharmacies are clearly marked with signage directing customers to the nearest currently-open location if the pharmacy itself is closed. Dental Emergencies For dental emergencies, a broken tooth, severe toothache, an injury to the mouth, the Centre Médico-Dentaire is open seven days a week from 9:30am to 10pm, with or without an appointment, reachable at +352 49 57 99. This is one of the few genuinely walk-in options for urgent dental care in Luxembourg and is worth saving in your phone, since dental pain rarely waits for convenient business hours. Veterinary Emergencies For pet emergencies outside normal vet clinic hours, Luxembourg maintains an on-duty rotation system similar to the human medical system. The Collège Vétérinaire du Luxembourg (college-veterinaire.lu) publishes the current on-duty emergency veterinarian for any given day. Some 24/7 veterinary clinics also operate independently of the rota system, confirm directly with your usual vet which emergency arrangements they participate in, and keep the Collège Vétérinaire's contact details saved for when you need them. Practical Numbers Worth Saving in Your Phone Today Situation Number Medical emergency, fire, life-threatening situation 112 Police emergency / crime in progress 113 Police non-emergency enquiries 244 244 244 Lost property (SNOT) 244-244-070 On-duty pharmacy info Pharmacie.lu (or call 112) On-duty hospital info Sante.public.lu → "Urgences et gardes" (or call 112) Dental emergencies (Centre Médico-Dentaire) +352 49 57 99 CHL Kannerklinik (paediatric A&E, 24/7) +352 4411 6148 Clinique Bohler (paediatric, 8am–8pm daily) +352 2468 5540 Maison médicale, Luxembourg City 23 Val Fleuri, L-1526 Luxembourg Maison médicale, Esch-sur-Alzette 70 rue Émile Mayrisch, L-4240 Esch/Alzette Maison médicale, Ettelbruck 110 avenue Lucien Salentiny, L-9080 Ettelbruck A Few Practical Tips for Expats Save these numbers now, not later. The moment you need 112 is not the moment to be searching your phone or asking a search engine. Add 112, 113, and 244 244 244 to your contacts today. 112 operators speak multiple languages. You do not need to speak French, German, or Luxembourgish to call 112 . operators are trained to handle calls in multiple languages, including English, and most speak it well. Speak clearly, state your location first, and don't panic if there's a brief pause while the operator switches language if needed. Know your address in the local format. When giving your location to an emergency operator, use the Luxembourg address format, street number first, then street name, then postal code and commune (e.g., "12, rue de la Gare, L-1611 Luxembourg"). If you live in a building with a digicode or buzzer system, mention this, it can save crucial minutes for responders trying to gain entry. Install LU-Alert. Luxembourg operates a national alert system (LU-Alert) for emergencies affecting public safety, severe weather, major incidents, missing persons. Downloading the app ensures you receive these notifications directly. Know your nearest maison médicale before you need it. Identify which of the three maisons médicales is closest to where you live, and note its address. In the specific scenario of "it's evening, someone in my household is unwell but it's not life-threatening," this is very often where you should go, and knowing the address in advance saves valuable time when you're stressed. The EHIC/GHIC matters for cross-border residents. If you are an EU/UK resident registered in Luxembourg's health system, your European Health Insurance Card (or its UK equivalent, the GHIC) ensures free emergency ambulance transport and access to care at local rates. Carry it, or know how to access the digital version, at all times. Public defibrillators (AEDs) are mapped. Luxembourg has an extensive network of publicly accessible automated external defibrillators, mapped by the Réagis / Luxembourg Resuscitation Council. In a cardiac emergency, the 112 operator can direct you to the nearest one while help is on the way, every minute matters in cases of cardiac arrest, and AEDs significantly improve survival rates. The Bottom Line Luxembourg's emergency services are well-resourced, multilingual, and genuinely reliable, the kind of system that, once you understand it, gives real peace of mind. The structure is simple at its core: 112 for anything medical, fire-related, or life-threatening; 113 for police matters; 244 244 244 for non-urgent police enquiries . Layered around these two core numbers is a thoughtful network of on-call hospitals, maisons médicales, on-duty pharmacies, and 24/7 paediatric care, designed specifically to ensure that whatever the hour and whatever the severity, there is always a correct door to knock on. Take five minutes today to save the key numbers in this guide. It's one of those small pieces of preparation that, on the rare occasion you need it, makes an enormous difference.