Hospitals in Berlin: Emergency Care Guide for Expats (2026)

Knowing which of the hospitals in Berlin to head for, and which number to dial first, is worth settling before you need it. Here is the honest version: what 112 and 116117 each really do, which emergency room (Rettungsstelle) takes walk-ins around the clock, the separate lines for children and poisonings, and how to find a pharmacy at 3am.

Before you choose between hospitals in Berlin, dial the right number

Dial 112 for anything acute and life threatening: chest pain, trouble breathing, heavy bleeding, unconsciousness, a serious accident, a fire. The Berliner Feuerwehr control room answers, the call is free from any phone, and the crew decides which of the hospitals in Berlin can treat what you have, which beats your own guess at 4am. For a crime in progress, dial 110.

Dial 116117 when you need a doctor today but nobody is dying: a fever that will not drop, a worsening infection, a cut that might need stitches. This is the statutory medical on-call service, free from a German phone contract and running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and Berlin’s health authority lists it for children too. It finds the nearest on-call practice (Bereitschaftspraxis) and can arrange a home visit. It does not cover teeth: the dental emergency line is (030) 89004-333.

Either way, the dispatcher works through the same list, so have the answers ready.

1. Where: district, street, house number, floor, landmark.
2. What happened, in a few plain words.
3. How many people, and what kind of injury or illness.
4. Who you are, with a callback number.

Charite: the university hospitals in Berlin for serious cases

Charite runs three campuses whose emergency departments are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. These are the hospitals in Berlin you want for major trauma, stroke, cardiac events and anything complicated. Walk in or arrive by ambulance; you are seen either way.

Expect triage, not a queue. The sickest go first, so a sprained ankle on a Saturday night can mean hours in a plastic chair. That is the system working, and exactly what 116117 exists to spare you.

Vivantes: your neighbourhood Rettungsstelle

Vivantes is the city owned hospital group and the workhorse of public healthcare here. For anything urgent but not catastrophic, the nearest Vivantes Rettungsstelle is the sensible destination, and closer than the university hospitals in Berlin. Three of the busiest, from Vivantes’ own contact pages:

Vivantes runs more emergency departments, including in Spandau, Wedding and Hellersdorf. Check the address on that hospital’s own page at vivantes.de, not a directory site: listings for hospitals in Berlin go stale.

Children, poison and mental health crises

Three situations have dedicated services, and using them beats turning up at a general emergency room. These are the numbers people only look up at 2am, so save them now.

For a child in genuine danger, dial 112 and skip everything else. Otherwise the children’s emergency rooms at Vivantes Neukolln and Friedrichshain are staffed for children specifically, very different from an adult waiting room. Find your district’s crisis number at berliner-krisendienst.de.

What treatment costs, and how insurance works

Health insurance is compulsory in Germany, and on statutory cover (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) emergency treatment at public hospitals in Berlin is paid for. You still owe the standard co-payments: 10 euros for each day of an inpatient stay, capped at 28 days per calendar year, and for patient transport 10 percent of the fare, minimum 5 euros and maximum 10 euros per trip.

If you are not insured yet, sort it now. English language German private cover comes from ottonova.de/en, newcomer and student packages from expatrio.com, and shorter term expat and travel medical cover from ektatraveling.com. Compare the deductible, whether transport and repatriation are included, and whether it counts as proof of insurance for your residence permit: not every travel policy does. EU visitors should carry an EHIC card.

One change to watch in 2026: the federal emergency care reform (Notfallreform) cleared cabinet on 22 April 2026 and had its first Bundestag reading on 9 July 2026. It is not law yet. It would create Integrierte Notfallzentren, pairing an emergency department with a statutory on-call practice and a shared triage desk at one address. Until then, the 112 and 116117 split is how the hospitals in Berlin decide who is seen where.

Night pharmacies, and being reachable at all

Pharmacies keep shop hours, but Berlin runs a rotating night and weekend duty roster, so one is always open near you. Find tonight’s by postcode on the Apothekerkammer Berlin Notdienstfinder at akberlin.de, or at aponet.de, which searches two weeks ahead. Any closed pharmacy posts tonight’s duty pharmacy on its door.

None of this helps if your phone has no signal on day one, the quietest hole in most people’s plans. A travel eSIM activated before you fly means you can dial 112 and reach the hospitals in Berlin the moment you land: airalo.com and saily.com both sell Germany plans. The caveat is that data-only eSIMs give no callable German number, and every service here asks for a callback, so add a German SIM once you are settled.

Frequently Asked Questions

What number do I call for an ambulance in Berlin?

Dial 112 from any phone. It is free, reaches the Berliner Feuerwehr control room, and the crew picks the hospital. For a crime call 110; for a doctor today that is not life threatening, call 116117.

Which hospitals in Berlin have 24 hour emergency rooms?

Charite runs emergency departments at Campus Charite Mitte, Campus Virchow-Klinikum and Campus Benjamin Franklin, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Vivantes runs Rettungsstellen across the city, including Neukolln, Friedrichshain and Am Urban. Addresses and numbers are in the tables above.

Can I use hospitals in Berlin without German health insurance?

In a genuine emergency you are treated first and the billing is sorted afterwards. That does not make it free: without cover you are personally liable for the invoice. Residents must hold statutory or private insurance by law, and EU visitors should carry an EHIC card.

Do doctors in Berlin emergency rooms speak English?

Usually yes at the Charite and Vivantes sites listed here, especially among younger doctors, but not guaranteed at reception or overnight. Carry a written note in German with your medications, allergies, conditions and insurer.

How do I find a pharmacy open at night in Berlin?

Berlin pharmacies rotate a night and weekend duty roster. Search by postcode at akberlin.de or aponet.de, which covers the coming fortnight, or read the notice on any closed pharmacy’s door.

Expat Essentials for Berlin

A few quick wins make settling into Berlin easier while you work through this guide. An Airalo eSIM keeps you online from the moment you land, a pre-booked Welcome Pickups transfer takes the stress out of arrival day, and NordVPN protects your logins on public wifi. See our full list of trusted services below.

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Written by FinePassport team