Emergency Numbers and Duty Pharmacies
North Cyprus's official emergency numbers (112 ambulance, 155 police, 199 fire and more) confirmed against official sources, why numbers you know from Turkey don't apply, and how the duty-pharmacy rotation works with the KTEB daily lookup.
North Cyprus has its own set of short emergency numbers. They differ from the ones you may know from Turkey, and the Republic of Cyprus in the south runs a separate system — the list below applies in the north. Save these to your phone; this page is worth printing.
Official emergency numbers
All of these are published by the TRNC Police General Directorate; 112/155/199/177/101 are also confirmed by the Public Information Office:
- 112 — Emergency (ambulance / medical)
- 155 — Police
- 156 — Narcotics
- 199 — Fire brigade
- 177 — Forest fire
- 101 — Civil defence
- 158 — Coast guard
- 188 — Electricity faults (Kıb-Tek; general call centre 0392 600 09 60 — source: Kıb-Tek regional contact page)
No separate traffic line: the Police General Directorate does not publish a dedicated traffic number — lines such as Turkey's 154 do not operate here. Report everything police-related, including traffic accidents, to 155. The fire brigade (199) operates under the Police General Directorate.
There is no island-north-wide short number for water faults; municipalities handle these through their own switchboards. Nicosia's Turkish Municipality is reported to run a separate 24/7 line (185); confirm the current arrangement with your own municipality.
Regional police directorates
Source: Police General Directorate contact page:
- Headquarters — tel +90 392 228 3411 / +90 548 811 2000
- Nicosia (Lefkoşa) — tel +90 392 228 3311 / +90 548 811 3000
- Famagusta (Gazimağusa) — tel +90 392 366 5310 / +90 548 811 4000
- Kyrenia (Girne) — tel +90 392 815 2125 / +90 548 811 5000
- Güzelyurt — tel +90 392 714 2140 / +90 548 811 6000
- İskele — tel +90 392 371 2333 / +90 548 811 7000
Numbers can change; verify the current ones on the directorate's page.
Hospital emergency rooms
In a medical emergency call 112; state hospitals run 24/7 emergency departments. For hospital contact details and how the state/private split works, see the Student Health guide — the hospital information there applies to non-students too.
The duty-pharmacy system
Outside working hours and on public holidays, medicine access runs through duty pharmacies ("nöbetçi eczane"): in each region, pharmacies take turns staying open on a rotation.
The Turkish Cypriot Pharmacists Association (KTEB) publishes each day's
duty pharmacies for every region (Nicosia, Kyrenia, Famagusta, Güzelyurt,
Lefke, Upper and Lower Mesarya, İskele, Karpaz) on a single page:
kteb.org/dp — with the pharmacy's name,
hours, phone, address and map location. The site is in Turkish but the daily
cards are easy to read, and there is a mobile app on Google Play (package:
com.kteb.dutypharmacy.kteb_app).
There is no uniform timetable; hours depend on the region and the season. A summer-period example: duty pharmacies in Nicosia, Famagusta, Kyrenia and Güzelyurt run 08:00–24:00; Lefke runs 08:00–22:00 (on-call after that); İskele 08:00–22:00; Karpaz keeps weekend/holiday duty 08:00–20:00. In areas without a rotation, pharmacies open weekdays 08:00–19:00 and Saturdays 08:00–16:00, and close on Sundays. Check the current table on KTEB's working-hours page.
Keep on hand
FAQ
What number do I call for an ambulance in North Cyprus?
Dial 112 for emergency medical help and ambulances. The number is published on the TRNC Police General Directorate's and the Public Information Office's official pages.
Do Turkish or Republic of Cyprus emergency numbers work in the north?
Don't carry numbers over from elsewhere. North Cyprus publishes its own list; Turkey's 154 traffic line, for example, does not operate here — all police matters including traffic go to 155. The south runs a separate system, so use the list on this page while in the north.
How do I find the duty (on-call) pharmacy?
The Turkish Cypriot Pharmacists Association (KTEB) publishes each day's duty pharmacies for every region at kteb.org/dp, with name, hours, phone and address, and offers a mobile app on Google Play.
What hours are duty pharmacies open?
There is no single schedule — hours vary by region and season. In summer, for example, duty pharmacies in Nicosia, Famagusta, Kyrenia and Güzelyurt run 08:00–24:00, while Lefke and İskele run 08:00–22:00. Check KTEB's working-hours page for the current table.
Who do I call about a power cut or electrical fault?
Kıb-Tek, the electricity authority, runs the 188 fault line; its general call centre is 0392 600 09 60, per Kıb-Tek's regional contact page.
Legal note: This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Confirm current details with the relevant authority before acting.