Emergency numbers in Thailand

If you find yourself in an emergency in Thailand, you can call 191 to ask for help, even if you don’t speak Thai. The country also has many 24-hour numbers that you can call to seek urgent assistance for medical emergencies, theft, uninvited snakes, mental health crises, and more.

Discover the most important phone numbers to remember in Thailand, including the following:

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Emergency numbers in Thailand

The general emergency number for Thailand is 191. This is the equivalent of 911 in the U.S. and will direct you to Thailand’s primary emergency service operators.

You can call this number from any phone in Thailand, including mobile phones, for life-threatening emergencies (ภาวะฉุกเฉิน, pawa chukchuen) such as a need for urgent medical assistance, fire, crime, and natural disasters.

Once you are connected, the operator will ask for some details and direct you to the relevant service. If you cannot speak Thai, you can ask to speak in English or call the tourist police at 1155. They will help connect you to the appropriate service.

Writer and local expert

Jane Evans

Thailand adopted 911 as an additional emergency number in 2015 due to foreigners’ familiarity, so you can also call 911 if you require urgent assistance.

A massive 8,182,724 medical emergency calls were made in Thailand between 2016 and 2020, amounting to roughly two million emergency calls annually. The highest number of calls were related to traffic accident casualties.

The response time goals for ambulances to reach patients are between eight and 10 minutes for advanced life support (ALS) and less than 15 minutes for basic life support (BLS). However, depending on your proximity to the emergency services, as well as the traffic conditions and demand, you may need to wait longer.

Voluntary rescue vehicles have a faster response time. These may be adapted pickup trucks or vans. Hospital emergency vehicles, on the other hand, are standard ambulances. In 2023, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) also launched a fleet of 50 motorcycle ambulances to provide emergency life-saving services in all 50 districts of the capital.

These come equipped with life-saving tools and are ridden by specially trained personnel at the hospitals where they are deployed. They are able to weave through busy streets and serve spots that are difficult to reach by four-wheel ambulances.

All medical rescue and ambulance vehicles have sirens and flashing lights.

Fire services

The emergency fire service (ดับเพลิง dap pleung) number in Thailand is 199. The National Thai Fire Service responds to emergencies that include fire (ไฟไหม้ fai mai), car fires, snake and other wild animal relocation, flood rescue, disaster assistance, and search and rescue.

Here are the appropriate numbers to call:

• Fire: 199
• Animal intrusion: 1699 or 1669 (or 1646 or 1554 in Bangkok)

The police

The general emergency number for the Thai police (ตำรวจ, dtam ruad) is 191. If you don’t have a Thai speaker to help you, you can call The Thai Tourist Police Bureau (กองบัญชาการตำรวจท่องเที่ยว) at 1155, who will help you in general emergencies in English.

There is also a downloadable mobile app – The Thai Tourist Police I Lert U app – which provides 24-hour help. You can also call the following emergency numbers in Thailand:

• The Highway Police: 1193
• Crime Suppression Department: 1195
• Automobile Theft Reports: 1192
• Bangkok Tourist Police: 02-281-5051
• Pattaya Tourist Police: 038-429-371
• Phuket Tourist Police: 076-225–361
• Chiang Mai Tourist Police: 053-248-130

Medical emergencies in Thailand

Thailand has both voluntary rescue (กู้ภัย, gu pai) services that attend to medical emergencies and transport the injured to hospitals, and official ambulances. Both take patients to the A&E departments of hospitals, which deal with medical emergencies.

If you need an ambulance (รถพยาบาล, rot payabaan) or urgent medical assistance in Thailand, you should call 1669 or 1646 in Bangkok. The general ambulance and rescue number is 1554.

You can also download an emergency app (Thai EMS 1669) from the National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM – สถาบันการแพทย์ฉุกเฉินแห่งชาติ) website. This also has a chat feature.

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If you know the name of a hospital nearby, you can call it directly and ask for an ambulance. It is a good idea to save your nearest hospital’s emergency contact number in your phone in case you need it. This is especially important if you don’t speak Thai or live in Bangkok (กรุงเทพฯ), where traffic jams are particularly bad. You can also call 08 99223300 (Siam Air Care) for a private air ambulance.

The Ramathibodi Poison Center (ศูนย์พิษวิทยารามาธิบดี) has a 24-hour hotline which you can call (at 1367) for advice on snake bites, antivenoms, and antidotes. However, if you need help after a snake bite, you should call the 1669 ambulance hotline.

Pharmacies are not usually open 24 hours per day in Thailand, but you can seek 24-hour medical assistance, including medications, at a hospital emergency department.

Mental health services in Thailand

In the event of a mental health crisis, there are various numbers to call for assistance, including:

• Social Assistance Center (ศูนย์ช่วยเหลือสังคม สายด่วน): A 24-hour serviced hotline (at 1300) that receives reports related to social problems including child abuse, neglect, and exploitation
• The Samaritans of Thailand (in Thai): A 24-hour hotline at 02-713-6791. The English line is 02 113 6789 (press 2). For advice in English, you can leave a message (you don’t need to give your name), and a staff member will contact you within 24 hours.
• The Department of Mental Health Crisis Advice Line (in Thai) (ปรึกษาปัญหาสุขภาพจิต): 1323

You can read more about the various services on offer in our article on mental healthcare in Thailand.

Drug and alcohol services

For advice on substance abuse, including drugs and alcohol, you can contact the 24-hour Social Help Center helpline (ศูนย์ช่วยเหลือสังคม สายด่วน) at 1300.

You can also call an alternative 24-hour substance advice/mental health line at 1323. The Center for Addiction Studies (CADS) provides research and information about prevention and care for substance addiction sufferers.

Children, family, and youth services

The Social Help Center and Child Violence Prevention Hotline (ศูนย์ช่วยเหลือสังคม สายด่วน) is 1300 and is available 24/7. It deals with issues including the following:

• Relationships
• Families
• Children
• Stress
• Depression
• Loneliness
• Parenting
• Substance use
• Gambling
• Body image and eating disorders
• Pregnancy and abortion
• Self-harm
• Sexual abuse

You can report a missing person (including a child) by calling 02282 1815. For family issues, you should contact the Mental Health Crisis Advice Line (ปรึกษาปัญหาสุขภาพจิต bprueksaa banhaa sukaparb jit) at 1323.

UNICEF Thailand is also focused on child protection and welfare in Thailand.

Crime-related services

In an emergency, you can report general crime at the primary police number 191 or the tourist police (for English assistance) at 1155.

You can find additional numbers and apps for alerting the police of emergencies via The Royal Thai Police (RTP) application center.

• For sexual violence, including rape, the Association for the Promotion of the Status of Women (APSW) in Bangkok offers care, assistance, and a rape crisis center. You can reach them at 02 929-2301-07.
• For sexual abuse, you can contact the Mental Health Crisis Advice Line (ปรึกษาปัญหาสุขภาพจิต bprueksaa banhaa sukaparb jit) at 1323
• The Pavena Foundation offers legal advice for women and children who are victims of abuse, human trafficking, sexual violence, and assault. You can call 1134 for 24-hour assistance.
• You can call 1441 or contact the Thai Police Online to report call center and cyber fraud
• You can call 1111 for non-emergency tourist complaints to the Thai government 24/7

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Gas, electricity, and water-related emergency numbers

For an electricity-related emergency, you can call the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) contact center at 1129 or use the live chat feature on the website. To report a power outage, call 1130. And for water supply problems, you can call 1125.

Victims of flood can call 1460, and you can read any extreme weather warnings via the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) (กองพยากรณ์อากาศ) or call them on 1182.

Gas is not supplied by a local authority in Thailand. Therefore, if you suspect a gas leak, you should take precautions and contact the tourist police at 1155.

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Road and traffic emergency numbers

You can call the Tourist Police at 1155 or the Highway Police at 1193 for road and traffic emergencies and accidents.

If you are involved in a traffic accident and need urgent medical assistance, you should call 1669 in Thailand or 1646 if you are in Bangkok. You should also contact the insurance call center for assistance.

Roadside breakdown assistance is available from insurance and car companies, and you can request this when insuring or buying a vehicle in Thailand.

If you break down in Bangkok, you can receive free voluntary roadside assistance by calling the 24-hour Ruam Duay (ร่วมด้วยช่วยกัน) hotline at 1677. Some volunteers speak English. If you break down on an expressway, motorway, or somewhere similar in Thailand, you can use the emergency phones stationed on the roadside at intervals.

The hotline for traffic information is 1197, and highway information is 1543.

LGBTQ+ services and emergency numbers in Thailand

There are several emergency services that provide assistance to the LGBTQ+ community in Thailand. For instance, the Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation (WMP – มูลนิธิหญิงชายก้าวไกล) is an NGO that promotes gender equality and strives to prevent and reduce violence caused by gender bias.

The Foundation provides English and Thai language support and advice between 09:00 and 15:00 on business days. You can call 02-513-2889 if you need to talk or use the online chat facility.

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The Social Help Center of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security has a free 24-hour hotline that you can reach (in English and Thai) at 1300.

The Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand (RSAT) is a non-profit community association based in Bangkok that assists LGBTQ+ people with domestic violence issues. You can contact RSAT at 02 731 6533 from 09:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and from midday to 17:00 on weekends.

Homelessness services and emergency numbers

The 1300 social assistance hotline supports homeless people in Thailand. The Childline Thailand Foundation offers refuge to homeless children and teenagers in Bangkok. It is called Hub Saidek and can be reached at 1387.

The Community Organizations Development Institute (CODI) is a government institution and network in Thailand that works to assist the homeless. You can reach it at 02 378 8300/02 378 8301.

Animal services and emergency vet numbers in Thailand

• To report animal cruelty, call the Thai Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TSPCA) at 6 (0) 2255 5805–7
• The PETA Asia website has an online form that you can use to report animal abuse and cruelty
• For emergency vet service in Bangkok, contact the Bangkok Animal Hospital at 02 457 8233
• To report lost/stray dogs in immediate danger, contact the Soi Dog Association for emergency help.
• The Wildlife Friends Foundation (มูลนิธิเพื่อนสัตว์ป่า) in Petchaburi has a wildlife hospital that also treats pets and livestock. The foundation also responds to wildlife trade and abuse reports and can be contacted at 032-706906. The website has various contact forms, including ones for emergency vets.
• Worldwide Veterinary Service Thailand (WVS) is a registered charity based in Chiang Mai that supports the welfare of animals in the community. You can contact the WVS at 086 913 8701 from 09:30 to 16:30 on Mondays to Fridays.
• The Thai Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA – สัตวแพทยสมาคมแห่งประเทศไทย) is a center for professional veterinary networks and can be reached at 0-2255-1309 (in Thai)
• iVET is a private 24-hour animal hospital based in Bangkok. The hotline is 085-244-7899.
• Thonglor Pet Hospital Emergency Accident Clinic is a private pet hospital in Bangkok that can be reached at 02-079-9999 or via the website
• Chiang Mai University Small Animal Hospital is open from 11:00 until 14:00 and 17:00 until 19:00. The phone number is 0-5394 8031/053-948078.

Embassies emergency numbers for foreign nationals in Thailand

The best point of contact for expats in emergencies in Thailand is the Tourist Police who you can call at 1155. From here, English-speaking police officers will assist you and direct you to the relevant service. Another useful number is the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) call center which you can reach at 1672.

Here are the phone numbers for embassies and consulates in Thailand:

• British Embassy, Bangkok
  Within Thailand: 02 305 8333, from the UK: 020 7008 5000
• Chinese Embassy, Bangkok
  Consular Assistance and Protection: +66-854833327 (24-hour helpline)
• The Embassy of the Netherlands, Bangkok: +66 (0)2 3095200
• Japanese Embassy, Bangkok
  Emergency numbers: 02-207-8500/02-696-3000
  Protection of Japanese nationals: 02-207-8502/02-696-3002
• U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Thailand
  Bangkok: within Thailand: 02-205-4000, outside Thailand: +66-2-205-4000 (Thai number) or 202-640-2632 (USA number)
  Chiang Mai: within Thailand: 053-107-7000, outside Thailand: +66-53-107-7000
• Directory of international embassies/consulates in Thailand

Emergency numbers for lost or stolen property

You should call the tourist police at 1155 to report any lost or stolen property of any kind in Thailand.

• Credit card loss:
  Visa: 001 800 441 3485
  Master Card: 001-800-11-887-0663
• If your mobile phone is stolen in Thailand, contact the police and your phone provider or visit a network service center for assistance. Give your IMEI number and SIM card details. There are three main mobile network providers and call centers:
  DTAC: 1678
  AIS: 1175
  TrueMove H: 1242
• If your passport is lost or stolen, make a police report, and then contact your embassy for further assistance. For convenience, always keep a photo or photocopy of your passport for emergencies.

Writer and local expert

Jane Evans

It is important to keep a copy of any slips, cards, or other immigration documents, such as arrival cards, 90-day reports, and TM30 residence registration. If any of these are missing, it can cause visa and immigration complications.

What to do in an emergency

• Remain calm and seek assistance: there may be someone who can help you nearby
• Look for landmarks to explain where you are if you are not sure
• Call 191 or 1155 for English assistance

When calling an emergency number in Thailand from abroad

The international dialing code for Thailand is +66. If you are outside of Thailand and in urgent need of assistance, you can call the following:

• Bangkok Tourist Assistance Center: +66 (0)2 2815051
• Chiang Mai Tourist Police: +66 (0)53 248130
• Pattaya Tourist Police: +66 (0)38 429371
• Phuket Tourist Police: +66 (0)76 225361
• The Bangkok Assistance Center: +66 (0)2 205 7777 (note: this is not a freephone service)

Other useful phone numbers

• The Speaking Clock, Thailand
• The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD – กองพยากรณ์อากาศ) call center: 1182
• The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT): local news updates and call center: 1672
• Office of the Consumer Protection Board of Thailand: 1166
• JS 100 Radio for traffic updates, lost items, and emergency alerts: 1137
• Disease control report: 1422
• National Disaster Warning Center: 1860

Emergency terms and phrases in Thai

Useful resources

• The Thai Tourist Police Bureau (กองบัญชาการตำรวจท่องเที่ยว) – the Thai police branch that assists tourists
• The Thai Tourist Police alert app – the Tourist Police I Lert U for 24-hour help
• The Royal Thai Police (RTP) application center – the official Royal Thai Police (RTP) alert apps
• Bureau of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation – the Bangkok Fire and Rescue Department
• National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM) (สถาบันการแพทย์ฉุกเฉินแห่งชาติ (สพฉ)) – the official Thai emergency medicine website which includes a chat feature and app
• Yellow Pages – a directory of emergency fire services in Thailand
• Siam Air Care – a private air ambulance service
• Ramathibodi Poison Center (ศูนย์พิษวิทยารามาธิบดี) – the Thai National Antidote Project and antivenom center
• Childline Thailand (มูลนิธิสายเด็ก) – a child protection agency with a 24-hour emergency call center (1387)
• UNICEF Young People Advisory Board – a charitable organization that aims to empower children and young people