Make an emergency contact card your family can find

Keep the card short

Choose a primary family contact, a backup who has agreed to help, and relevant building or local service contacts. Record the country or area where the card is used. Confirm local emergency numbers with official local information; this template deliberately does not guess a number from a reader’s language or location.

Ask before sharing

Ask each person whether their number may appear on a card and who will receive it. Add their relationship or role in plain words. Keep identity numbers, financial details, door codes, and hidden-key locations off a general contact card. If a clinician provides a separate medical information document, store it according to their guidance.

Choose a useful place

Ask where your parent would look for the card. A designated drawer, wallet, or folder may work; a publicly visible location may expose details to visitors. Use a large readable copy where appropriate. Tell the agreed helpers where it is kept without sending a photograph to an unrestricted group.

Update and practise ordinary contact

Check the digits with the people listed and use an ordinary agreed family call if you want to practise finding a contact. Never call emergency services just to test the card. Date the copy, replace old versions after a number changes, and remember that a contact card cannot guarantee somebody will answer.

Use the worksheet for one real situation

Open the matching sheet below. Review the preparation checklist, then write the information your family needs in the labeled fields. Leave unknown details blank and record who can clarify them.

Print a blank copy to write by hand, or fill it in on this page before printing. Give the completed copy only to people your parent has agreed may see it. The checklist records preparation; it does not score safety or verify a medical decision.

Common questions