- Short code
- 18000
- Type
- Short dial code
- Operated by
- BT, as the Relay UK provider
- Cost
- Free
- Category
- Emergency and public services
- Verified
- 13 August 2026
What 18000 is for
Dial 18000 instead of 999 if you are using a textphone or the Relay UK app. You will see 'Emergency, which service? GA' on screen, then type which service you need.
An 18000 call uses the same location system as a 999 call, so the emergency services get your address from your landline provider or your position from the mobile network.
What it costs
Free. Free, like any other route to 999.
Call 18000 — how it works
- Textphone: dial 18000 and follow the prompts on screen.
- Relay UK app: tap the 999 button and confirm, then click ‘Join’ in the app window.
- It is faster than texting 999 with emergencySMS - use 18000 if you can.
Is 18000 safe, and is it spoofed?
A short code cannot be spoofed in the way an ordinary phone number can, because you are the one starting the conversation. The risk runs the other way: fraudsters send texts that claim to be from a service like this one and ask you to reply or tap a link.
If a text or call is trying to rush you, threaten you, or get a password, one-time code or payment out of you, it is a scam whatever number it shows. Read our guide to the UK number ranges scammers use and how to spot a smishing text, and forward anything suspicious free to 7726.
Where this came from
We do not guess short codes. Every entry in this directory was checked against the organisation that runs the code, or against gov.uk or the regulator:
Checked against these sources on 13 August 2026. Short codes and their charges do change — if the operator’s page now says something different, believe the operator.
Checking an ordinary number instead
Short codes are not in Ofcom’s numbering data — only full UK numbers are. If it is a normal 01, 02, 03, 07, 08 or 09 number you want to identify, put it into the phone number checker and you will get its type, its area and the provider Ofcom allocated the range to.
Other UK short codes
All verified UK short codes › · UK area codes › · UK network operators ›