Switzerland Emergency Numbers 2026: 112, REGA 1414, TCS 140

At a glance

| 163 | Road conditions (Viasuisse). Charged: 90 Rp. per call plus 90 Rp. per minute | Not an emergency number |

Calls to all the above numbers are free from any mobile, landline or roaming SIM in Switzerland. You do not need a Swiss SIM card to use them; foreign roaming phones connect to the Swiss emergency network the same way Swiss phones do.

How to call

From a Swiss mobile or landline

Just dial the number, no area code or prefix needed. The 112 universal number works even if you have no credit, no SIM card, or your phone is locked.

From a foreign phone roaming in Switzerland

Same as Swiss: dial the number directly. Your home operator will route the call to Switzerland’s emergency network at no cost to you.

From a public phone

Public payphones in Switzerland (still in train stations and some town squares) accept emergency calls free of charge with no coin required. Lift the receiver and dial.

From inside a tunnel

Major Swiss tunnels (Gotthard, San Bernardino, Belchen, Bareggtunnel, Seelisberg) have direct emergency phones at every emergency lay-by. These connect straight to ASTRA control centre rather than to 112. Use them for in-tunnel breakdowns or incidents.

When to call which number

Police (117 or 112)

Call for: crime in progress, accident with injury, hit-and-run, suspicious activity, traffic incident requiring policing. The 117 operator dispatches a cantonal police unit. In rural areas, response times can be 15-30 minutes; in cities under 10 minutes.

Fire (118 or 112)

Call for: fire of any kind, fuel spill, gas leak, persons trapped in a vehicle, river or lake rescue, hazardous material spill, building collapse. Swiss fire services have a wide remit beyond firefighting and respond fast.

Ambulance (144 or 112)

Call for: life-threatening medical emergency, severe injury, chest pain, stroke symptoms, severe allergic reaction, anyone unconscious or not breathing. The Sanitatsnotruf operator may dispatch ambulance, helicopter or first responders.

For non-emergency medical needs, call the Swiss medical hotline 0848 133 133 (charged at local rate) or visit a permanence clinic in major towns.

Mountain rescue REGA (1414)

Call for: any incident in mountain or remote terrain that requires helicopter rescue. Examples: hiker fall on a trail, skier injury off-piste, cyclist accident on a mountain pass, climber emergency. REGA dispatches a helicopter with a doctor and rescue specialist.

REGA membership at CHF 40 per year waives the rescue bill, which can otherwise run to CHF 25,000. Many travel insurance policies cover REGA costs; check your policy before relying on it.

TCS roadside assistance (140)

Call for: vehicle breakdown, flat tyre you cannot change, dead battery, locked keys, run out of fuel, engine overheating. TCS dispatches a recovery vehicle. Non-members pay around CHF 250-400 for the intervention plus actual repair costs.

Most European motoring clubs (AA, ADAC, Touring Club Italia, RACE, Touring Club Belgium, etc.) have reciprocal arrangements with TCS. Check your home club membership card or app before paying out of pocket.

Poison information (145)

Call for: child swallowed a household chemical, suspected medication overdose, eaten a wild mushroom of unknown type, snake bite (rare in Switzerland), insect sting with severe reaction, animal-bite or scratch concerns. Tox Info advises whether to treat at home, attend a doctor, or call an ambulance.

Avalanche bulletin

A recorded daily message in winter from SLF (Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research). Updates twice daily during the winter season covering avalanche danger by region and altitude. Free in German, French and Italian.

REGA (1414): Swiss Air-Rescue in detail

Rega (Swiss Air-Rescue Foundation) is a private non-profit that runs the helicopter emergency medical service across Switzerland. It is one of Europe’s most efficient HEMS systems and worth understanding as a foreign visitor, because the billing model differs from an ordinary ambulance.

• When to call 1414 rather than 144: alpine terrain, remote valleys, ski areas, hiking accidents above tree line, water rescues on lakes, incidents where a ground ambulance would take more than 30 minutes. In doubt, call 144: dispatchers cross-alert Rega automatically.
• Fleet: 14 helicopter bases across Switzerland, plus a training base at Grenchen and three ambulance jets stationed at the Rega Center at Zurich Airport for international patient repatriation. Rega positions its bases so that it can reach any point in its operational area within 15 minutes.
• Cost as a foreign visitor: Rega invoices the patient’s health insurance directly. Swiss residents can become Rega patrons (CHF 40 per year per person) which waives all charges. As a foreign visitor without patron status, expect an invoice of CHF 3,500-9,000 for a helicopter rescue depending on complexity. Most European travel insurance covers this fully; confirm before your trip.
• Language at the operator: German, French, Italian, English. Dispatchers are trained medics who can talk you through first aid while the crew is inbound.
• Coverage abroad: Rega jets bring Swiss residents home from anywhere in the world when medically justified. Not applicable to foreign visitors, but useful to know for Swiss friends and family.
• Winter avalanche coordination: Rega operates jointly with the SLF avalanche bulletin, Alpine Rescue Switzerland, and cantonal police mountain teams. A single 1414 call triggers the whole chain.

Save 1414 in your phone under “Rega” before any alpine trip; a bookmark to rega.ch also gives you the current operational status of each base.

TCS (140): roadside assistance workflow

Touring Club Suisse is the largest Swiss motoring club and the operator of the nationwide roadside assistance service. Foreign visitors can call the same number and pay per intervention, or benefit from reciprocal cover through their home motoring club.

• Reciprocal agreements: ADAC (Germany), OAMTC (Austria), ACI (Italy), Automobile Club de France, RAC and AA (UK), NAF (Norway), AAA (USA) all have reciprocal roadside cover with TCS. Present your membership card and the service is invoiced back to your home club.
• Non-member call-out cost: from CHF 190 for a roadside repair, from CHF 320 for a tow to the nearest garage, plus mileage. Paid by card at the scene or invoiced.
• Response time: 30-45 minutes on the motorway network; 60-90 minutes in remote alpine valleys.
• Coverage: mechanical breakdown, dead battery, run out of fuel (delivery available), flat tyre, locked keys inside, minor accident recovery. Not: full accident recovery with damage (call police first via 117 or 112).
• Winter emphasis: TCS holds a fleet of 4x4 recovery vehicles and mobile chain fitters on standby at alpine passes between November and April.
• Language at the dispatcher: German, French, Italian, English standard; Spanish and Portuguese available on request.
• TCS app: request assistance directly from the app with automatic GPS location; also handles digital vignette, fuel-price comparison and traffic bulletins.

If you break down inside a motorway tunnel, do not call 140: use the wall-mounted SOS phone (next section) which routes to ASTRA and coordinates the tunnel closure protocol.

Motorway SOS emergency phones

Yellow SOS pillars are spaced roughly every two kilometres along both sides of Swiss motorways and expressways, and every 150 metres inside tunnels. They remain the preferred way to raise an alert on the motorway network, even in the smartphone era.

• How to identify: bright yellow rectangular column about 1.5 m tall with a black telephone symbol and the SOS text. In tunnels: yellow niches every 150 m with a phone inside the emergency door.
• How to use: press the single button; the line opens automatically to the ASTRA control room for that section of motorway or tunnel. No dialing, no charge, no language selection.
• What you get: your location is transmitted automatically (pillar ID plus GPS). The operator confirms which service is needed (ambulance, fire, police, tow) and dispatches from the nearest depot.
• Why prefer over mobile: reliable signal inside tunnels and alpine dead zones, faster dispatch because the operator already knows your position, direct coordination with tunnel ventilation and closure systems.
• What to do while waiting: stay outside the car if possible, behind the crash barrier. Wear a hi-viz vest, deploy the warning triangle 100 m upstream, and switch on the hazard lights. In tunnels, use the emergency niche door which is fireproof.
• Not just for emergencies: fuel run-out, mechanical breakdown, animal in the road, minor collision. The pillar is the appropriate first contact for anything that requires ASTRA involvement.

If your car has an eCall feature (mandatory in all EU-registered new cars since 2018), a serious crash automatically triggers the same routing. Manual SOS pillars remain the option for non-crash situations and for older cars.

Tips for the visitor

• Memorise 112 if nothing else: the universal European number routes you to the right service regardless of where you are or what language you speak.
• Add REGA 1414 to your phone before any alpine trip.
• Add TCS 140 before any road trip; check your home club for reciprocal arrangements.
• State your location precisely: canton, town, street, nearest cross-street, or motorway exit number. GPS coordinates if you have them.
• Speak slowly and clearly: operators handle calls in several languages but cannot make sense of mumbling or panic.
• Do not hang up first: let the operator confirm they have what they need.
• Free even with no credit or SIM: emergency calls are routed by the network without authentication.
• From a tunnel: use the wall-mounted emergency phones rather than your mobile if possible. The reception is reliable and the line goes directly to ASTRA control.

Practical info that complements emergency calls

Hospital and clinic locator

The federal portal www.spital.ch lists all Swiss hospitals by canton and speciality. For a 24/7 walk-in clinic in any major town, search “Permanence” or “Notfall”.

Pharmacy on-duty

Pharmacies post a sign showing the night-duty pharmacy in the same town. Online lookup at www.apotheke.ch or via the SwissApotheker app.

Travel insurance contact

Many travel-insurance policies have a Swiss-based 24/7 medical assistance line (often with English). Check your insurance card before driving; save the number in your phone.

Embassy emergency line

In a serious incident as a foreign citizen (death, hospitalisation, theft of passport), contact your embassy. Most have 24/7 emergency duty lines listed on their website. The main embassies are in Bern; consulates in Geneva, Zurich, Lugano.

Tox Info Suisse (145): poison control in detail

Tox Info Suisse is the national poison control centre, staffed 24/7 by physicians and pharmacologists. The service is free and available in German, French, Italian and English, and can be reached from any Swiss phone by dialling 145. It is worth calling before rushing to the emergency room, because most exposures are best managed at home with expert guidance.

• When to call: known or suspected ingestion of medication, household chemical, plant, mushroom, or animal bite/sting where symptoms concern you. Also for advice on drug interactions during a trip when your usual pharmacist is unreachable.
• Before you dial, have ready: the exact substance name (bring the packaging to the phone), the estimated dose, the time of exposure, the age and body weight of the person, and their symptoms so far.
• Response model: the dispatcher decides on the spot whether home observation, a trip to the doctor, or an ambulance is needed. About 70% of calls are managed at home without escalation.
• Mushroom identification: send a photo via the Tox Info app or WhatsApp for rapid identification. If you cannot reach identification staff, do not induce vomiting; keep a sample of the mushroom for the emergency room.
• Alpine plants and snake bites: the common European viper (Vipera aspis, Vipera berus) is present in some Swiss valleys. Bites are rarely fatal in healthy adults but always require Tox Info consultation, then a hospital visit for antivenom decision.
• Cost: entirely free from any Swiss phone. Foreign visitor calls from an international mobile may incur roaming fees to your carrier; the Tox Info service itself has no charge.
• Backup: if 145 is busy or unreachable, dial 144 (medical emergency); the dispatcher can escalate to Tox Info and organise transport simultaneously.

Save 145 next to 144 in your phone contacts before travel. In practice most parents of small children on holiday find themselves calling within the first week.

Mountain communication and connectivity

Cellular coverage collapses quickly once you leave the main valleys, and knowing your communication options can be the difference between a resolved incident and an escalated one. Switzerland has invested heavily in tunnel and pass coverage, but alpine dead zones remain.

• Cellular coverage: Swisscom is generally the strongest network in alpine areas, followed by Salt and Sunrise. Foreign SIMs will connect to whichever roaming partner is strongest; check “Automatic network selection” is enabled before entering the alps.
• Emergency-only cellular: even in areas with no service on your carrier, dialling 112 or 911 routes through any available network, including networks your SIM does not normally support. This is a European rule enforced by the Bundesamt für Kommunikation.
• SMS often works when calls do not: text messages need only intermittent signal, so a quick text to 112 (in cantons that support Notruf-SMS: Bern, Zurich, Vaud, Geneva since 2024) can succeed where a voice call fails.
• WhatsApp and Signal: rely on any data connection, including public WiFi at cable-car stations, mountain restaurants and hotels. Not for emergency dispatch, but excellent for family updates.
• Satellite messenger (Garmin inReach, Zoleo, Iridium GO): independent of cellular networks, works anywhere in Switzerland including deep valleys and glaciers. Monthly plans from CHF 15; rental at TCS shops for CHF 8 per day. Recommended for multi-day alpine tours and off-piste skiing.
• Cable-car and mountain-restaurant WiFi: nearly every operating cable-car station provides free WiFi for guests, as do most mountain restaurants above 1,500 m. Use for status updates rather than emergencies.
• SLF avalanche bulletin app: works offline for the current day once downloaded in a covered area. Free at slf.ch/app.

For long alpine hikes, a satellite messenger is a genuinely worthwhile investment; even a rented device for a week costs less than a single Rega intervention deductible.

Consular assistance for foreign visitors

Beyond the general “contact your embassy” line above, here is the practical detail of what your consulate can and cannot do for you as a visitor, plus the main embassies for the largest visitor groups.

• What they will help with: replacement of stolen or lost passports, hospitalisation notifications to family, coordination with local authorities after a fatality, legal-representative lists after arrest, evacuation coordination in a natural disaster.
• What they will not do: pay medical bills, provide loans, translate for you at the police station, become involved in criminal proceedings on your behalf, or expedite visa procedures.
• Main embassies in Bern: United Kingdom (+41 31 359 77 00), United States (+41 31 357 70 11), Germany (+41 31 359 41 11), France (+41 31 359 21 11), Italy (+41 31 350 07 77), Spain (+41 31 350 52 52), Netherlands (+41 31 350 87 00), Belgium (+41 31 350 01 50).
• Consulates for after-hours support: several countries maintain consulates in Geneva, Zurich, Basel and Lugano that handle out-of-hours cases; the embassy switchboard forwards.
• Documentation to have ready: photocopy of your passport photo page (cloud storage is ideal), travel insurance policy number, hotel address, driver’s licence number.
• Emergency Travel Document (ETD): if your passport is lost or stolen, most consulates can issue an ETD within 24 hours for a fee of €100-150 that permits return to your home country only. Book an appointment via the embassy website in advance where possible.
• Death of a companion: consular officers coordinate with the Swiss authorities, arrange repatriation of remains (usually via a specialist funeral director covered by your travel insurance), and notify next of kin. The process takes 5-14 days depending on paperwork.

For non-emergency queries during business hours the embassy switchboard is fine; for after-hours emergencies use the dedicated 24/7 duty line listed on each embassy website.

What to expect after the call

For police, fire and ambulance the dispatched unit will arrive at the address or location you provided. Stay there if it is safe to do so.

For REGA the helicopter will overfly your location. Lay flat on your back, arms above head in a V if you need to be picked up; cross arms over chest if you do not. Help with landing by moving any loose items (clothes, packs) that could fly into the rotor.

For TCS the recovery vehicle will arrive at your reported location. Stay near the vehicle in a safe spot off the carriageway with hazard lights and warning triangle deployed.