Emergency Services in Bulgaria:
What to Do and Who to Call

What number do you call in an emergency in Bulgaria?

Call 112 for ambulance, police or fire. It is Bulgaria's single emergency number, available free of charge 24 hours a day from fixed and mobile phones. You do not need to choose the service before calling because the operator routes the incident.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Interior says 112 is for a sudden, real threat to life, health, safety or property. That covers a serious illness or injury, a crime in progress, fire, flood, road crash with casualties, a person lost or injured in the mountains, and other incidents where professional help is needed now. The system can route calls to emergency medical help, police, fire and civil protection, Mountain Rescue or the Maritime Administration.

A phone showing no Bulgarian credit is not a reason to delay, because the call itself is free. However, do not assume a handset can always transmit a perfect location. If you are on an unfamiliar road, trail or beach, open your map before calling and find coordinates, a road number, kilometre marker, nearby village, hut, hotel or named landmark.

Emergency numbers in Bulgaria: quick reference

What should you say when you call 112 in Bulgaria?

A good emergency call is short and concrete. The Interior Ministry says the operator records who is calling, why they are calling, where the incident is and how many people are injured. Give those facts before a long explanation.

1. Say which language you need. Start with “English, please” or Angliyski, molya. The European Commission's Bulgaria profile, last updated 13 May 2022, says calls are generally answered in Bulgarian, English, French and German. Ask for English, but do not rely on a particular language being immediately available; give your location first.
2. Give the location. Town or municipality, street and number, road and direction, beach sector, trail, hut, landmark or GPS coordinates. A map pin is useful to read from, but it does not replace speaking to the operator.
3. State what happened. For example: road crash, chest pain, unconscious person, house fire, assault, missing hiker or person in the sea.
4. Give the number and condition of casualties. Say whether anyone is unconscious, not breathing, trapped, bleeding, in the water or exposed to continuing danger.
5. Give your name and callback number. Stay on the line. Do not move away unless your position is unsafe or the operator tells you to.

Location is the detail most likely to save time

Bulgarian addresses can be awkward even when you live here. Villages may have duplicate street names, apartment entrances are identified by letters or numbers, and rural houses may be known locally by the owner's name rather than a visible number. Keep the Bulgarian spelling of your address in your phone. For a flat, include the entrance (vhod), floor (etazh) and apartment number. For a village, include the municipality and oblast if the name is not unique.

On a motorway, say the road, direction of travel and nearest kilometre sign or junction. On a mountain route, say the last marked trail, nearest hut or lift, altitude if known, and coordinates. On the coast, name the resort, beach, hotel or lifeguard post rather than saying only “Sunny Beach”.

How do you get an ambulance or hospital care in Bulgaria?

Call 112 and ask for an ambulance in a medical emergency. Say what happened, whether the person is conscious and breathing, how many patients there are and exactly where they are. Do not drive an unstable casualty simply because a hospital looks close on a map.

The 112 operator decides how to route the call. While help is being arranged, follow the operator's instructions rather than online first-aid advice. If someone has a known condition, gather their medication list, allergies, ID and health documents without delaying urgent care. Unlock gates, secure dogs and send someone to meet the crew if the property is hard to find.

Public and private services are not interchangeable

GOV.UK warns that hotels and resorts may call a private ambulance and that private hospitals do not necessarily accept GHIC or EHIC. If the situation allows, ask whether the ambulance or facility is public or private. For private treatment, ask about the price and payment expectations in advance. In a life-threatening emergency, getting safe care comes first, but a companion can record names, times, receipts and referral documents.

Contact your insurer or medical-assistance company as soon as practical after a referral or admission. Assistance providers may want to approve private treatment, speak to the facility or arrange a transfer. Keep the policy number, assistance telephone number and any declared medical conditions available offline.

What a GHIC or EHIC actually does

A valid UK GHIC, or an EHIC for someone still entitled to one, can help an eligible visitor receive medically necessary state healthcare during a temporary stay on the terms that apply locally. It does not make private care free, pay for repatriation, cover every patient contribution or replace travel insurance. British expats who live in Bulgaria need the healthcare entitlement appropriate to their residence, such as NHIF coverage or another recognised route. Our healthcare guide explains NHIF, GPs and public versus private care; the insurance guide covers travel, medical evacuation and policy exclusions.

What should go to hospital with the patient?

Do not delay the ambulance to pack, but if another person can gather essentials, take photo ID, a residence card if held, GHIC or EHIC for an eligible visitor, insurance details, a written medication and allergy list, a phone charger and a way to pay. Bring the medicine boxes or photographs of the labels rather than relying on remembered UK brand names. Bulgarian clinicians can work more safely with the active ingredient and dose.

Ask which facility and department received the patient, then write it down in Bulgarian as well as English. Keep discharge papers, scans, prescriptions, invoices and payment slips together. If communication is difficult, use an interpreter for consent and complex decisions rather than asking a child or casual acquaintance to translate medical risk. The Embassy can provide information about English-speaking providers and interpreters, but it cannot give medical advice.

Medication, poisoning and animal bites

For a medication shortage or ordinary minor illness, use a GP or Bulgarian pharmacy, not 112. Call 112 for collapse, breathing difficulty, loss of consciousness, a severe allergic reaction or another immediate threat. After an animal bite or possible rabies exposure, seek urgent medical assessment even if the wound looks small. Our wildlife and pests guide covers prevention and species-specific risks without duplicating the emergency routing here.

What should you do after a crime, fire or civil emergency?

Call 112 when a crime, fire or other incident creates immediate danger. For a past theft with no present threat, use the nearest police station and obtain the documents your insurer, bank or passport process may need.

Police emergencies and reporting a crime

Use 112 for violence, a break-in in progress, a missing vulnerable person, a dangerous driver, serious public disorder or any situation where waiting creates risk. Move to a safe place if you can do so without increasing danger. Give the location, suspect description, direction of travel, vehicle details and whether weapons or injuries are involved. Do not confront someone to collect better evidence.

For a theft discovered later, report it to the local police. Ask for an interpreter if you do not understand the interview and do not sign a Bulgarian statement you cannot read. Request a copy or reference for the report, then contact the bank, phone provider, insurer or passport service. The older Interior Ministry visitor brochure gives the same practical warning: ask for an interpreter and do not sign what you do not understand.

Fire, flood, storm and earthquake

For a fire or immediate civil-protection emergency, call 112 once you are in a safer position. The Bulgarian fire service asks callers to give their name, the type and address of the incident, and whether people are injured or threatened. Do not take an unnecessary personal risk to fight a fire. Leave by a safe route, warn others if possible, and follow the operator or responding crew.

Bulgaria also uses BG-ALERT, a location-based public-warning system delivered through compatible mobile phones. The adopted regulation provides for Bulgarian and English warning messages, and a June 2026 Interior Ministry notice confirms continuing national tests. Read a received message, check the affected area and follow its instructions. Test messages use the phone's separate test-alert channel.

During fast-moving weather, wildfire or winter conditions, pair official alerts with the live Bulgaria weather map and warning links. The weather page is for situational awareness, not a substitute for 112 or an evacuation instruction.

What should you do after a road crash or breakdown in Bulgaria?

For injuries, fire, a trapped person or immediate road danger, call 112. Say where the collision is, what vehicles or hazards are involved and how many people are injured. A routine breakdown belongs with your insurer, rental company or roadside provider.

1. Protect life first. Stop safely, switch on hazard lights and move yourself away from traffic if you can. Do not stand between vehicles or in a live lane.
2. Call 112 for casualties or danger. Give the road, direction, junction or kilometre marker. Mention fire, fuel, hazardous cargo, a blocked carriageway or anyone trapped.
3. Do not create a second casualty. Help only when it is safe and follow the emergency operator. Do not move an injured person unless continuing danger makes leaving them in place more hazardous.
4. Preserve the record. Photograph positions, damage, registrations, signs and the road environment when safe. Exchange identity, vehicle and insurance details. Note witnesses.
5. Contact the insurer or rental company. Follow its reporting deadline and instructions. A hire company may require police attendance or specific paperwork even where damage appears small.

What if nobody is hurt?

Official Bulgarian driver-training guidance distinguishes a property-only collision where the drivers agree from one where they do not. If the drivers agree, it describes moving vehicles so they do not obstruct traffic and completing the bilateral accident statement. If there is disagreement, notify the authorities and follow their instructions. Your insurer or rental agreement may add reporting requirements, so do not improvise a private settlement you cannot document.

What if the car has simply broken down?

A flat battery, puncture or mechanical fault is not automatically a 112 emergency. Put people in the safest available position and call the roadside number on the policy, rental agreement or assistance membership. Call 112 if the vehicle is creating an immediate serious hazard, someone is injured, a fire starts or you cannot get people out of danger. The driving guide covers Bulgarian road rules and KAT, while car ownership covers documents, inspections and local administration.

How do mountain, ski and beach emergencies work?

Call 112 first for immediate danger outdoors. Bulgarian Red Cross Mountain Rescue also lists 1470 and +359 2 963 2000, shown domestically as 02 963 2000, for its central 24-hour post. A short code may not connect from every foreign or roaming SIM, so keep 112 as the first choice.

Mountain Rescue in Bulgaria

Mountain rescue is not ordinary ambulance work. The team needs a precise position, route, last known point, party size, weather and casualty condition. Read coordinates from a map app if you can. Say which mountain, trail colour, peak, hut, ski run or lift is nearby. If the party has split, give the name and phone number of the missing person and when they were last seen.

Stay put when that is safer and follow the rescuer's instructions. Repeatedly moving after giving coordinates can widen a search. Preserve phone battery, keep a line available and make yourself visible only without increasing exposure. The winter survival guide covers cold, snow and road preparation; the ski guide compares resorts and seasonal conditions.

GOV.UK specifically advises checking that insurance includes mountain rescue, helicopter costs, repatriation and possible transfer to a neighbouring country for treatment. Do not assume a standard travel policy covers off-piste skiing, climbing, mountain biking or another declared high-risk activity. The Red Cross service says rescue assistance has costs and recommends mountain insurance, so verify the activity and rescue wording before setting out.

Beach and water emergencies

On the Black Sea coast, obey lifeguards, warning signs and flags. Use licensed watersports providers, complete the safety briefing and know how that operator summons help. If a person is in immediate danger, alert the lifeguard and call 112. Give the resort, named beach, hotel, lifeguard post or watersports concession. Do not attempt a rescue that leaves two people in difficulty.

The Sunny Beach guide has resort-specific practical information. There is no verified nationwide English-language rip-current or beach-rescue hotline in this research pack, so 112 and the on-duty lifeguard remain the reliable routes for immediate danger.

What should British nationals do if a passport is lost or stolen?

A missing passport is urgent when travel is close, but it is not usually a 112 emergency. Report theft to local police, cancel the passport through GOV.UK, protect any other stolen accounts and use the official replacement or emergency travel document route.

1. Get safe and check what is missing. If theft is in progress or there is a threat, call 112. Otherwise list the passport, residence card, bank cards, phone, keys and travel documents.
2. Report theft to Bulgarian police. Ask for a police report or reference where possible. Request an interpreter and keep a copy for insurance and travel-document applications.
3. Cancel a lost or stolen British passport. Use the current GOV.UK reporting route. Once cancelled, a passport cannot be used again if it later turns up.
4. Stop financial and phone access. Freeze cards, contact the mobile provider, change exposed passwords and use device-tracking or remote-lock tools without confronting a suspected thief.
5. Check your travel deadline. Contact the airline or travel provider. If a replacement passport cannot arrive in time for urgent travel, check eligibility and apply online for an Emergency Travel Document.

An Emergency Travel Document is not an instant replacement passport. Eligibility, documents, fee, processing and permitted itinerary depend on the case. GOV.UK says it is usually for urgent travel and may be valid only for the agreed single or return journey through a limited number of countries. Do not book a complicated new route until it has been accepted for the document.

If a Bulgarian residence document is also missing, follow the Bulgarian replacement route separately. The British Embassy cannot replace a Bulgarian residence card. Our residency guide explains which authority owns the document, while the official GOV.UK Bulgaria passport page is the live source for British passport and Emergency Travel Document procedures.

When should you contact the British Embassy in Sofia?

Local emergency services come first. The British Embassy and FCDO provide consular support to British nationals, but they do not dispatch Bulgarian police or ambulances. Contact them when a serious incident also creates a British consular problem.

For urgent help because something has happened to a friend or relative abroad, GOV.UK lists the FCDO's 24-hour number as +44 20 7008 5000. For local contact, use the British Embassy Sofia official page and its contact form. Public access to the Embassy at 9 Moskovska Street is by appointment, so do not lose time travelling there without instructions.

Consular help is discretionary and depends on the circumstances and vulnerability involved. It is a bridge to local services and information, not insurance or a parallel emergency service. If someone is in immediate danger in Bulgaria, call 112 before calling London.

What if you have been assaulted or are unsafe?

If there is immediate danger, move to a safer place if possible and call 112. What you do after an assault is your choice. Medical care, police reporting and consular support are separate decisions, and you can ask for an interpreter.

Preserve evidence only when that does not compromise safety or urgent treatment. Write down what happened, the time, place, descriptions and any witnesses while details are fresh. Keep messages, photographs, receipts and medical documents. Do not sign a statement you do not understand. British nationals can contact the Embassy or FCDO for information about local processes and services.

For rape or sexual assault, GOV.UK has a Bulgaria-specific support guide. It says that Vselena Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Burgas operates a free 24-hour helpline on 0800 18 017, with support in Bulgarian, English, German and Russian. That contact was checked against the official guide on 12 August 2026. The page also explains medical, police and consular choices without pressuring a victim to report.

Which Bulgarian emergency phrases should you save?

Perfect Bulgarian is not required to start an emergency call. Say the service, location and danger in simple words. The transliterations below are approximate English-friendly prompts, not a formal pronunciation system.

For more day-to-day language, save the Bulgarian phrasebook. In an emergency, do not build a long translated speech. Put the address and coordinates on screen, use one of the short phrases above, then answer questions.

How should residents and visitors prepare before an emergency?

Preparation is mostly about removing friction. A saved address, policy number and medical list are more useful under stress than a folder of general advice you cannot find.

A five-minute phone setup

• Save your home address in Bulgarian and English, including entrance, floor and apartment.
• Learn how to display coordinates in the map app you actually use. Download the local offline map before mountain or rural travel.
• Add medical ID information and an emergency contact to the lock screen where your phone supports it.
• Save the insurer, roadside provider, GP, local vet and property manager as named contacts, not unexplained numbers.
• Photograph your passport, residence card, health entitlement, prescriptions and insurance schedule, then store copies securely away from the handset.
• Check that emergency alerts are enabled. BG-ALERT uses compatible mobile phones and can deliver Bulgarian and English warnings.

Home, car and outdoor preparation

Make the property easy to find and enter. Display a visible number, know the Bulgarian name of the village and municipality, keep gates operable and decide who will secure pets when a crew arrives. In the car, keep reflective equipment and documents accessible. For outdoor trips, tell someone the route, expected return and party details, then carry enough power to make the call.

Visitors should add the accommodation address and insurer before flying. Long-term residents should also know which local hospital, police station and out-of-hours pharmacy serves the area, while remembering that 112 may route a genuine emergency somewhere else. The goal is not to choose the ambulance destination yourself. It is to help the system find you and give the next service the documents it needs.

Which official sources support this guide?

Operational contacts were checked on 12 August 2026. Emergency arrangements can change, so use the links below as the live authority and tell us through the corrections page if a number or process has changed.

• Bulgarian Ministry of Interior, National 112 System: scope, 24-hour free service, call handling and routing.
• GOV.UK, Getting help in Bulgaria: current 112 and FCDO contact guidance.
• GOV.UK, Bulgaria health: ambulance, hospital, private-provider, GHIC and insurance cautions.
• GOV.UK, Bulgaria safety and security: road, mountain, ski, beach and watersports risks.
• Bulgarian Road Transport Administration, official road-incident guidance: casualties, evidence and property-only collision steps.
• Bulgarian Red Cross Mountain Rescue advice: current direct rescue contacts.
• British Embassy Sofia and FCDO consular assistance policy: contact route, help and limits.
• Passports and emergency travel documents in Bulgaria: official lost-passport and urgent-travel routes.
• European Commission 112 and Bulgaria civil-protection profile: EU-wide service and language context.
• European Commission, using an EHIC in Bulgaria: state-care scope and patient charges.
• State Gazette, adopted BG-ALERT regulation and the Interior Ministry's June 2026 national-test notice: message languages and current test operation.
• GOV.UK, support after rape or sexual assault in Bulgaria: Vselena SARC contact and available languages, updated 8 November 2024.

This guide is scheduled for a full operational review every six months, with Mountain Rescue contacts checked again before each summer and winter season. Claims about support services for assault are reviewed every three months because provision can change more quickly.

Frequently asked questions