Travel vaccinations: which jabs you need and where to get them

Which travel vaccinations you need depends on the country and the area you visit within it, says the NHS, which asks you to get advice at least 4 to 6 weeks before you go. Cholera, hepatitis A, polio and typhoid are free at a GP surgery; hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, rabies and yellow fever are paid for.

For the list per country, the NHS page on travel jabs sends readers to TravelHealthPro, the website of the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC). This guide sets out what those two sources publish, read on 3 November 2026. It is not medical advice: which jabs suit you is a conversation with a GP, a practice nurse, a pharmacist or a travel clinic.

TravelHealthPro sorts its recommendations into two lists on each country page. The first is for most travellers. The second is for some travellers only, depending on what you will do, how long you stay and your health, which is why two people on the same flight can leave the appointment with different jabs.

1. Read the country page on TravelHealthPro for every country on your route, stopovers included.
2. Book an appointment at least 4 to 6 weeks before departure, as the NHS advises, at your GP surgery for the free vaccines or at a clinic or pharmacy for the paid ones.
3. Fill in the risk assessment form your GP surgery asks for, and bring the medicines you take.
4. If yellow fever is on the list, book a registered yellow fever centre and keep the certificate with your passport.

You need the yellow fever jab when TravelHealthPro recommends it for where you are going, and a certificate when the border of your destination asks for proof. These are two separate rules. India and Thailand have no yellow fever at all, yet both check certificates from people who arrive from a country with a risk of transmission.

The NHS says the vaccine is only given at certain centres, and NaTHNaC lists the registered ones in its centre search. TravelHealthPro describes the disease as spread mainly by day-biting mosquitoes, in parts of Africa, South and Central America and in Trinidad. The table below sets the two rules side by side for the destinations of this guide.

The certificate rules turn on where you arrive from, so a combined trip needs a closer look: Kenya then Zanzibar, Peru then Cuba, or a long connection in a risk country on the way to Thailand. Count every stop in the order you travel.

The proof is the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP). NaTHNaC's ICVP factsheet, last updated on 23 October 2025, says it becomes valid 10 days after a first vaccination and, since 11 July 2016, stays valid for the life of the person vaccinated. A lost or damaged certificate can be replaced at a yellow fever centre when an accurate record of the earlier dose exists.

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  Babies under 6 months: TravelHealthPro's yellow fever page lists them among those who should not be vaccinated, and asks for medical advice for babies of 6 to 8 months going to a high-risk area.
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  People aged 60 or over: The same page says the vaccine should not be given to them when they travel to areas with a low potential for exposure, which is the Tanzania case in the table.
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  Some weakened immune systems: TravelHealthPro lists people who are immunocompromised among those who should not have the vaccine, and the NHS asks you to mention any such condition before a travel jab.
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  Pregnancy: TravelHealthPro puts pregnancy among the precautions, where the vaccine may be considered and expert advice may be needed; the NHS names yellow fever among the live vaccines usually left until after the birth.

Tetanus is on the list for most travellers in all 19 countries below, hepatitis A in 17 of them and typhoid in 12. The second column changes far more from one country to the next, and it is the one to read with a professional.

Thailand

Thailand's list for most travellers is short: hepatitis A and tetanus. Typhoid sits on the second list with Japanese encephalitis, rabies and hepatitis B, the jabs that depend on what you will do, how long you stay and your health. Arriving from a yellow fever country, or after more than 12 hours in transit at an airport in one, means showing a certificate. Visas and the arrival card are in our Thailand entry requirements guide.

India

India adds typhoid to the list for most travellers and puts cholera and Japanese encephalitis on the second one. Its yellow fever rule works differently from the others in the table: a certificate for anyone aged 9 months and over who arrives within 6 days of leaving a risk area, with isolation for up to 6 days without one. The e-visa is covered in our India entry requirements guide.

Read both lists for each country of a multi-country trip, and check the FCDO travel advice for the destination as well. For every other country, start from the TravelHealthPro country index and our entry requirements guide.

Free jabs are given at your GP surgery, and paid ones at a private clinic, a pharmacy with travel health services or a GP surgery that offers them, according to the NHS. Yellow fever is the exception: only certain registered centres give it.

Vaccines on the TravelHealthPro lists that are in neither NHS group, such as dengue, chikungunya or the meningococcal ACWY jab for Umrah, are worth raising when you book, with the full course and its cost. We name no clinic or pharmacy and quote no price.

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  Your health conditions: The NHS asks you to mention any condition, including a weakened immune system, and any pregnancy.
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  Your medicines: The NHS suggests you bring any medicine you take to the appointment.
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  Past reactions: A serious allergic reaction to a vaccine or one of its ingredients may mean a jab is not suitable, says the NHS.
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  Your earlier travel jabs: The NHS asks you to check when you had them, because some protect for years and others for a short time only.
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  Your route, stopovers included: The country pages and the yellow fever rules above depend on every country you pass through.

One NHS rule on the day itself: do not have a travel jab while you are unwell, with a high temperature for example, and wait until you feel better. Mild reactions such as a small bump where you were injected, a temperature or a headache are the common ones it names. Malaria tablets have their own guide in this section.

• Are travel jabs free on the NHS?

  Four are. The NHS lists cholera, hepatitis A, polio (with the combined Td/IPV vaccine) and typhoid as free at a GP surgery after a risk assessment form. Hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, rabies, tick-borne encephalitis and yellow fever are paid for.

• How far ahead should I book travel jabs?

  At least 4 to 6 weeks before you travel, says the NHS, because some vaccines need several doses and others take time to protect you. It warns that leaving a vaccination to the last minute may mean you are not fully protected when you travel.

• What jabs do I need for Thailand?

  TravelHealthPro lists hepatitis A and tetanus for most travellers, and chikungunya, dengue, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, measles, rabies, tuberculosis and typhoid for some. A yellow fever certificate is asked of travellers aged 9 months or over who arrive from a risk country.

• Do I need a yellow fever jab for India?

  Not for India itself: TravelHealthPro says there is no yellow fever risk there. India does ask for a certificate from travellers aged 9 months and over who arrive within 6 days of leaving a risk area, and can isolate them for up to 6 days without one.

• Which vaccine do I need for Umrah or Hajj?

  The meningococcal ACWY vaccine. TravelHealthPro says proof of it is a Saudi visa requirement for pilgrims aged 1 year or older, given at least 10 days before and within 5 years of travel for the conjugate vaccine, on a record stamped by the provider and carried with you.

• Do I need jabs for Zanzibar?

  The TravelHealthPro Tanzania page, which gives no separate yellow fever rule for Zanzibar, lists hepatitis A, tetanus and typhoid for most travellers. A yellow fever certificate is asked of travellers over 1 year arriving from a risk country, Kenya for example.

• Do I need any jabs for Turkey or Morocco?

  TravelHealthPro lists hepatitis A and tetanus for most travellers to Turkey, and adds typhoid for Morocco. Neither country has a yellow fever certificate requirement under the International Health Regulations.

• Can I have travel jabs when pregnant?

  Sometimes. The NHS pregnancy page says it is best to avoid places where travel jabs are required, and that live vaccines such as BCG, MMR, oral typhoid and yellow fever are usually left until after the birth. It adds that no live vaccine has been shown to cause birth defects.

• Can children have travel jabs?

  Yes. The NHS says all travellers, children included, should be up to date with standard vaccinations such as measles. For yellow fever, TravelHealthPro recommends vaccination from 9 months where there is a risk, and lists babies under 6 months among those who should not have it.

• How long does a yellow fever certificate last?

  For life. NaTHNaC’s ICVP factsheet says the certificate becomes valid 10 days after a first vaccination and, since 11 July 2016, is valid for the life of the person vaccinated, older certificates included.

• What if I have lost my yellow fever certificate?

  A yellow fever vaccination centre can issue a replacement when an accurate record of your earlier vaccination exists, says NaTHNaC. Without full details, it says revaccination should be considered.

• What side effects are normal after a travel jab?

  The NHS names a small bump where you were injected, a temperature and a headache as common side effects, and says not to worry about them too much. It also says not to have the jab while you are unwell.