Choose the right help
in 30 seconds.
Get away from immediate danger first. Then match the situation to the service that owns it—police, fire, ambulance, traffic police, immigration, your embassy, carrier or bank.
Move to a safe, staffed place if you can do so without increasing risk. Call the appropriate emergency number—or show this screen to someone nearby and ask them to call.
Show bilingual help card ↓It does not diagnose symptoms, dispatch help, file a police report, replace a passport or secure an account. Use it to reach the correct official service. Never enter a passport number, bank details, password or verification code here.
Five numbers, five different jobs
The official government emergency guide lists 110, 119, 120 and 122 as nationwide emergency calls. Give the exact location or nearest landmark first, then what happened and a callback number.
Crime or immediate safety threat
Assault, robbery, theft, fighting or another situation needing police intervention.
Call 110Fire, smoke or fire rescue
Move away from danger. State the fire situation and exact location without exaggerating or withholding details.
Call 119Urgent medical help
Request first aid or an ambulance. State the location, visible symptoms and how many people need help.
Call 120Road collision
Request traffic-police help and report the collision location. Use 120 as well when urgent medical help is needed.
Call 122Passport, visa or stay-document advice
NIA’s 24/7 immigration service supports English and additional languages. It is not a substitute for 110, 119 or 120.
Call 12367- 1Exact address, station, hotel or nearest landmark
- 2Police, fire, ambulance or traffic help needed
- 3What is visible now—do not guess a diagnosis
- 4Number of people and a reachable callback number
Do not use a travel page to decide whether a symptom is serious
If urgent first aid or ambulance transport may be needed, call 120 or ask someone nearby to call. Do not delay an emergency call while searching for an English-speaking hospital, checking insurance or collecting documents.
- 01
Call from the safest exact location
Give the street address, hotel, station exit, attraction entrance or nearest visible landmark. Share floor, room or gate when relevant.
- 02
Describe what is visible
Say whether the person is conscious and breathing, visible bleeding, injury or other observable symptoms. Do not invent a diagnosis.
- 03
Follow the dispatcher
Keep the line available and follow instructions from the emergency operator. Send someone to meet responders when it is safe.
- 04
Bring support details only if ready
Passport or replacement ID, medicines list, allergies, insurer contact and a payment backup can help later, but should not delay emergency care.
Protect people first, then preserve facts
Leave immediate danger
Move toward staff, security, a police post, open business or another populated place when doing so is safe. Call 110. Do not pursue a suspected thief.
Move out, then call 119
Use marked exits and follow venue staff or firefighters. Do not return for luggage, documents or a phone.
Call 122; add 120 if needed
Report the exact road location and visible injuries. Avoid moving an injured person unless the scene itself creates immediate danger or the dispatcher directs it.
Keep a factual record
Save the time, place, police-report reference, visible damage and official contact details. Hide sensitive data before sharing evidence with an insurer or provider.
Three authorities, in a fixed order
NIA’s visitor guidance separates the loss report, replacement travel document and China immigration-document step. Your embassy controls your country’s passport or emergency travel document; Chinese exit-entry administration controls the local loss and visa/stay process.
Share passport copies, police documents and replacement-document details only through the official authority or embassy channel that requires them. Remove document numbers from public posts and group chats.
Lock the device, isolate the number, then secure money
A lost phone can also contain the number used for verification, payment apps, email, bookings and a password manager. Use a trusted device and private browsing where possible; sign out when finished.
- 01
Mark the phone as lost or lock it
Use Apple Find My or Android Find Hub if it was enabled. Add a safe alternate contact, not sensitive information. Device locations can be approximate—do not follow a map pin into danger.
- 02
Report theft safely
If theft is suspected, call 110 and provide the device location, serial or IMEI only to police, the carrier or the official device provider—not to a stranger claiming it was found.
- 03
Contact the carrier
Ask the carrier controlling the lost SIM or eSIM to suspend service or provide its current replacement route. This helps reduce misuse of calls, messages and verification codes.
- 04
Secure payment and primary email
Contact the payment platform and each card issuer through an official website or known number. Review account activity and protect the email account that can reset other services.
- 05
Erase only after the recovery decision
Remote erasure is irreversible and can stop future location access. Follow the device maker’s current instructions; do not remove an Apple device from Find My merely because a message asks you to.
Use the mission belonging to your nationality
Your own government decides what consular help and replacement travel documents it can provide. Find its official embassy or consulate website, check which mission covers your current province or municipality, and use the mission’s published emergency contact.
- Replacement passport or emergency travel document
- Nationality-specific welfare and consular guidance
- Contact with family where its policy allows
- A local lawyer, translator or medical-provider list
- 110, 119, 120 or 122 emergency response
- Chinese police reports or investigations
- NIA visa, stay or exit-document decisions
- Your bank, carrier, insurer or booking provider
Important: China’s “12308” consular protection service is for Chinese citizens overseas. A foreign visitor in China should contact their own country’s official mission.
Bilingual phrases for immediate help
Point to the relevant line. Add the exact address or nearest landmark in writing.
I need help. Please call the police.
Wǒ xūyào bāngzhù. Qǐng bāng wǒ bàojǐng.Please call an ambulance. The address is: ________.
Qǐng jiào jiùhùchē. Dìzhǐ shì: ________.There is a fire here. The address is: ________.
Zhèlǐ fāshēng huǒzāi. Dìzhǐ shì: ________.My passport is lost. Where is the exit-entry administration?
Wǒ de hùzhào diū le. Qǐngwèn chūrùjìng guǎnlǐ bùmén zài nǎlǐ?I do not speak Chinese. Please help me contact someone who speaks English.
Wǒ bú huì shuō Zhōngwén. Qǐng bāng wǒ liánxì huì shuō Yīngyǔ de rén.Print one recovery card
WHERE I AM
Hotel / address / landmark:
________________________________City / district:
________________________________MY OFFICIAL CONTACTS
Embassy / consulate:
________________________________Insurer assistance:
________________________________DEVICE + MONEY
Carrier official support:
________________________________Card issuer official support:
________________________________TRUSTED CONTACT
Name and safe contact method:
________________________________Accommodation front desk:
________________________________Do not write passwords, verification codes, full card numbers, CVV, complete passport details or a precise full itinerary on this card.
Emergency help FAQ
Which emergency number should a foreign visitor call in mainland China?
Call 110 for police help involving assault, theft or another crime; 119 for fire; 120 for first aid or an ambulance; and 122 for traffic-police help after a road collision. The official Beijing government guide describes these as nationwide emergency numbers. Immigration hotline 12367 is for immigration-administration advice, not an emergency substitute.
Will a mainland China emergency operator speak English?
Do not rely on English being available. Start with the service needed, the exact location or nearest landmark, what happened and a callback number. Show the bilingual phrases on this page to a nearby staff member or bystander if you cannot make the call yourself.
What should I do if my passport is lost in China?
Report the loss promptly and contact the local public-security exit-entry administration for the loss-report route. Then contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in China for a replacement passport or emergency travel document. After receiving the new document, ask the local exit-entry administration what visa or stay-document step applies. Call 12367 for current immigration-administration guidance.
Should I erase a lost phone immediately?
Lock or mark the device as lost first when the official Apple or Android recovery service is available. Remote erasure is irreversible and can end further location access. If recovery is unlikely, follow the device maker’s current erase instructions, then contact the carrier and the providers controlling payment and account access.
Should I follow a lost phone’s map pin by myself?
No. Device locations can be approximate or out of date. Do not confront anyone or enter an unsafe place. If theft is suspected, preserve the device location and identifying information for police and call 110 from a safe place.
Official routes checked for this page
Reviewed 22 August 2026. Phone numbers, local procedures, language availability and mission contacts can change. The responsible authority or provider remains the final source.
- Beijing Government — Emergency NumbersNationwide 110, 119, 120 and 122 descriptions and location-first call guidance.
- Ministry of Commerce guide — How to Get Help in Case of EmergenciesPolice, fire, first aid and immediate passport-loss reporting.
- National Immigration Administration — Damaged & Lost PassportLoss certificate, own-country mission, replacement document and follow-on immigration step.
- National Immigration Administration — 12367 multilingual service24/7 English and multilingual immigration-administration support.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Foreign consular institutions in ChinaDirectory route; confirm emergency contacts on the visitor’s own government website.
- Apple Support — How to find a lost iPhone or iPadFind My, Lost Mode, carrier contact, phishing warning and irreversible erase boundary.
- Android Help — Find, secure or erase a lost Android deviceFind Hub conditions, approximate location, lock and irreversible erase boundary.