Emergency contacts and crisis planning for British residents in Saudi Arabia

Put these verified contacts on every family phone

• Saudi emergency services: 911 for ambulance, fire or police.
• No Saudi SIM: 112 in an emergency, according to current FCDO Saudi Arabia guidance.
• Urgent FCDO help from Saudi Arabia: use the official “Help abroad” contact service linked below. It routes requests for the British Embassy Riyadh.
• Urgent FCDO help for family in the UK: 020 7008 5000, 24 hours. From outside the UK, use +44 20 7008 5000.

Do not replace 911 with an employer, compound, insurer or embassy number. Those contacts can support the response, but they are not the emergency services. The Saudi Ministry of Interior describes 911 as the Unified Security Operations Centre number covering police and traffic, Civil Defence and other security services in Riyadh, Makkah and the Eastern Province; FCDO’s national guidance currently lists 911 for ambulance, fire and police. Because service arrangements can develop, verify the official FCDO page when updating your card.

Prepare the information an operator needs

Practise saying the location before anything else: city, district, street, building, flat or villa number, landmark and Saudi National Address or short address if available. Then state what happened, the number of people affected, immediate hazards, the patient’s condition and your callback number. Say if an English speaker or interpreter is needed. Send a live map pin to a trusted contact, building security or the responding service when requested.

Each household member should be able to unlock a phone, find the emergency card and describe the home address. Keep the same card in a wallet and near the front door. Add the employer security number, compound or building reception, insurer’s emergency line, nearest appropriate hospital and a trusted Saudi contact, but verify those locally rather than copying someone else’s list.

Medical emergency

Call 911 for an ambulance where there is immediate danger or serious illness. Give first aid only within your training and follow the operator’s instructions. Once help is moving, contact the insurer and employer if useful; do not delay emergency care while seeking routine pre-authorisation.

Take an Iqama or passport copy, insurance details, medicines list, allergies and a local contact if readily available. Keep medical reports, invoices, approvals and payment receipts. FCDO advises contacting your insurer in a serious incident; the insurer can explain policy support and required steps. Coverage and payment arrangements vary, so this is not a promise that a particular hospital or treatment will be funded.

Crime, arrest, road incidents and fire

For immediate danger, crime, a serious road incident or fire, call 911 and follow local instructions. Preserve evidence only when safe: note time and place, take photographs without obstructing responders, record report details and keep medical or repair papers. Do not publish images of casualties, security activity or official documents.

If arrested or detained, ask the authorities to notify the British Embassy and request consular assistance. Ask for a lawyer and an interpreter if needed, and do not sign a document you do not understand. FCDO can provide information and assess support, but it cannot get someone out of detention, override Saudi law, provide legal advice, investigate the case, pay lawyers or fines, or secure special treatment because the person is British.

For a missing person or a vulnerable person at risk, contact local police through 911 and give recent photographs, identification details, last known location, medical needs and phone information. Then inform family, employer security and FCDO where consular support may be appropriate.

Lost passport and urgent travel

Report a lost or stolen passport using the official UK process and make any local police report required. An emergency travel document is not a general replacement passport. GOV.UK says it may permit urgent travel from abroad when a British national cannot use a UK passport and cannot obtain a replacement in time; eligibility and the permitted journey are assessed under the current rules. Apply online and follow the instructions given. The British Embassy Riyadh is by appointment only, so do not assume walk-in access.

Plan for a wider crisis

FCDO travel advice can change quickly and currently contains regional warnings. Do not copy a warning map into a permanent family plan. Instead, bookmark the live Saudi Arabia advice and subscribe to email updates. Follow Saudi authority instructions, employer security messages and reliable news. Keep travel documents current and review departure options without waiting for a crisis to make basic preparations.

Agree one UK contact to relay updates so local phone capacity is not consumed by repeated calls. Set two check-in times and a fallback method such as SMS. Choose a meeting point near home and a second one outside the district. Keep a modest emergency supply appropriate to household needs, charged power banks, essential medicines obtained lawfully, drinking water, torches and copies of insurance and identity documents.

Create an offline emergency pack

• Printed emergency card in English and, where possible, Arabic.
• Passport and Iqama copies; never store an unprotected bundle publicly.
• Medication, allergy and emergency-contact list for each person.
• Insurer, employer security, school and accommodation contacts.
• Home address, map pin and two family meeting points.
• Encrypted digital backup accessible without a work account.