Which travel vaccinations are compulsory?

Some countries require proof of yellow fever vaccination on entry, either from all travellers or only from those arriving from a yellow fever area. According to the STIKO, Saudi Arabia requires proof of meningococcal vaccination for pilgrimages to Mecca, and some countries may also ask for proof of polio vaccination.

Which travel vaccine do most long-haul travellers need?

The STIKO recommends hepatitis A vaccination for trips to areas where the disease is common, which includes many popular long-haul destinations. Your routine vaccinations under the STIKO schedule, such as tetanus, diphtheria and measles, matter just as much.

Who decides which vaccines I get?

You decide together with your doctor at a travel health consultation. The STIKO explicitly describes this as shared decision-making based on your route, length of stay, travel style and personal risk factors.

Travel vaccinations at a glance: which vaccine for what

Travel vaccinations protect you against infections that are more common at your destination than in Germany, such as hepatitis A, typhoid, rabies, Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever. Which ones you need depends, according to the STIKO (Germany’s Standing Committee on Vaccination) and the DTG (German Society for Tropical Medicine, Travel Medicine and Global Health), on your destination, length of stay, season, type of trip and your health. The foundation is always full protection under the STIKO routine schedule. The main vaccination that some countries actually require on entry is yellow fever.

Three groups: required, generally recommended, risk-based

For practical purposes, the DTG sorts travel vaccinations into three groups. Knowing them makes country recommendations much easier to read.

Required vaccinations: a country asks for proof on entry. Under the International Health Regulations this mainly concerns yellow fever. According to the STIKO, Saudi Arabia requires proof of meningococcal vaccination for pilgrimages to Mecca, and some countries may ask for proof of polio vaccination in line with WHO guidance.
Generally recommended vaccinations: your routine adult vaccinations plus travel vaccines that make sense for almost everyone visiting a particular area, such as hepatitis A.
Vaccinations for particular risks: these come into question only when the type of trip, its length or your activities raise the risk of infection, for example long stays, basic travel conditions or close contact with animals.

Yellow fever is a special case: in Germany it may only be given at state-approved yellow fever vaccination centres (Section 7 IGV-DG). Read more in our guide to yellow fever vaccination.

The main travel vaccines at a glance

The overview below summarises the indications from the joint STIKO and DTG travel recommendations (Epidemiologisches Bulletin 27/2026). Which countries are affected is shown on our country pages on travel vaccinations.

Vaccine	Protects against	When the STIKO considers it
Hepatitis A	liver inflammation spread through contaminated food and water	trips to areas where hepatitis A is common
Hepatitis B	liver inflammation spread through blood and body fluids	after an individual risk assessment
Typhoid	bacterial infection spread through water and food	endemic areas when staying in poor hygiene conditions
Rabies	an almost always fatal viral infection after an animal bite	regions with rabies and a higher likelihood of animal contact
Japanese encephalitis	a mosquito-borne viral disease that rarely causes severe brain inflammation	endemic areas during the transmission season, especially long stays or time near rice fields and pig farms
Yellow fever	a mosquito-borne viral disease	countries with a risk of transmission or a proof requirement on entry
Cholera	a diarrhoeal disease that can be severe	epidemic areas without secure access to drinking water, disaster relief work
Meningococcal disease	meningitis and blood poisoning	countries with epidemic spread and close contact with locals, pilgrimage to Mecca
Tick-borne encephalitis	tick-borne inflammation of the brain and its lining	tick exposure in risk areas outside Germany, for example hiking or camping
Polio	poliomyelitis	regions with a current infection risk according to the WHO

Dengue and chikungunya: narrow recommendations

Vaccines against dengue and chikungunya now exist, but the STIKO recommends them only for specific groups. According to the STIKO, dengue vaccination is an option for people aged four and over who have had a laboratory-confirmed dengue infection and are travelling to an endemic area with an increased risk. Chikungunya vaccination is recommended for people aged twelve and over travelling to current outbreak areas, and for longer or repeated stays in endemic areas if they have a higher risk of severe illness. For both diseases, consistent mosquito protection by day and by night remains the most important measure. See our guide to dengue and mosquito protection.

What determines the choice

The STIKO lists several factors that should shape the decision:

Destination and regions: hygiene, medical care and disease patterns differ between countries and within them, for instance between a large city and rural areas.
Length of stay: a longer trip means a longer period of exposure. The STIKO defines a long-term stay as more than four weeks. Repeated short trips can also add up.
Season: the risk of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and yellow fever rises during the rainy season.
Type of trip and activities: backpacking or trekking carries different risks from a hotel stay in a city.
Personal factors: age, existing conditions, medication, pregnancy and known intolerances all affect which vaccines are suitable.

Our travel vaccine check gives you a first idea for your destination. It does not replace the medical consultation in which these factors are weighed up together.

Who advises and vaccinates

The German Federal Foreign Office advises discussing precautions with experienced tropical or travel medicine doctors well ahead of your trip. It does not offer individual consultations itself. Options include:

GP practices with travel medicine experience, particularly for routine vaccines and straightforward trips.
Travel medicine practices with additional qualifications, which also plan complex routes and long stays.
Yellow fever vaccination centres, the only places allowed to vaccinate against yellow fever and issue the international certificate.
Tropical medicine clinics and institutes, for example if you have existing conditions, are pregnant or have a complicated question.

You can find suitable providers near you in our directory of travel clinics.

Vaccines are only part of the picture

The STIKO stresses that travel vaccines complement a full travel health consultation rather than replace it. Many travel illnesses have no vaccine, including malaria and most causes of travellers’ diarrhoea. Hand hygiene, safe drinking water, properly prepared food and consistent protection against mosquitoes and ticks therefore belong in every trip plan. For malaria, see our guide to malaria prevention.

Timing and costs

According to the STIKO, vaccinations and vaccine series should be completed at least two weeks before departure. Because some vaccines need more than one appointment, it pays to plan early, see when to get travel vaccinations. German statutory health insurance does not automatically pay for travel vaccines for private trips, but many insurers reimburse them voluntarily. Details are in our guide to travel vaccination costs.

Travel vaccinations at a glance: which vaccine for what, and for whom