Routine Vaccinations
The following routine vaccinations are recommended for all individuals unless contraindicated:

• Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis:

  Available formulations include one-disease, two-disease, and three-disease mixtures. Widely used formulations require between two and five doses, depending on the recipient's age and vaccination history. If the combination vaccine (Tdap = Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) is administered, one dose is required. Protection against tetanus and diphtheria decreases over time; a booster shot every 10 years is required to stay protected. Vaccination should ideally be administered at least two weeks before travel.

• Influenza:

  Revaccination is required every year or every six months for individuals who frequently travel in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. Available in both injectable and intranasal formulations. Vaccination should ideally be administered at least two weeks before travel.

• Measles, Mumps, Rubella:

  Available formulations include one-disease, two-disease, and three-disease mixtures. Widely used triple-virus formulations require two doses administered at least 28 days apart, depending on the recipient's age and vaccination history, and are required for long-lasting protection. MMR vaccination will provide protection within 72 hours following the first dose; however, the full course should ideally be administered at least two weeks before travel.

• Pneumococcal Disease:

  Recommended for all individuals over the age of 65 years or individuals with certain chronic medical conditions, unless contraindicated. Available in several formulations protecting against different strains of pneumococcal bacteria. One dose usually provides enough protection to a healthy adult for at least five years and starts to decline after five-10 years. Vaccination should ideally be administered at least two to three weeks before travel.

• Polio:

  Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) is recommended when available, but Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) is also an option. Widely used formulations require between one and four doses, depending on the recipient's age and vaccination history. Following a complete series of IPV, an individual is likely to be protected for many years.

• Shingles:

  Shingles vaccination is the only way to protect against shingles and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) Healthy adults 50 years and older should get two doses of Shingrix, separated by 2 to 6 months.

• Varicella (Chickenpox):

  Widely used formulations require two doses administered at least four to eight weeks apart, depending on the recipient's age and vaccination history, and are required for long-lasting protection. Also available in combination with measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination.

Yellow Fever Requirements
Required for all travellers ≥9 months of age arriving by air or sea who:

• within the previous 6 days are coming from, or have transited through, a country it considers to have a risk of yellow fever transmission (see list below).

• have been in such an area in transit (except those passengers and members of flight crews who, while in transit through an airport in an area with risk of YFV transmission, remained in the airport during their entire stay and the health officer agrees to such an exemption).

• arrive on a ship that has touched any port in an area considered to have a yellow fever risk in the previous 30 days (unless the ship has been treated with insecticide according to World Health Organization procedures).

• arrive on an airplane that has been in an area considered to have a yellow fever risk (unless the aircraft has been treated with insecticide according to World Health Organization procedures).

People without the required certificates will be isolated for up to 6 days.

Indian officials regard these countries as areas with risk of yellow fever transmission:

• Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, South Sudan, Togo, and Uganda.

• Americas: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago (Trinidad only), and Venezuela.

• Additions: Any time a country reports a case of yellow fever, India's government then considers it to be a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission.

Discuss vaccination with your travel health professional well in advance of your trip. The certificate becomes valid 10 days after vaccination and is valid for life. While every effort is made to ensure requirements are up to date, vaccination requirements may change at any time; check with the relevant embassy or consulate for your destination. Occasionally border authorities request a valid vaccination certificate although it may not be required under the official policy.

Other Travel Vaccinations for India

• Cholera
  Oral vaccination is recommended for travellers who are more likely to be exposed to cholera. These traveller types include healthcare personnel treating cholera patients, cholera response workers, and travelers in an area of active cholera transmission who cannot or do not always follow safe food and water precautions and personal hygiene measures.

  Beyond the traveller types identified, a traveller's individual risk profile should be assessed based on the prevalence of cholera at the destination (such as outbreaks), their health history, their activities while in country and the availability of rapid treatment at the destination. 

  Vaccination is not 100% protective, and hygiene, food and water precautions must still be taken.

• COVID-19

  All eligible travelers should be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines before departure. For details on international travel regulations by country see IATA COVID-19 Travel Regulations Map.

• Hepatitis A

  Recommended for all travellers and expatriates. Travellers can contract hepatitis A through contaminated food or water regardless of where they are eating or staying.

• Hepatitis B

  Recommended for some travellers and expatriates, especially for:

  • Long-term or frequent visitors, and health-care workers.

  • Adventurous travellers who travel to more remote locations.

  • Travellers who might have sex with a new partner.

  • Travellers who might share needles.

  • Any medical procedures including acupuncture and dental work.

  • Any traveller who might get a tattoo or body piercing during visit.

  Many travel health professionals recommend hepatitis B vaccination for all travelers, regardless of destination.

• Japanese Encephalitis

  Vaccine is recommended for people who will participate in ‘higher risk' activities while in an area where Japanese encephalitis risk exists.

  You are engaging in a ‘higher risk' activity if you:

  • Travel during the peak Japanese encephalitis season (most cases in Asia are reported May-October).

  • Spend a significant amount of time outdoors, particularly in the evening and nighttime, in areas outside of cities. (ex. camping, trekking, biking, fishing, hunting, farming).

  • Stay in accommodation that will likely have mosquitoes indoors, ex. lacking air conditioning, window screens, and bed nets.

  • Spend a month or more in a risk area during transmission season.

  Japanese encephalitis vaccine is not available in many of the risk countries. Have the complete vaccine series before departure.

• Polio

  Proof of oral polio vaccination is not required for travellers to India except those resident nationals arriving from Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria.

  Indian nationals who visit these countries are also required to receive oral polio vaccination at least 4 weeks prior to departure. This is a precautionary measure to prevent reintroduction of polio into India. To satisfy the entry requirements, the vaccine should be given at least four weeks prior to entry to India and within one year of travel.

  For other travelers, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend oral polio vaccination for India.  However, while it is not recommended, as polio is present in bordering Pakistan, travelers should review their itinerary with a medical professional and consider oral polio vaccination if they:

  • Have not received the recommended doses of polio vaccine per the CDC routine vaccination schedule (all routine vaccinations should be reviewed with a medical professional prior to trip departure and brought up to date), or

  • Do not know their vaccination history.

• Rabies

  Consider for some travellers: 

  • For expatriates and long-term visitors.

  • For children who tend to play with animals and may not admit to being bitten or scratched.

  • For travel to areas where quality medical care, including international standard rabies immunoglobulin, may not be available within 24 hours of being bitten or scratched by an animal.

    • (Unvaccinated people need immunoglobulin within 24 hours of an animal injury, and this medication is scarce in some countries. If you are pre-vaccinated, you do not need this immunoglobulin after an injury.)

  • If contact with dogs, monkeys, bats or other potentially rabies-carrying animals is likely. Jogging increases your risk of dog bite.

• Typhoid Fever

  Recommended for most travellers as Typhoid is contracted through contaminated food or water. In particular for adventurous and long-term travellers, especially those who will:

  • Stay with friends and relatives.

  • Eat from local vendors or restaurants.

  • Be exposed to conditions of poor sanitation.

  • Visit smaller cities or rural areas.