What should I do if I cannot find a doctor in Germany or have an emergency?

Use the right number for the situation:

• 112 – life-threatening emergencies (ambulance and fire service). Free, 24/7, works from any phone.
• 116117 – the on-call medical service (ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst) for illnesses that cannot wait until the next day but are not life-threatening, outside normal practice hours. Free with a German phone contract, 24/7. The same service runs the online appointment service for people with statutory insurance and a nationwide practice search at 116117.de.
• Notaufnahme (hospital emergency department) – for urgent cases; expect long waits for non-urgent problems.

If no practice accepts new patients:

• try the appointment service on 116117.de or by phone; practices must reserve some slots for it;
• ask your health insurer (Krankenkasse) for a list of practices taking new patients;
• go to a practice early in the morning as a walk-in ("offene Sprechstunde"), which many general practitioners offer;
• for acute problems, use a Bereitschaftspraxis (on-call practice, often attached to a hospital) in the evening or at weekends.

Take your insurance card (or, for private insurance, your policy details) and a list of your medication. For dental emergencies there is a separate dental on-call service listed on 116117.de.

Source: 116117.de (Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung).