Emergency Numbers and How to Call
Learn which number to call, what information to give, and how to contact Dutch authorities.
For an immediate danger to life, serious injury, fire, or a crime in progress, call 112. In the Netherlands, 112 connects you with emergency police, fire and ambulance services, and official travel guidance lists 112 for all three. Use it when someone needs urgent medical attention, when a fire is spreading, when violence is happening, or when you are witnessing an immediate threat. Give the operator your exact location first: the city, street name, house or building number, station, platform, tram stop, canal, or another clear landmark. Then explain what happened, whether anyone is injured, how many people are involved, and whether the situation is still dangerous. Stay on the line and follow the operator's instructions. If you are studying or moving to the Netherlands, save 112 in your phone before your arrival and keep your address available in a note, because stress can make a familiar location difficult to describe. The Australian travel advice for the Netherlands identifies 112 as the local number for fire and rescue, medical emergencies, and police. The UK health guidance for the Netherlands also states that you should dial 112 and ask for an ambulance in a medical emergency. Do not call 112 simply to ask about a lost item, a delayed residence application, or a minor dispute that has already ended. For those situations, use the appropriate non-emergency or administrative channel. If the danger changes while you are waiting, tell the operator immediately. If you cannot safely speak, move to a safer place only when doing so does not increase the risk, and make the emergency clear as soon as possible. English speakers should still try to communicate in simple, direct sentences: state the location, the emergency, and the immediate risk before adding background details.
For a non-urgent police matter, use the Dutch police non-emergency number 0900 8844. This is appropriate when a theft has already happened and the offender has left, when you need to ask whether an approach by someone claiming to be police is genuine, or when you need information from the nearest police station. The UK safety and security advice specifically recommends calling 0900 8844 if you are unsure whether a police person is genuine. You can also report certain crimes at a police station, by telephone, or through the Dutch police website. The government business guidance says victims of theft, burglary, robbery, fraud, internal crime, or cybercrime can report these incidents to the police, and it links to the police page for victims of crime. Prepare useful details before making a report: the time and place, a description of the person or vehicle, screenshots, payment records, messages, account details, damaged property, and the names of witnesses. Do not chase a thief or confront a suspected fraudster merely to recover property. If a phone or payment card was stolen, contact your bank or card issuer immediately through its official emergency channel, then report the theft to police. If your passport or residence document is missing, report the loss and contact your embassy or the responsible Dutch authority; keep a photocopy or secure digital scan separately from the original. Administrative immigration questions are different from emergencies. The IND contact form accepts general questions in Dutch or English, but it does not provide information about the status of an application or personal file by email. For personal IND questions, the official IND contact form and contact information directs people to My IND or to 088 043 04 30 inside the Netherlands, or +31 88 043 04 30 from abroad. That distinction helps newcomers avoid paying a fraudster who pretends to be an immigration official.
When you call for medical help, describe the person's condition plainly: unconscious, not breathing normally, bleeding heavily, seriously injured, poisoned, or otherwise in immediate danger. The official UK guidance advises contacting your insurance or medical assistance company quickly if you are referred to a medical facility, but insurance should never delay a 112 call when an emergency is happening. Before moving, studying, or working in the Netherlands, store your insurer's emergency number, your medication list, allergies, and an emergency contact in your phone. The same guidance notes that a Global Health Insurance Card or European Health Insurance Card is not an alternative to travel insurance because some costs, including medical repatriation, private healthcare, prescription charges, and treatment ruled non-urgent, may not be covered. For residence-related emergencies, keep copies of your passport, residence permit, IND correspondence, and sponsor details in a secure place. The IND says a change that may affect a residence decision must be reported within 4 weeks; examples include becoming jobless, changing employer, losing required income, moving house without informing the municipality in time, or no longer meeting the conditions of the permit. Use the IND report changes in situation page rather than responding to an unsolicited caller. The IND has previously warned about fraudsters who posed as staff, claimed there were problems with residence documents, demanded money, and threatened deportation. A genuine administrative problem should be checked through an official IND channel, not through a caller's payment instructions. If a person claiming to be police, immigration staff, a bank, or an embassy asks for cash, card details, passwords, or a transfer during an unexpected call, pause, end the conversation, and independently find the organisation's official contact details. For a fast decision in an emergency, use this order: move away from immediate danger if safe, call 112, give the exact location, follow instructions, then contact your insurer, bank, embassy, school, employer, or IND as appropriate.
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Common Scams and Crime Prevention
Recognise distraction theft, fake officials, online fraud and payment traps before losing money.
The most useful scam habit in the Netherlands is to slow down when a stranger creates urgency, confusion, or authority. Official UK travel advice warns that pickpocketing and bag-snatching are common in central Amsterdam and around Amsterdam Central Station, including on trains and trams to and from Schiphol and Central Station. The described pattern is often coordinated: one person distracts you while another takes a bag or wallet. A person may enter a restaurant while pretending to sell something or look for someone, using the interruption to steal belongings. Keep luggage in sight during hotel check-in, keep valuables securely on your person, and do not hang a bag or jacket over the back of a restaurant chair. Avoid falling asleep on public transport, especially when carrying a passport, phone, residence document, or wallet. The same precautions apply to busy stations, queues, tourist attractions, and crowded public transport. A bump, sudden question, spilled item, request to sign something, or someone standing unusually close is a reason to check your pockets without arguing. Keep your phone and wallet where you can feel them, close bags before boarding, and do not put a passport or bank card on a table while paying. If an item disappears, leave the area safely and record the time, route, carriage, stop, and direction of travel as soon as possible. Report the incident to police; the Smartraveller Netherlands safety guidance advises contacting the nearest police station and obtaining a police report after theft. A report can help with insurance, replacement documents, and card-dispute procedures. Do not assume that speaking English makes you an obvious target, but do assume that crowded tourist areas give thieves more opportunities. Plan routes before entering a crowded place, and step into a staffed shop, hotel lobby, or transport office if you need to stop and reorganise.
A fake-police approach is a specific warning for visitors. Criminals may claim to be plain-clothes officers and say they are checking counterfeit money or false credit cards. They may ask to see cash, a wallet, or payment cards. The official UK safety advice says genuine plain-clothes police rarely carry out this type of inspection, notes that Dutch police do not have shiny badges, and recommends calling 0900 8844 if you are unsure whether a police person is genuine. Do not hand over your wallet or card merely because someone displays an object that looks like identification. Keep your distance, say that you will verify the request at the nearest police station, and walk toward a staffed public place or station if it is safe. If the people become threatening or try to restrain you, call 112. Do not use a phone number supplied by the stranger; find the official police number independently. Immigration fraud can use the same pressure tactic. The IND's 2016 annual report recorded fraudsters who called IND customers, posed as IND employees, asked for money and personal details, and threatened deportation if payment was not made. That historical warning remains a practical pattern to understand: an unexpected caller, a claim that your residence documents have a problem, a demand for immediate payment, and a threat involving deportation. Verify through IND official services or the IND contact page. Never send a passport scan, bank login, one-time code, or payment to an unsolicited contact until the organisation and request have been independently confirmed. The IND public register can also help students and workers verify whether a school, employer, or organisation is a recognised sponsor; the registers are updated once a month. Check the public register of recognised sponsors before relying on a sponsor's claim. A recognised sponsor can apply for residence permits for, among others, employees, au pairs, or students, but a caller's statement alone is not proof of recognition.
Online fraud can affect newcomers before they even arrive. The U.S. Embassy's Internet Fraud guidance describes schemes involving lotteries, inheritance notices, work permits or job offers, bank overpayments, online dating, and requests to help a friend who is supposedly in trouble. The warning is simple: do not believe that you won a lottery you never entered, inherited money from someone you never met, or received an offer that requires an upfront fee. Scammers may spend weeks or months building trust before inventing an emergency and asking for money. Treat a request for an advance payment, secrecy, urgency, cryptocurrency, gift cards, or a transfer to a personal account as a reason to stop and verify. The Dutch government describes several additional fraud patterns: invoice fraud, job fraud, phishing, smishing, spoofing, identity fraud, fake online shops, investment or boiler-room fraud, CEO fraud, and advance-fee fraud. Phishing can steal passwords or personal details through fake email or text messages; spoofing can make a fake bank website, phone number, message, or email appear to come from a trusted source. Use the official website or a phone number printed on a real card, not a link in the message. If you run a small business, verify unusual invoices and urgent transfer requests through a separate channel. If you fall victim, report fraud to the police and, where appropriate, the Fraud Help Desk. The government also recommends reporting fraud and deception to police and lists routes for internet scams, anonymous crime reports, tax fraud, fraudulent employment agencies, and identity fraud. Preserve the evidence instead of deleting messages: save the sender address, full message, payment reference, account number, website address, screenshots, and dates. Contact your bank immediately if money or card data was exposed, change compromised passwords from a clean device, and monitor accounts for further transactions.
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Safety Information and Security Tips
Use practical habits for public transport, cycling, canals, documents, health and changing threats.
The Netherlands is generally presented in current travel guidance as a destination where visitors should exercise normal safety precautions, but normal precautions must be concrete. Australia's current travel advice says the national terrorism threat level remains at level 4, described as substantial, and warns that tourist areas, public transport, and transport hubs may be possible targets. This does not mean that everyday life should stop; it means you should remain aware of your surroundings, take official warnings seriously, monitor local information, and follow local authorities' instructions. If a suspicious object or activity appears, do not investigate it yourself. Move away if it is safe, tell police, and follow instructions. The same source says petty crime, including phone snatching, pickpocketing, and theft from unattended bags or vehicles, can occur in tourist areas and on public transport. Keep your phone out of sight when not needed, close bags, and never leave a passport, laptop, or wallet unattended in a café, library, train, or shared accommodation. Drink spiking can happen anywhere; do not leave food or drinks unattended, watch when a drink is being mixed, and tell friends immediately if you feel unwell. If a friend becomes unwell unexpectedly, stay with them, get them to a safe place, and seek medical help when needed. For visitors and new residents, the most effective routine is to make safety preparation ordinary: save 112 and 0900 8844, identify a nearby police station and medical provider, keep copies of essential documents, use strong unique passwords, enable bank alerts, and share a basic itinerary with someone you trust. The U.S. Mission Netherlands security alert also reminds U.S. citizens to maintain good personal security practices and heightened situational awareness after targeted explosive incidents in the Netherlands and other major European cities. Follow the current advice of local authorities and your own embassy, because a travel page or guide may not reflect a rapidly changing incident.
Transport and street design create safety issues that are easy for English speakers to underestimate. The UK safety guidance warns pedestrians to watch for cyclists, mopeds, and trams when crossing roads, including at zebra crossings. Cycle paths can be busy, and cyclists may travel at speed. Trams have priority over other traffic, and you must stop when a tram or bus stops in the middle of the road to let passengers on or off. If you drive, carry your driving licence, insurance documents, vehicle documents, and photo identification such as a passport or residence permit. Traffic offences can bring heavy on-the-spot fines; if you pay a fine, ask for a receipt. Speed cameras, speed traps, unmarked vehicles, variable motorway limits, and overhead lane indicators are part of the road environment described in the guidance. When cycling, use the supplied lock correctly and keep the bicycle secured to a fixed object where permitted; when renting, inspect the bicycle and understand the contract before riding. Do not sign a document in Dutch that you cannot understand. Canals are another distinctive hazard. The UK advice says people drown in Amsterdam canals and elsewhere in the Netherlands every year, with many drownings occurring after heavy drinking or smoking cannabis. Stay away from canal edges when impaired, avoid climbing on railings or narrow walls, and do not treat the water as a shortcut or swimming area. Police can fine someone 160 euros for swimming in Amsterdam canals, and the guidance also states that urinating in the canals can result in a fine. Drug laws and local tolerance should not be confused. The UK guidance says buying or possessing prohibited drugs outside designated areas, including while transiting airports, is illegal and can result in imprisonment; smoking soft drugs in public places is illegal. Australia's advice states that only Dutch residents can legally buy or use cannabis. Check current official local rules rather than relying on tourist stories, and never accept drugs from a street seller. Avoid confrontation, particularly in quiet or dark alleys late at night.
Security also includes protecting your immigration status, personal information, and access to help. Anyone aged 14 or over must be able to show identification when required by law enforcement. The UK guidance says people aged 16 or over who fail to comply with the identification requirement can receive a 100-euro fine, while people aged 14 and 15 can receive a 50-euro fine. Carry an appropriate original identification document securely, and keep a separate copy for replacement purposes. Do not post passport, residence-card, bank, or biometric details publicly. The IND privacy page explains that the service processes information such as name, contact details, nationality, passport number, address, residence status, financial data, bank account number, biometric data, health information where necessary, and information about criminal cases or records. That is a reason to send sensitive documents only through an official IND route and to check the recipient before uploading anything. If your circumstances change, the IND says you must notify it within 4 weeks when the change can affect the decision, including a new employer, unemployment, lower income, changed family relationship, a move not reported to the municipality in time, or no longer meeting residence-permit requirements. Use the official IND change-reporting page and keep confirmation of submission. For cyber safety, the government advises businesses that cybercrime can include phishing, malware, and DDoS attacks, and points to the National Cyber Security Centre for information about vulnerabilities, threats, and incidents. Individuals can apply the same principle by updating devices, using multi-factor authentication where available, avoiding reused passwords, and checking payment notifications. If ransomware affects a device, the government links to No More Ransom for help deleting the software. Keep emergency information accessible offline in case your phone is lost or the network is unavailable. A compact safety file should contain your address, emergency contacts, insurance number, medication and allergy information, passport and residence-document copies, bank emergency numbers, school or employer contacts, and the official links you have verified. Review it before travel, after moving, and whenever your residence, work, or insurance situation changes.