Emergency numbers in Cyprus: 112
Call 112 for an ambulance, the police or the fire service anywhere in the Republic of Cyprus. The call is free. Ambulances are run by the State Health Services Organisation (SHSO); its Ambulance Control Centre direct line is 22887171, but 112 is the number to use. Sources: SHSO, Visit Cyprus (accessed 2026-10-09).
112: the single emergency number
Call 112 (the EU-wide number) for police, fire and ambulance. It is free. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, texting 112 is not a confirmed option. Secondary sources list SMS to 8112 and fax to 1408 or 1409 for users with disabilities; check with Cyprus Police before relying on them. A real-time-text 112 service is planned. The call is handled by the police, who dispatch the appropriate service: police (Astynomia), fire brigade (Pyrosvestiki Ypiresia), or the ambulance service. The Ambulance Control Centre direct line is 22887171 (24h); prefer 112 in an emergency. In an emergency, the ambulance response and transport to a public or private A&E department is free of charge; non-emergency transport to private centres is charged. In practice, for medical emergencies the most important information to have ready: your exact address (include landmark references since rural addresses can be difficult to locate by number alone), the nature of the emergency, the patient's approximate age, and whether they are conscious and breathing.
Ambulance response times and coverage
The Ambulance Service of the State Health Services Organisation (SHSO) operates Cyprus's ambulance service. No official response-time statistics are published, so response times vary with distance and location. Response is slower in remote and mountain villages. If you live in a rural area, it is worth knowing where your nearest A&E is and having the address ready to give to the 112 operator, who can direct the ambulance rather than having it navigate independently.
Which hospitals have 24-hour A&E
Each major district has at least one 24-hour A&E, and the coverage between public and private hospitals overlaps in most areas. Public hospital A&E departments: Nicosia General Hospital (Λευκωσία), Limassol General Hospital (Limassol city), Larnaca General Hospital (Larnaca city), Paphos General Hospital (Paphos town), and Famagusta General Hospital (Paralimni, serving the eastern Famagusta district). Private hospitals with 24-hour A&E capability include Mediterranean Hospital in Limassol (the largest private hospital in Cyprus, trauma-capable), Apollonion Hospital in Nicosia, and St. George's Hospital in Larnaca. Private hospitals can have shorter waiting times for non-critical A&E presentations but charge more; ask about the attendance fee before treatment. For genuine emergencies, go to the nearest A&E regardless of public or private; for non-critical urgent care that is not appropriate for a GP, private A&E or an urgent-care clinic is typically faster and more comfortable.
What to bring and what to expect
For any A&E visit in Cyprus, bring: your ARC or Yellow Slip, your GeSY HIO card or beneficiary number, any relevant private health insurance card or policy number, and a list of your current medications. Public A&E operates on triage: genuine emergencies are seen immediately, non-critical presentations wait. Public hospital A&E waiting times for non-critical cases can reach 3–5 hours on busy evenings and weekends, which is comparable to UK NHS experience. If you have GeSY coverage, the public A&E co-payment is €10 per visit. If you do not yet have GeSY (new arrivals in their first weeks), public A&E charges a fee that varies by treatment; ask the hospital. The clinical standard at the major public hospitals has improved substantially since GeSY's introduction, which brought performance incentives. For children: Makarios Hospital in Nicosia is the main pediatric facility, with Limassol and Paphos General hospitals also having pediatric departments.
Air ambulance and serious trauma
For life-threatening trauma, major road accidents, serious falls and severe cardiac events in rural areas, air ambulance is dispatched by the emergency services for appropriate cases; it is not user-initiated. For international medical evacuation, if a patient requires treatment that is not available in Cyprus (specialized neurosurgery, severe burns requiring a specialist unit), the standard destination is Athens or Tel Aviv (both under 1.5 hours by air), and the coordination goes through the GeSY emergency services or private medical evacuation insurance. Private medical evacuation insurance covering repatriation to your home country is sold by Cyprus insurance brokers (ask for a quote) and is worth considering if you have a pre-existing condition that might require specialist care not available in Cyprus.