Emergency numbers and help in Sweden

The numbers

• 112 is free from any phone, including one with no SIM or no credit, and operators answer in English.
• 112 works across the whole EU with the same number and the same guarantee of an English-speaking operator.
• 1177 is the number you will actually use. It is the health advice line and it decides whether you need a doctor, and where.
• 114 14 is for reporting a theft or anything not currently happening.

Practical

• Report a theft online at polisen.se or by phone on 114 14; you get a case number by email, which is what your insurer needs.
• A stolen passport means the police first, then your embassy, and most embassies are in Stockholm.
• The SOS Alarm app (112 Sverige) transmits your position when you call, which matters in the fells where you may not know where you are.

Outdoors

• In the mountains, call 112 and ask for fjallraddningen (mountain rescue). It is free to the person rescued.
• On the water, ask for sjoraddningen (sea rescue). The archipelago and the big lakes are covered.
• Tell someone your route before a fell hike, because coverage disappears and the huts are far apart.
• Fire bans (eldningsforbud) are announced by county in dry summers and carry real penalties. Check before lighting anything.

Worth saving now

• Your accommodation's address and the nearest metro or bus stop.
• Your insurer's 24 hour assistance number.
• Sweden's country code is +46, and Swedish numbers drop the leading 0 when dialled from abroad.
• The 1177 website in English has a symptom checker and a map of open health centres, which is faster than phoning at 03:00.