Is my old certificate still valid? It says it expires after ten years.

Yes. Since 2016 a yellow fever certificate has been valid for life under the International Health Regulations, including certificates issued before the change with a ten-year expiry printed on them. The printed date no longer applies.

The country I am visiting has no yellow fever. Why would it want a certificate?

To stop the disease being imported. Several countries in Asia and the Middle East require proof from travellers arriving from a yellow fever country, even in transit, precisely because they have the mosquito but not yet the virus.

What if I cannot have the vaccine for medical reasons?

We assess you and, where appropriate, issue a medical exemption letter in place of a certificate. Border officials are not obliged to accept one, so we go through what to expect and what else to carry.

Yellow fever vaccination in Kent

The only vaccine a border can legally demand to see - one dose, a certificate valid for life, and it must be in your hand ten days before you arrive.

Per dose: £80
Doses: 1
Full course: £80

Call your nearest clinic See prices

Ages: from 9 months
Protects for: life, under current International Health Regulations
Certificate: International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP), valid for life
Come in: at least 10 days before you enter the country - the certificate is not valid before then

Assessed individually

Who tends to need yellow fever

Travel to a country with yellow fever transmission in parts of South America or sub-Saharan Africa
Travel to a country that requires a certificate for entry, whether or not it has the disease itself
Transit through an airport in a country that requires proof even in transit
Onward travel after visiting a yellow fever country, which is where most travellers get caught out

Two reasons to have it, and they are different

The first is medical. Yellow fever is a virus spread by Aedes mosquitoes in tropical South America and sub-Saharan Africa. Most infections are mild, but a proportion progress to a second phase with jaundice, bleeding and liver and kidney failure, and a significant share of those cases are fatal. There is no treatment. The vaccine, in one dose, is highly effective.

The second is bureaucratic, and it catches more travellers out. Yellow fever is the only disease for which the International Health Regulations permit a country to demand proof of vaccination as a condition of entry, and some countries with no yellow fever at all require a certificate from anyone arriving from a country that has it. You can be turned back, quarantined or vaccinated at the border without a valid certificate.

The ten-day rule, and the trap in it

A yellow fever certificate becomes valid ten days after vaccination and then lasts for life. Ten days is not a guideline - a border official reading a certificate dated nine days ago is entitled to refuse you.

The trap is multi-country itineraries. Travellers check the entry rules for their first destination, find none, and miss that the third country on the route requires a certificate from anyone arriving from the second. Bring the whole itinerary, in order, with dates. It is the only way to get this right.

When the vaccine is not suitable

This is a live vaccine and it is not for everyone. Infants under nine months, pregnancy, breastfeeding, a suppressed immune system, a thymus disorder or thymus removal, and a genuine egg allergy all need careful assessment, and in some cases the vaccine should not be given at all.

Where it cannot be given safely but a country requires it, a medical exemption letter is the route. We issue these, and our price list shows what they cost. An exemption is not a guarantee of entry - the decision stays with the border - but it is the recognised document, and travelling without either is not an option worth risking.

Replacing a lost certificate

Because the certificate now lasts a lifetime, people lose them between trips. If you were vaccinated and the paper has gone, we can issue a replacement from a record of the original vaccination.

Photograph your certificate when you get it and keep the picture somewhere you can reach from abroad. It will not satisfy a border on its own, but it makes replacing the original far quicker.

Plan ahead

The course and its timing

Single dose: One injection, at least 10 days before entering a country that requires it.
Certificate: Issued at the appointment. Valid from day 10, then for life.
Booster: Not routinely needed. A small number of travellers are advised one - assessed individually.

Yellow fever vaccine may only be given at a centre designated for it. Call before travelling to a clinic, so we can confirm where and when your appointment can be held.
Bring photo identification: the certificate carries your name and must match your passport exactly.
A certificate in a maiden name still works, but take the marriage certificate with you.

What to expect

Common side effects

Injection-site soreness
Headache, muscle aches or a mild fever five to ten days afterwards, in up to a third of people
Serious reactions are rare and are the reason suitability is assessed carefully first

Side effects are usually mild and settle within a day or two. A reaction that worries you, or anything that is getting worse rather than better, is worth a call to the clinic that vaccinated you — or to 111 out of hours.

Common questions

Yellow fever questions

Is my old certificate still valid? It says it expires after ten years.
Yes. Since 2016 a yellow fever certificate has been valid for life under the International Health Regulations, including certificates issued before the change with a ten-year expiry printed on them. The printed date no longer applies.
The country I am visiting has no yellow fever. Why would it want a certificate?
To stop the disease being imported. Several countries in Asia and the Middle East require proof from travellers arriving from a yellow fever country, even in transit, precisely because they have the mosquito but not yet the virus.
What if I cannot have the vaccine for medical reasons?
We assess you and, where appropriate, issue a medical exemption letter in place of a certificate. Border officials are not obliged to accept one, so we go through what to expect and what else to carry.

Yellow fever certificates and exemptions
The yellow fever certificate is the only vaccination document a border can legally require - here is what makes one valid, and what to do if you have lost yours or cannot be vaccinated.
Read the guide
Dengue
Qdenga
A newer travel vaccine on a three-month schedule, most clearly worthwhile for people who have had dengue before - and a vaccine we will talk you out of as readily as into.
Full course £200
Malaria prevention and antimalarial tablets
There is no malaria vaccine for travellers, so prevention is tablets plus bite avoidance - and which tablets depends on where you are going, what else you take and how long you are away.
Read the guide