What Is the 113 Phone Number? Meaning by Country
113 is a short phone number whose meaning depends on the country: the State Police in Italy, the police in Vietnam and Slovenia, the ambulance in Norway, the fire brigade in Indonesia, the suicide prevention line in the Netherlands, and NTT's line-fault service in Japan. It only works inside each of those countries.
In an emergency, dial the local emergency number. 112 works from mobile phones across the EU and in many other countries; in the US and Canada dial 911, in the UK 999. If you are in the Netherlands and having thoughts of suicide, call 113 or 0800-0113 (free) or chat at 113.nl.
Who answers when you dial 113
| Country | What 113 connects to | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | Polizia di Stato (State Police) emergency line | Free, 24/7. In regions where the European single emergency number 112 (NUE) is live, a call to 113 is answered by the same 112 centre and passed to the police. |
| Slovenia | Police emergency | 112 is used for fire, ambulance and rescue. |
| Norway | Medical emergency (ambulance) | 110 is fire, 112 is police. |
| Vietnam | Police | 114 is fire, 115 is ambulance. |
| Indonesia | Fire brigade (Pemadam Kebakaran) | 110 is police; 112 is the general emergency number. |
| Netherlands | 113 Zelfmoordpreventie – suicide prevention line | Not police. Also reachable free on 0800-0113 and by chat at 113.nl. Emergencies: 112. |
| Taiwan | 113 protection hotline (domestic violence, sexual assault, child and elder abuse) | 110 is police, 119 is fire and ambulance. |
| Peru | Línea 113 – Ministry of Health (MINSA) health advice line | Not police: Peru's police number is 105 and the fire brigade is 116. |
| Japan | NTT landline fault reporting (repair) service | Not an emergency number: 110 is police, 119 is fire and ambulance. |
Need the emergency details (Italy's 112 vs 113, what to say, what tourists should dial)? See the 113 emergency number guide.
113 help lines that are not emergency dispatch
- Netherlands – 113 Zelfmoordpreventie (113 Suicide Prevention): free, anonymous conversations by phone (113 or 0800-0113) and by chat at 113.nl, for anyone with thoughts of suicide and for people worried about someone else.
- Taiwan – 113 protection hotline: for reporting domestic violence, sexual assault and abuse of children or elderly people.
- Peru – Línea 113 Salud: the Ministry of Health's line for health information and guidance.
- Japan – 113 (NTT): reports faults on NTT East/NTT West landlines.
Numbers that start with 113
A common source of confusion is a longer number that begins with 113. Here is how to read it:
| What you see | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 113 (exactly three digits) | A national short number – see the table above |
| +113 … | Not valid: no country code 113 exists (why) |
| (113) … in the US or Canada | Not valid: area codes can't start with 1 (why) |
| 113 followed by more digits | An ordinary national number or a mistyped one – check the full number including the country code |
Where 113 is not a service number
| Country | Dial instead (113 is not used) |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 999 or 112 (police non-emergency 101, NHS 111) |
| United States & Canada | 911 |
| Spain | 112 (National Police 091) |
| Germany | 110 police, 112 fire/ambulance |
| France | 112, or 17 for police |
| Russia | 112, or 102 for police |
| Malaysia | 999 (112 also works from mobiles) |
| Australia | 000 (112 also works from mobiles) |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 113 phone number?
113 is a three-digit short number whose meaning depends on the country: State Police in Italy, police in Vietnam and Slovenia, ambulance in Norway, fire brigade in Indonesia, the suicide prevention line in the Netherlands, a protection hotline in Taiwan, a health advice line in Peru and NTT's line-fault service in Japan. In the UK, US and most other countries 113 is not assigned to a public service.
Which country uses 113 for the police?
Italy (Polizia di Stato), Vietnam and Slovenia use 113 for the police. The single European emergency number 112 also reaches the police in Italy and Slovenia.
What does a phone number starting with 113 mean?
Only the three-digit number 113 on its own is a special number. A longer number that merely begins with 113 is an ordinary number in some national plan, or an incomplete number. It is not a country code (there is no +113) and not a US or Canadian area code (area codes cannot start with 1).
Which area code should I use if a phone number starts with 113?
Do not add an area code in front of 113 when it is a three-digit service number – dial it exactly as written, inside the country where it applies. If a longer number begins with 113, check where it came from: you may be missing a country code or the digits may have been mistyped.
I received a call or text from 113. Who is it?
Emergency services generally do not phone people from their emergency number, so a call displaying 113 is unusual. It may be a service message from your own mobile operator or a spoofed caller ID. Do not share passwords, verification codes or bank details; if in doubt, contact the organisation through its official website.
Is 113 free to call?
Emergency and public help-line numbers such as 113 in Italy, Vietnam, Norway, Slovenia, Indonesia and the Netherlands are free to call. Operator service numbers such as NTT's 113 in Japan may follow the operator's own terms.