Belgium emergency: 112 for police, fire, medic (with AML GPS). Breakdown: TCB Touring 070-344-777 (AA/ADAC partner, free with card). MRCC Oostende coastguard 059 70 10 00. FOD Mobilité alerts. Embassies concentrated in Brussels near Louise Avenue.
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112: the universal EU emergency number
112 is the only emergency number for life-threatening situations in Belgium and across the EU. It reaches:
- Police: crime in progress, threat, traffic accident with injuries
- Fire brigade: fire, explosion, rescue from stuck situation, chemical accident
- Ambulance: unconsciousness, cardiac arrest, serious injury, stroke, allergic shock
- Coastguard: maritime emergency (routed to the MRCC)
Call procedure: stay calm, state your language first (“English please” or “Néerlandais svp”), then location, then what happened. Operators are trained in fluent English; Dutch is standard in Flanders and French in Wallonia.
The Advanced Mobile Location (AML) system transmits your GPS position to dispatch automatically, even with weak connection or if you end the call. iPhone from iOS 11 and Android from 4.0 support AML natively.
BE-Alert is the national push-notification system for large emergencies (storm, fire, chemical incident). It fires automatically to smartphones in the affected area. Foreign SIM cards receive BE-Alert if roaming on Belgian carrier.
Non-urgent police and other emergency services
For non-life-threatening matters:
| Service | Number | Language |
|---|---|---|
| Non-urgent police | 101 | NL/FR/EN |
| Missing persons | 116 000 | NL/FR/EN |
| Child emergency | 116 111 | NL/FR/EN |
| Poison Centre | 070-245-245 | NL/FR/EN |
| Red Cross Belgium | 105 | NL/FR/EN |
| Anti-poison Centre | 070-245-245 | NL/FR |
| Dental emergency (regional) | 0903-39-969 (Brussels) | NL/FR |
| Crisis helpline / suicide prevention | 1813 | NL/FR |
| Blind assistance | 070-233-233 | NL/FR |
| Veterinary emergency | 0903-99-000 | NL/FR |
Numbers starting with 070 are premium (caller pays), typically €0.30-0.50 per minute. Numbers starting with 0903 are premium rate.
Breakdown assistance: TCB Touring
TCB Touring is Belgium’s main roadside assistance provider. Call 070-344-777 for service.
TCB Touring services:
- Wheel change or spare wheel installation
- Battery jump-start or replacement
- Wrong fuel: draining and refilling
- Vehicle lockout: door opening
- Small repairs on the spot (spark plugs, fuses, electrical)
- Towing up to 300 km with premium partner-club card
- Substitute vehicle for onward travel
Partner-club free assistance
TCB is an FIA partner club with international motoring clubs. Drivers with the following cards receive TCB service free of charge:
- AA (UK): Basic covers UK; Plus covers 150 km European towing
- ADAC (Germany): Plus and Premium cards cover Belgium free of charge
- ANWB (Netherlands): Plus and Premium cards cover Belgium
- OeAMTC (Austria): Full membership includes Belgium
- TCS (Switzerland): covers Belgium
- PZM (Poland): Silver and Gold members
- ACI (Italy): 24/7 covers Belgium
Show the mechanic your partner-club card or app when they arrive. TCB automatically bills the sending club, not you.
Without a partner card
TCB service costs:
- Basic (on-site repair under 1 hour): €145-190
- Extended (with parts or over 1 hour): €195-280
- Towing up to 25 km: €280-380
- Night/weekend surcharge: +50%
Payment by card to the mechanic; invoice by email.
Other breakdown options
- Manufacturer roadside: if your insurance or service contract includes it (BMW Service, Mercedes Care, VW Assistance)
- VAB: private provider with lower coverage in Belgium
- Motorway emergency phones: every 2 km, directly connected to TCB. Free to call
MRCC Oostende: Belgian coastguard
MRCC Oostende is the reporting point for every incident in the Belgian North Sea zone and runs Search and Rescue: it sets the search area, calls out the rescue services and warns nearby shipping. Reach it on 059 70 10 00, or on VHF channel 16 or 67 from a boat. 112 works too.Contact:
- Maritime emergency: 112, or the MRCC direct on 059 70 10 00
- Administration: 059-701-100
- Info portal: kustwacht.be
Relevant situations: boat breakdown, sailing accident with capsize, man overboard, coastal safety incident, environmental pollution (oil spill), lost containers. Also beach and coastal rescue.
The MRCC coordinates rather than operates: rescue boats run from three coastal stations, Oostende, Nieuwpoort and Blankenberge, and the rescue helicopters fly from the Koksijde air base and belong to the armed forces.FOD Mobilité: motorway and water incidents
Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport (FOD Mobiliteit / SPF Mobilité) is Belgium’s federal ministry for the entire motorway network, plus waterways and dikes. It operates variable message signs, the traffic information system, emergency phones and storm restrictions.
Contact:
- Motorway information: 02-277-70-11 (Brussels traffic centre)
- Wallonia motorways: 02-777-11-11
- Flanders motorways: 070-800-260
- Live traffic online: trafiroutes.wallonie.be, verkeer.vlaanderen
When to call FOD? For motorway incidents (after 112 for personal safety), roadwork conflicts, storm closure of major bridges, water level alerts in polder regions.
Hospitals and medical care
University teaching hospitals (24h emergency, English usually available):
- Brussels UCLouvain (Saint-Luc): +32 2 764 11 11
- KU Leuven: +32 16 33 22 11
- Ghent University Hospital (UZ Gent): +32 9 332 21 11
- Antwerp University Hospital (UZA): +32 3 821 30 00
- CHU Liège: +32 4 366 21 11
- CHU Charleroi: +32 71 92 21 11
- Hôpital Erasme (Brussels): +32 2 555 31 11
Out of surgery hours: seek “artsen van wacht” (Flanders) or “médecins de garde” (Wallonia). Hotel or camping staff can help find one. EU health insurance cards (EHIC/GHIC) are accepted in Belgium.
Embassies in Brussels
Brussels hosts embassies for virtually every country due to EU institutions. Common ones:
| Country | Phone | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | +32 2 679 17 11 | Avenue Herrmann-Debroux 48 |
| Germany | +32 2 787 18 00 | Rue Jacques de Lalaing 8-14 |
| France | +32 2 548 87 11 | Rue Ducale 65 |
| Italy | +32 2 643 38 00 | Rue Emile Claus 28 |
| Austria | +32 2 285 48 40 | Rue de Loxum 6 |
| Spain | +32 2 230 06 15 | Rue de la Science 19 |
| Poland | +32 2 780 42 00 | Avenue des Gaulois 29 |
| Czech Republic | +32 2 213 01 11 | Boulevard Georges-Henri 122 |
| Portugal | +32 2 533 07 00 | Avenue de la Toison d’Or 55 |
| Greece | +32 2 545 55 00 | Avenue de la Charité 15 |
| UK | +32 2 287 62 11 | Rue d’Arlon 85 |
| USA | +32 2 811 4000 | Rue Rockstoulton 27 |
Business hours typically Monday-Friday 08:30-16:30. Emergency 24-hour standby for grave matters (arrest, death, serious injury).
Tips for foreign drivers
- Save 112 as speed dial on your smartphone. Also as “SOS” contact for airbag deployment
- Save TCB Touring 070-344-777 as contact
- Download your home-club app (AA, ADAC, ANWB, OeAMTC, TCS, PZM): helps with breakdown location sharing
- Leave the vehicle safely after motorway accident: wear reflective vest (mandatory), place warning triangle 100 m behind (150 m on motorway), move behind the guardrail
- Photographic documentation: accident scene, all involved vehicles, licence plates. Helps with home-country insurance claim
- Cross-border medical emergency: EHIC/GHIC always available. Belgian hospitals accept it
Related topics: Belgium
- Driving rules · Speed, alcohol
- Live traffic · Current jams
- Traffic fines · Speeding, parking
- Weather · 7-day forecast
- Country info · Currency, language