Vaccinations for travel abroad (excluding COVID-19)

Verified 10 July 2023 - Legal and Administrative Information Directorate (Prime Minister)

What are the vaccinations in case of travel abroad? Before your departure, you must inform yourself and check the vaccines useful for your trip. The actual risks involved vary according to your state of health, the health situation in the country visited, the conditions and the length of your stay. Vaccination can help you avoid some serious diseases that affect other countries. In addition, it protects local and French populations from epidemic risks.

For COVID-19, you should inquire about the health rules adopted for your country of destination. Indeed, some foreigners may retain conditions of entry, stay and exit on their territory. For the health rules on entry to a country, you are invited to consult the section "travel advice" of the website of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.

Information to be taken

Before going abroad, you should inquire:

Ask the opinion of your doctor to ensure that the advice given is tailored to your situation.

There is no common schedule for vaccine administration for all travelers.

Indeed, each schedule must be personalized and depends on the traveler (age, state of health, vaccination history), the country of destination and the conditions of the trip.

Inform yourself early (1 to 2 months before if you are going to have a vaccine).

FYI  

You can visit diplomatie.gouv.fr for advice by country of destination.

In addition, you can contact the vaccination center to find out whether or not the vaccines can be given on the same day.

Vaccination checks to be done

The project of a trip is an opportunity to take stock of its vaccinations .

If you are partially vaccinated or not vaccinated, for vaccinations that are recommended in France you will be offered vaccinations boosters, in addition to those necessary for your trip.

Updating of vaccinations shall in particular aim at vaccination against the following diseases:

FYI  

Multiple people can give a vaccine.

International vaccinations are presented in a annual bulletin.

They only apply to you if you are going to certain places.

Reported diseases that warrant vaccination are in particular the following:

  • Yellow fever (or yellow fever vaccination to be carried out for any stay, in particular in tropical areas of Africa and South America)
  • Japanese encephalitis (vaccination to be carried out for risky stays or for expatriation in certain Asian countries or in Oceania)
  • Tick-borne encephalitis (for stays in rural or wooded areas of Central, Eastern and Northern Europe, Northern Central Asia, Japan and China)
  • Typhoid fever (for any prolonged stay or in poor conditions in countries with poor hygiene). This vaccine is particularly recommended in the Indian continent.
  • Invasive meningococcal infections (according to outbreak zone news)
  • Hepatitis A (country where hygiene is precarious, whatever the conditions of your stay)
  • Hepatitis B (frequent and prolonged stays in countries with a high or medium prevalence of this virus)
  • Rabies (prolonged or adventurous stay in isolation in high-risk areas: Africa, Asia, South America)
  • Seasonal influenza (strongly recommended in groups at risk: chronically ill, elderly over 65).

If you are vaccinated against yellow fever, you will be given an international vaccination certificate.

In some cases, a second dose is recommended.

The yellow fever vaccine is the only one required under the international health regulations (which bind 196 countries to limit the spread of public health risks).

Some countries, particularly in Africa impose it as a condition of entry into their territory for all travelers (even if the traveler is only transiting through an airport).

This vaccine cannot be given by your doctor.

It must be carried out in an authorized vaccination center.

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If you lose this certificate, you should contact the vaccination center that performed these vaccinations.

The issue of this duplicate may give rise to an invoice.