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Emergency and crisis help

Medical on-call service 116117 (ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst)

  • Official
  • Non-profit
  • Free
Checked 5 Oct 2026

About this service

For illness that is urgent but not life-threatening when practices are closed: evenings, nights, weekends and public holidays. Call 116117 (free from German lines, 24/7) to be assessed and told where to go; a doctor can visit if you cannot leave home. You can also go straight to an on-call practice found with the online search, which also covers children. The phone line is in German only. Open to statutory and private patients; private patients receive an invoice. Life-threatening emergency: call 112.

  • Bereitschaftsdienst
  • out-of-hours
  • on-call practice
  • Bereitschaftspraxis
  • home visit
  • children
  • night
  • weekend

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Sources

Last checked by our editors on 5 Oct 2026. Opening hours, appointments and fees change — please confirm on the official website before you go.

  1. Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (KBV) – Patientenservice 116117Official source
    Über den ärztlichen Bereitschaftsdienst (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 5 Oct 2026

    When to call 116117 vs 112; home visits; on-call practices; free; 24/7

  2. Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (KBV) – Patientenservice 116117Official source
    116117 – English (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 5 Oct 2026

    Phone service only available in German; online search for on-call practices by postcode

  3. Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (KBV) – Patientenservice 116117Official source
    Fragen und Antworten zum Patientenservice 116117 (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 5 Oct 2026

    Free from German landlines and mobiles; private patients treated and billed under GOÄ

  4. Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (KBV) – Patientenservice 116117Official source
    Bereitschaftspraxen suchen (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 5 Oct 2026
  5. Senatsverwaltung für Wissenschaft, Gesundheit und Pflege BerlinOfficial source
    Notdienste und Notfallnummern (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 5 Oct 2026

    Berlin list – Kassenärztlicher and Kinderärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst both 116117; links to KV Berlin

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