Recommended
- Hepatitis A
- Typhoid
- Rabies (pre-exposure for extended stays)
- Japanese encephalitis for prolonged rural stays
Notes
- Delhi-belly affects 60-70 percent of first-time visitors; pre-travel azithromycin recommended.
Practical guidance
When to book the clinic
Book a travel-health clinic appointment 6 to 8 weeks before departure for India. Several recommended vaccines (Hepatitis A and B, Japanese Encephalitis, rabies pre-exposure) need a multi-dose schedule that does not compress; the full course can take 4 to 6 weeks. Yellow fever specifically takes 10 days to confer immunity and certificates are only valid 10 days after the shot, so this one is non-negotiable on timing.
Yellow fever specifics for India
Yellow fever proof is required only if you have transited or stayed in a yellow-fever-endemic country in the 6 days before arriving in India. If your itinerary is direct from a non-endemic country, no certificate needed; if you are routing via Brazil, sub-Saharan Africa, or northern South America, carry the ICVP.
What “recommended” actually means
The 4 recommended vaccines above are the CDC and WHO guidance for typical travellers to India. They’re not mandatory at the border; they protect against the diseases endemic to the region. Routine immunisations (MMR, dTaP, polio, COVID-19, annual flu) should already be current regardless of destination. Hepatitis A is the single highest-value travel vaccine for most destinations, transmitted through contaminated food and water, and worth getting even if you only plan to eat in established restaurants.
Cost and where to get them
UK NHS travel clinic is free for routine vaccines, charged at cost for travel-specific ones (yellow fever, Japanese Encephalitis, rabies). US travellers should expect $100 to $300 per dose at a travel clinic; many are not covered by standard health insurance. Cheaper option in some destinations: get yellow fever locally at a government clinic on arrival ($20 to $50 in most South American and African capitals) if your itinerary allows the 10-day window before your next entry. Always ask for the official yellow ICVP booklet, not a generic clinic slip.
Related for India
More on India
India is a continent-scale country with continent-scale variation. Framing it as a single destination misses the point: a Goa beach holiday, a Kerala backwater itinerary, a Rajasthan palace circuit, a Ladakh high-altitude trek, and a Delhi-Agra-Varanasi tourist sweep all carry different risk profiles. The country is broadly listed at the standard tier of caution by every major foreign ministry, with partial-area warnings for Jammu and Kashmir, the Indo-Pakistani border, and parts of the northeast. The structural risks for the standard visitor are concentrated and addressable: persistent scam and overcharging patterns in tourist hubs, the world’s most consistent gastric-illness exposure (Delhi belly affects an estimated 60-70 percent of first-time visitors), winter air pollution in the north (Delhi PM2.5 routinely exceeds 500 in November and December), traffic injury risk that dominates everything else, and a women’s safety landscape that is widely discussed but rarely calibrated. This guide unpacks the e-Visa, the regional risk map, the rail and ride-share systems, the gastric and pollution discipline, the women’s safety reality, and the practical contacts that shape an Indian itinerary.
Frequently asked about India
What vaccinations do I need for India?
Recommended vaccines for typical travellers to India: Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Rabies (pre-exposure for extended stays), Japanese encephalitis for prolonged rural stays. Yellow fever is required if arriving from a country with yellow-fever transmission. Routine immunisations (MMR, dTaP, polio, COVID-19, flu) should be current regardless of destination. Verify with a travel-health clinic 6 to 8 weeks before departure.
Is yellow fever vaccination required for India?
Only if you have transited or stayed in a yellow-fever-endemic country in the 6 days before arriving in India. If your itinerary is direct from a non-endemic country, no certificate is needed.
When should I get my travel vaccinations for India?
Book a travel-health clinic 6 to 8 weeks before departure. Several recommended vaccines (Hepatitis A and B, Japanese Encephalitis, rabies pre-exposure) need a multi-dose schedule that does not compress; the full course can take 4 to 6 weeks. Yellow fever specifically takes 10 days to confer immunity and certificates are only valid after that window.