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Emergencies in Iceland: 112, the police and your embassy

Last updated: 11 November 2026

Prepared by Ring Road Cars at Keflavík Airport and checked against the official sources listed at the end of this page.

Three Icelandic sheep standing on a gravel road lined with yellow marker posts, grassy hills behind

Short answer

Call 112 for the police, an ambulance, the fire service or search and rescue anywhere in Iceland, day and night; if you are unsure whether it is an emergency, call anyway. You can also reach 112 through the 112 Iceland app, which sends your location, or by web chat on 112.is. For a health problem that is not an emergency, call 1700 (+354 513 1700 from a foreign phone). After an accident in one of our cars, call the police (112 in an emergency), then us on +354 779 9499, day and night. For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your embassy or consulate: the table below lists the missions that cover Iceland, checked 10 and 11 November 2026.

112: police, ambulance, fire and rescue

Iceland has one emergency number, 112, answered 24 hours a day, all year. It sends the police, ambulances, fire services, ICE-SAR search and rescue teams, the Coast Guard and others. Its own advice: if you are in doubt whether to contact 112, contact 112.

  • 112 Iceland app (iPhone and Android): contact 112 without calling. A simple menu helps you explain by text what is happening, and as soon as the app reaches the emergency operator it sends your location with the details you saved in the app (112 Iceland).
  • Web chat: start a chat with an emergency operator on 112.is. The app and the chat can also send photos and help with translation.
  • Text message (SMS): you can text 112, but 112 Iceland says it works only to a more limited degree, so call or use the app if you can.
  • If 112 won't connect from a phone in Iceland, call +354 599 0112. Always try 112 first: calls to the backup number are handled as ordinary calls, without the priority of 112 (112 Iceland).

On the phone with 112

Don't hang up: the emergency operator decides when they have enough information. Say where you are as precisely as you can, such as the road number and the nearest place or landmark.

Other useful numbers

Useful numbers in Iceland (checked 10 and 11 November 2026)
What forNumberGood to know
Health advice, not an emergency1700 (+354 513 1700 from a foreign phone)Heilsuvera's phone service, 24/7
Police, not an emergencySuðurnes, around Keflavík Airport: +354 444 2200; capital area: +354 444 1000Every police district has its own number (list, in Icelandic). In an emergency, call 112.
Road and weather conditions1777Vegagerðin's line, 06:30–22:00 every day; umferdin.is at any time
Your Ring Road Cars rental+354 779 9499Phone or WhatsApp, day and night: accidents, breakdowns, anything about the car

Seeing a doctor: for health problems that are not emergencies, go to the nearest health center (heilsugæsla); Heilsuvera's Health Services Map shows where they are. In the capital area, the after-hours clinic Læknavaktin sees patients in the evening and at weekends. If you are not sure where to go, call 1700.

Medicines: a pharmacy is an apótek. If you have lost your prescribed medicines or run short, a pharmacy can help and, if needed, sends you to the nearest health center (Heilsuvera).

Safetravel: travel plan and alerts

Safetravel is Iceland's travel-safety site, run by ICE-SAR, the national volunteer search and rescue association.

  • Travel plan: before a long drive, a highland trip or a hike, leave a travel plan with someone who can react. It holds what ICE-SAR, Iceland's search and rescue, needs to start a search if something happens: your route and dates, an emergency contact and your equipment.
  • Alerts: check the alerts on safetravel.is and the road conditions before you set off.
  • Apps: the 112 Iceland app is the one for emergencies. The Safetravel app lets hikers send their GPS location to 112.

After a road accident

  1. Stop and make the scene safe. Iceland's Traffic Act requires everyone involved in an accident to stop, whether or not it was their fault, and to help anyone injured (Act No. 77/2019, article 14). Switch on your hazard lights and keep everyone away from the traffic.
  2. Call 112 if anyone is hurt or in danger. When someone is injured, the police must be told. Our rental terms ask you to tell the police (112 in an emergency) and us immediately after any accident, and to stay at the scene until the police arrive or say they won't come, or we tell you that you may leave (clause 19).
  3. Call us on +354 779 9499, day and night, by phone or WhatsApp.
  4. If another vehicle is involved, exchange names and addresses, take photos, and fill in the accident statement together: both drivers sign it, and you send it to us at once (clause 19). The form and an online report are on Report an accident.
  5. Don't arrange a tow or repairs yourself, apart from changing a wheel or an emergency repair needed for safety. Call us first: we arrange the help (clauses 20 and 50).

What happens next, breakdowns and who pays what: Accident & breakdown.

If you hit a sheep or another animal

You can expect livestock on or beside Iceland's roads: usually sheep, sometimes horses or cows. Safetravel warns that a lamb on one side of the road and a sheep on the other will likely run to each other as a car approaches, so slow down early.

  1. Stop where it is safe and switch on your hazard lights. Don't put yourself in danger on the road.
  2. Tell the police without delay: call 112 if anyone is hurt or the road is blocked, or otherwise the local police number above. Our rental terms require damage involving animals to be reported to the police and to us without delay (clause 19).
  3. Call us on +354 779 9499 and take photos of the car and the scene.

Iceland's Traffic Act also says that anyone involved in a road accident who has damaged someone else's property, with no one there to take their details, must tell the owner or the police as soon as possible (article 14).

No cover option includes damage involving animals

Under our rental terms, no waiver, at any cover level, covers damage caused by or involving animals (clause 36), so the cost of repairing the car is not covered. Slow down whenever you see animals near the road.

Embassies and consulates

Your embassy or consulate is the place to turn to for a lost or stolen passport, an arrest, a serious accident or illness, or a death. Ring Road Cars is a car rental company and can't give consular help. Many countries have no embassy in Reykjavík and cover Iceland from Oslo, Copenhagen or Stockholm, some with an honorary consulate in Reykjavík.

Embassies and consulates covering Iceland (checked 10 and 11 November 2026)
CountryMission covering IcelandPhoneEmergencies
United StatesEmbassy in Reykjavík Consular services by appointment, requested through the Consular Navigator.+354 595 2200+354 595 2248 (outside office hours)
United KingdomEmbassy in Reykjavík No phone number is published: use the contact form on GOV.UK, also in an emergency.Contact form only+44 20 7008 5000 (FCDO London, 24 hours, for family and friends in the UK)
CanadaEmbassy in Reykjavík+354 575 6500+1 613 996 8885 (Ottawa, 24/7, collect calls where available); 800 8042 (toll-free from Iceland)
China (mainland)Embassy in Reykjavík+354 527 6688+354 416 0128 (consular protection, emergencies only); +86 10 12308 (foreign ministry, 24/7)
Hong KongChinese Embassy in Reykjavík; Hong Kong Immigration Department+354 527 6688 (Chinese Embassy)+852 1868 (Immigration Department, 24 hours); +354 416 0128 (consular protection, emergencies only)
TaiwanTaipei Representative Office in Denmark, Copenhagen (also covers Iceland)+45 33 93 51 52+45 20 76 04 66 (emergencies only); +886 800 085 095 (foreign ministry emergency line)
GermanyEmbassy in Reykjavík Emergency line outside office hours, at weekends and on public holidays, 08:00–00:00; text messages too.+354 530 1100+354 663 7800 (outside office hours)
AustriaEmbassy in Copenhagen (covers Iceland) The honorary consulate general in Reykjavík is temporarily closed.+45 39 29 41 41+43 1 90115 4411 (foreign ministry, 24/7)
SwitzerlandEmbassy in Stockholm (consular services for Iceland) The embassy in Oslo handles diplomatic relations.+41 58 465 33 33 (FDFA Helpline, 24/7)+41 800 24-7-365 (FDFA Helpline, 24/7)
FranceEmbassy in Reykjavík Emergency line for real emergencies only (accident, death, assault), not for lost or stolen documents.+354 546 0256+354 898 4531 (outside office hours)
BelgiumEmbassy in Oslo (covers Iceland) Emergency line for serious emergencies only.+47 23 23 92 20+47 95 20 01 74 (outside office hours)
SpainEmbassy in Oslo (covers Iceland) Honorary consulate in Reykjavík: by appointment, booked by email.+47 22 92 66 90 (consular section); +354 775 9221 (honorary consulate, Reykjavík)+47 922 47 979 (consular emergencies, 24 hours)
ItalyEmbassy in Oslo (covers Iceland) Honorary consul general in Reykjavík: Fridays 14:00–16:00 (UTC).+47 23 08 49 00; +354 698 1223 (honorary consulate, Reykjavík)+47 92 42 42 70 (outside office hours); +39 06 36225 (Crisis Unit, Rome)
MexicoEmbassy in Copenhagen (covers Iceland)+45 39 61 05 00; +45 39 29 57 44 (consular section); +354 545 1600 (honorary consulate, Reykjavík)—
ArgentinaEmbassy in Oslo (covers Iceland)+47 22 55 24 48+47 948 26 318 (on-call mobile)
ColombiaEmbassy in Stockholm (covers Iceland)+46 8 21 84 89 (consular section)—
ChileEmbassy in Oslo (covers Iceland)+47 22 44 89 55; +354 860 2288 (honorary consulate, Reykjavík)—

Not listed? Check your foreign ministry's website for the mission that covers Iceland. Register your trip where your country offers it: STEP (United States), Registration of Canadians Abroad (Canada), ELEFAND (Germany), Reiseregistrierung (Austria), Travel Admin (Switzerland), Fil d'Ariane (France), Travellers Online (Belgium), Registro de Viajeros (Spain) or Dove siamo nel mondo (Italy).

Numbers change

We checked every number in this table on 10 and 11 November 2026 on the embassy's or foreign ministry's own website or, for Mexico, Colombia and Chile, in the Government of Iceland's Diplomatic and Consular List (April 2026). If a number doesn't work, check the mission's website, and in an emergency in Iceland call 112.

Lost passport or driving license

Passport: if it was stolen, report the theft to the police and ask for a copy of the report. If you lost it, ask the police in the area where you lost it whether it has been handed in (lost property, in Icelandic). Then contact your embassy or consulate (table above) for a new passport or an emergency travel document. Austria's foreign ministry, for example, issues an emergency passport with a loss or theft report, a copy of the passport and a passport photo, and Hong Kong's Immigration Department advises asking the police for a copy of the report after a theft.

Driving license: Iceland's Traffic Act requires drivers to carry their license while driving and show it to the police on request (article 58), and only drivers named on the rental agreement may drive (rental terms 15). If a driver loses theirs, they shouldn't drive until they have it again; another named driver can take over. Tell us, and ask the authority that issued it about a replacement. At pickup, every driver must show the physical license: photos, scans and digital licenses are not accepted, and a driver without one may be refused (rental terms 3 and 4).

Questions about emergencies in Iceland

What is the emergency number in Iceland?

112, for the police, an ambulance, the fire service and search and rescue, 24 hours a day. If you are unsure whether it is an emergency, call 112 anyway. You can also contact 112 through the 112 Iceland app, which sends your location, or by web chat on 112.is.

Can I text 112 in Iceland?

Yes, but 112 Iceland says text messages work only to a more limited degree. If you can't talk, use the 112 Iceland app or the web chat on 112.is: both can send your location and photos and help with translation.

Is there a US, UK or Canadian embassy in Iceland?

Yes, all three are in Reykjavík. US Embassy: +354 595 2200, and +354 595 2248 outside business hours for an emergency involving a US citizen. British Embassy: no phone number is published; to reach it, also in an emergency, use the contact form on GOV.UK. Family or friends in the UK can call the Foreign Office in London on +44 20 7008 5000, 24 hours a day. Embassy of Canada: +354 575 6500; Global Affairs Canada's Emergency Watch and Response Centre answers +1 613 996 8885 at any time.

What should I do if I hit a sheep in Iceland?

Stop where it is safe, switch on your hazard lights and tell the police without delay: call 112 if anyone is hurt or the road is blocked. Then call us on +354 779 9499. Our rental terms require damage involving animals to be reported to the police and to us, and no cover option includes damage caused by or involving animals.

What do I do if I lose my passport in Iceland?

Report a theft to the police and ask for a copy of the report; for a lost passport, ask the police where you lost it whether it was handed in. Then contact your embassy or consulate for a new passport or an emergency travel document. Many countries cover Iceland from Oslo, Copenhagen or Stockholm, so check the table on this page.

Who do I call about a health problem that is not an emergency?

Call 1700, the health advice line, 24 hours a day (+354 513 1700 from a foreign phone), or go to the nearest health center (heilsugæsla). In an emergency, call 112.

Sources

The rental rules come from our rental terms (valid from 1 August 2026); the numbers and the law come from these official sources, and each embassy's details from the official page linked in the table or, for Mexico, Colombia and Chile, from the Government of Iceland's Diplomatic and Consular List (all checked 10 and 11 November 2026):

More help on the road