SOS Norway
Hopefully, this is knowledge you won’t be needing during your stay, but if you do find yourself in a situation where you need medical or legal help, here’s what you need to know.
Norwegian emergency numbers differ from the UK, in that there are three separate numbers depending on what you need. For police, dial 112; for ambulance, dial 113; and if there’s a fire, it’s 110. Don’t worry, though – if you can only remember one of them, let them know what you need help with and they’ll put you through to the right place. English is spoken by all, so you don’t have to know what to ask for in Norwegian.
If you need medical assistance but you don’t quite need an ambulance, there are two general emergency rooms in Oslo, one centrally located at Storgata, and one at Aker Sykehus a bit further out from the city centre. The Storgata emergency room specialises in injuries. They both tend to illnesses, and once you get there, they will talk to you and determine the urgency of your issue, and then tell you where to wait and how long the wait is expected to be. Urgent issues are prioritised. To contact the emergency rooms in advance, or for questions, call +47 116117 or +47 23 48 72 00.
If you need the police, they can be seen walking, driving or riding horses along the streets, and are always happy to have a chat. If you need attention urgently, either call the emergency number or, if you’re in a place with security guards, let them know and they can contact the police for you.
If you need help with a stolen passport or any other issues for which you need the British Embassy, it can be found at Thomas Heftyes gate 8, 0244 Oslo, or you can call them on +47 23 13 27 00. Their hours are 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday.