Do I need a vaccination certificate to travel?
For most trips, no. Yellow fever is the only vaccination certificate widely required for entry, a few countries ask for polio proof, and COVID-19 certificates have been dropped.
Updated
Required versus recommended
There is a real difference between a vaccine you must prove and one a doctor advises. Required means a border officer can refuse you entry without the certificate. Recommended means it protects your health, and nobody at the airport will ask to see it.
Almost every vaccine on a travel clinic's list, including hepatitis A, typhoid, rabies and tetanus boosters, sits in the recommended group. Only a short list is ever required for entry.
trip1 does not ask for any health documents when you book a hotel, and hotels do not check them at the front desk. Vaccination rules are set by the government of the country you are entering, not by your accommodation.
Yellow fever is the main mandatory certificate
Yellow fever is the one vaccination many countries genuinely require. Proof is recorded on an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, the small yellow booklet, and it becomes valid 10 days after the dose is given.
Countries require it for one of two reasons: yellow fever is present there, or you are arriving from a country where it is. That second rule catches people out, because a short layover in an affected country can trigger the requirement at your next destination.
The full picture, including which countries ask for it and how long the certificate lasts, is covered in our guide to what a yellow fever certificate is and when it is required.
Important: Where a yellow fever certificate is required and you arrive without one, you can be refused entry, held in quarantine, or vaccinated at the border at your own expense.
Polio certificates for certain countries
A few countries ask travellers to show proof of polio vaccination when leaving rather than when arriving. It applies to people who have stayed four weeks or longer in a country still affected by polio transmission.
The dose has to be given between 4 weeks and 12 months before you depart, and it is recorded on the same yellow ICVP booklet as yellow fever. Short-stay tourists are rarely affected.
The list of affected countries is reviewed by the World Health Organization and changes over time, so check it close to your travel date if your trip includes a long stay in parts of Africa, Central Asia or the Middle East.
What happened to COVID-19 certificates
You no longer need a COVID-19 vaccination certificate to enter countries as a routine matter. Requirements were rolled back worldwide and there is no general expectation that travellers carry proof.
If a country ever reintroduces a rule, it will appear on its official immigration or health ministry site. Check there rather than relying on old airline pages or forum posts, which are often years out of date.
How to carry your certificate
Keep the paper yellow booklet with your passport. It is the recognised international format, and officers expect the physical booklet rather than a photo of it.
A photo on your phone is a sensible backup, not a substitute. Some countries now issue a digital version, but the paper booklet is still accepted everywhere.
If you lose the certificate, the clinic that gave the vaccine can usually reissue it from their records, but not on the same day. Allow time before you fly rather than assuming it can be fixed at the airport.
Vaccination certificates for travel - FAQ
For most trips, no. Yellow fever is the only vaccination certificate widely required for entry. A few countries also ask travellers who stayed four weeks or longer to show proof of polio vaccination when they leave. COVID-19 certificates have been dropped as an entry requirement essentially everywhere.
The International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, the small yellow booklet. It must carry the stamp of the clinic that gave the vaccine and the clinician's signature. Border officers expect the physical booklet, so keep it with your passport and treat a photo on your phone as a backup only.
From a registered yellow fever vaccination clinic. These clinics give the vaccine and issue the yellow certificate with their official stamp, and you can find one by state or zip code on the CDC's clinic search page. If you lose the certificate, the clinic that vaccinated you can usually reissue it, but not on the same day.
Countries that require a certificate almost always mean yellow fever. Several countries in parts of Africa and South America require it, and others require it only if you arrive from, or even transit through, a country with yellow fever. The list changes, so check the CDC's yellow fever page for your destination before you book.
For life. A yellow fever certificate becomes valid 10 days after the vaccination, and the CDC confirms it stays valid for your lifetime, even if the card shows an expiry date. Plan the vaccination at least 10 days before you arrive anywhere that requires it.
No. COVID-19 vaccination requirements for entry have been rolled back worldwide, and there is no general expectation that travellers carry proof. If a country ever reintroduces a rule, it will appear on its official immigration or health ministry site, so check there rather than old airline pages or forum posts.