Emergency numbers Spain: Who to call on Mallorca in an emergency

When something happens on Mallorca – a fall on the terrace, a fire in the undergrowth, a car accident on the country road – every second counts while you're trying to work out which number is the right one. The good news first: there's only one you really need. In this guide, you'll find out why the 112 coordinates all emergency services in Spain, that the Balearic control centre SEIB 112 takes calls in German, what additional number exists for people with hearing or speech impairments, and what exactly you should say on the phone so that help arrives faster. Deliberately not covered: a long list of special numbers that would only cost you time in an emergency.

Do you have your address ready to hand, in case you need to read it out over the phone?

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112: one number for all emergencies

Since Real Decreto 903/1997, 112 has been the uniform European emergency number in Spain. It's free, set up uniformly across the country, and forwards every call to the emergency centre responsible for the geographic area the call originates from. In the Balearics, that's the SEIB 112 (Servei d'Emergències de les Illes Balears).

Important to know: the decree doesn't present 112 as a replacement for all other authority numbers, but explicitly as compatible with them. This means: special numbers for individual services can continue to exist – but for you as the caller, this changes practically nothing, since 112 always takes the call and forwards it internally.

Note: Other Spanish emergency numbers exist alongside 112, but are not backed by a verified source for this guide. That's why we only mention the three numbers here for which an official source is available: 112, 900 112 100 and 016.

SEIB 112 Balearics: why German is no exception here

The crucial difference to many other regions: the Balearic control centre SEIB 112 describes itself as a service that's reachable around the clock, 365 days a year, free of charge – and one that takes calls in Catalan, Castilian, English and German takes calls, among other languages. For you as a German-speaking resident, that means in practical terms: you don't need to search for Spanish vocabulary in the moment of shock. Feel free to say what's going on in German at the start – the chances of being understood are high.

The SEIB 112 does more than just take calls. According to the service's own description:

• it identifies, logs and records every call
• it alerts the necessary services – ambulance, police, fire brigade
• coordinates these services with one another
• it passes on the information you give over the phone to the emergency services

This is the actual purpose of the 112: you don't have to decide yourself whether a case is a matter for the police, fire brigade or ambulance service. That decision is made by the control centre – based on what you describe.

The three assigned emergency numbers at a glance

How a call to the 112 unfolds

An emergency call isn't a form to fill in, but a few pieces of information make the difference between help arriving directly or with detours. If possible, stick to this order:

1. Where it happened – municipality, street, kilometre marker on country roads, notable landmarks nearby. In rural areas this is often the hardest piece of information to give: a finca without a house number can't be found from the air.
2. What happened – fall, fire, accident, medical emergency.
3. How many people are affected and in what condition.
4. A callback number and your name, in case the control centre needs to follow up.
5. Stay on the line until the person on the other end ends the call – not you first.

These points follow directly from the fact that the control centre passes your information on to the emergency services: the more precise it is, the less time is lost during the handover.

Preparation counts for more than a saved number

Saving 112 in your phone doesn't help much – everyone knows the number anyway. What really helps in an emergency is an address you can read out over the phone without having to think. If you live outside a town centre, note down:

• the official postal address of the finca or house
• a descriptive access route ("third turn-off after the village sign, heading towards X")
• the coordinates from your map app, in case the address isn't clear enough

Anyone who regularly has guests or grandchildren in the house should display this information visibly – not just keep it in their own head. Important precautionary documents such as a power of attorney belong in the same filing system; see our guide on precaution and documents in Spain.

Note: For a normal call to 112, don't rely on an emergency call working without a SIM card or without credit. There is no verified statement to that effect for 112. For 900 112 100, it explicitly applies: the device must be activated and have credit.

900 112 100: emergency number for people with hearing or speech impairments

Anyone who cannot hear or cannot speak is at a disadvantage with a classic phone call. For exactly this case, the Balearic Islands have the 900 112 100. Contact does not take place via a conversation but by SMS: the call is received by the same SEIB 112 control centre and is randomly assigned to an operator. A chat window opens on their screen, and the further dialogue takes place in writing. From there, the operator activates the necessary emergency resources. Anyone who can speak but not hear can also have a mixed dialogue – partly spoken, partly by SMS.

Note: This service only works within the Balearic Islands. Anyone travelling on the Spanish mainland should find out beforehand about the arrangements that apply there – this guide only covers the Balearic Islands.

016: Emergency hotline for violence against women

The 016 is a nationwide, centralised service that, according to the responsible authority – the Delegación del Gobierno contra la Violencia de Género at the Ministerio de Igualdad – operates free of charge, via multiple channels, confidentially and in several languages, and is available around the clock, 365 days a year. The legal basis is Article 18 of the Ley Orgánica 1/2004; the service has existed since September 2007.

Crucial in a real emergency: if a call to 016 requires immediate urgency or emergency assistance, it is forwarded straight away to 112. 016 is therefore not a replacement for the general emergency number, but a specialised, confidentiality-focused point of contact that, in the event of acute danger, leads into the very same control centre.

Note: It is confirmed that the service is confidential. Not confirmed and therefore deliberately not claimed here: that the call doesn't appear on the phone bill. Don't rely on unverified information from other sources on this particular point.

Why you don't need to remember any further number

Numerous lists are circulating online with separate numbers for the National Police, Local Police, Guardia Civil, fire brigade or ambulance service. For this guide, a strict rule applies: we only list numbers that are confirmed by an official source – and those are exclusively 112, 900 112 100 and 016. The reason this isn't a disadvantage for you: 112 itself alerts and coordinates the ambulance service, police and fire brigade. Anyone who, in a real emergency, first has to work out which of the many specialist numbers is currently responsible loses exactly the time that 112 is meant to save.

For everything that follows the emergency call in terms of formalities – such as filing a report after a burglary or a traffic accident – you'll find the relevant steps in our guides on Filing a denuncia and Traffic accident in Spain.

Official warning systems: what this guide leaves open

Besides the emergency call, Spain also has public warning systems that authorities use to warn people in a specific area directly – for example, during extreme weather. For this guide, no officially verified source is available regarding the names, exact triggering conditions, range and technology of these systems. Rather than speculate about details here, we say so openly: this topic belongs in its own, separately researched article. What you can do in the meantime: whenever an official warning appears on your phone, the same basic rule applies as for any other emergency – when in doubt, call 112.

If it's not an emergency: the right alternative

Not every urgent problem is a case for 112. A burst water pipe, a power cut in the house or a blocked drain at the weekend are annoying, but not an emergency call case – for that you need an emergency tradesman service. In the Business Directory Home, Garden & Services you'll find providers near you, without unnecessarily burdening the control centre.

A flu-like infection or a non-acute injury also belong in a doctor's surgery rather than an emergency call. Where you can find a German-speaking doctor on Mallorca is explained in our guide German Doctor Mallorca. And should the worst happen and a death occur, you'll find the necessary next steps in our guide Death Mallorca.

Most common mistakes when calling emergency services

• Searching for the right special number first, instead of dialling 112 directly. This costs time, which the control centre would take off your hands anyway.
• Not having an exact location ready, especially in scattered locations outside town centres.
• Hanging up too early, before the control centre has ended the call.
• Not calling at all out of uncertainty, because one believes they can't speak Spanish – yet SEIB 112 takes calls in German.
• Dialling 016 instead of 112 in cases of acute danger to life – even though 016 in this case immediately forwards to 112 itself, going directly through 112 loses no time.
• Prank calls or unnecessary calls to 112, which can delay real emergencies in the queue.

What happens afterwards?

After a genuine emergency, formalities often follow: a report to the police, a notification to the insurance company, and in the case of an accident, documentation for later claims. These steps are not time-critical – unlike the emergency call itself – and can be dealt with calmly through the relevant authorities. Where to start in these cases can be found in our linked guides on Denuncia, traffic accidents and, if necessary, the German Consulate Palma.

Checklist: Emergency call preparation on Mallorca

• Your own address noted in a readable form, visible for guests too
• Directions to the finca ready to hand, in case there is no clear address
• 112 kept in mind as the one number that counts in an emergency
• Aware that SEIB 112 also responds in German
• 900 112 100 known, in case someone in the household is hearing- or speech-impaired
• Precautionary documents and important contacts kept in one fixed place known to everyone

Conclusion

On Mallorca, in an emergency you only need to remember one number: the 112. It's free, available around the clock, and the Balearic control centre SEIB 112 also takes calls in German – a detail that can make all the difference in a moment of shock. For people with hearing or speech impairments, there's also the 900 112 100 via SMS, and for cases of violence against women, the confidential, nationwide 016. You don't need to know any more numbers than that – the control centre coordinates the rest. What really matters is preparation: an address you can read out over the phone, and the composure to simply make the call when it counts.

Official sources

• Real Decreto 903/1997, de 16 de junio, on access to the 112 emergency number — https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-1997-14058
• SEIB 112 – Servei d'Emergències de les Illes Balears (Balearic Emergency Service) — https://www.caib.es
• BOE-A-2026-12295, Resolución of the Delegación del Gobierno contra la Violencia de Género on the 016 service — https://www.boe.es
• Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado — https://www.boe.es