Four new Eu(III) coordination polymers with sulfobenzenedicarboxylates, [Eu(4-sp)(H₂O)₂]_n (1), [Eu(4-sp)(phen)(H₂O)]_n (2), {[Eu(2-stp)(phen)(H₂O)]·H₂O}_n (3) and [Eu(5-sip)(phen)(H₂O)]_n (4) (4-sp = 4-sulfophthalate anion, 2-stp = 2-sulfoterephthalate anion, 5-sip = 5-sulfoisophthalate anion, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) were synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and characterized by single-crystal diffraction. The results of structural analysis show that in each Eu(III) coordination polymer there is only one crystallographically independent Eu(III) ion and one sulfobenzenedicarboxylate anion, and the number of sulfobenzenedicarboxylate ligands (A) that surround one Eu(III) ion is the same as the number of Eu(III) ions (B) coordinated by one sulfobenzenedicarboxylate anion. The connection modes (A, B) of 1–4 are (5, 5), (4, 4), (3, 3) and (4, 4) for 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. The Schläfli symbols of the title complexes are (4⁸, 6²) for 1, (4, 6⁵) for 2, (10³) for 3 and (4², 6³, 8) for 4. Their red emissions are also discussed.