"Do I need vaccinations?" is, after the visa, the most common question before a first trip to India. A good deal of myth surrounds it: some people describe a list of a dozen injections, others wave it away with "you don't need anything".
Below we set out what is formally required, what is sensible, and what actually works on the ground. Because in our experience the great majority of complaints in India come not from exotic diseases but from water, ice and unwashed hands.
For someone flying directly from Europe there are no vaccinations required for entry. Nobody at Delhi airport will ask for a vaccination record the way they ask for a visa and a passport.
There is one exception: yellow fever. A vaccination certificate is required from travellers arriving from countries where the disease occurs — mainly sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South America. This also applies if you have merely transited through such a country on the way.
But no obligation is not the same as no point. Entry requirements protect the receiving country from imported disease — not you from falling ill. Which makes recommended vaccinations a separate conversation.
The set that comes up most often in a pre-departure consultation for India:
Note that three of those six relate to food and water. That says a good deal about where the real risk lies on a typical trip.
This question generates the most anxiety, and the answer is: it depends where and when you are going.
India is the size of a continent and malaria risk is distributed very unevenly across it. On the classic tourist routes — the Golden Triangle, Rajasthan, the large cities — in the winter season the risk is low, and doctors often do not recommend prophylaxis. Rural areas, the east of the country and the monsoon season are a different matter.
So there is no single answer for "India". There is an answer for your route on your dates. Take the trip itinerary with the list of cities to your appointment and the doctor can assess it specifically.
Whatever is decided about tablets, the universal part still applies, and it is easily overlooked: the most effective protection is not being bitten in the first place. That matters for dengue too, against which there is no drug prophylaxis and whose mosquitoes bite during the day.
Ideally six to eight weeks before departure. The reason is mundane: some vaccinations require two or three doses at intervals, and the body needs time to build immunity. Being vaccinated a week before departure is often too late to help.
If you have less time than that — go anyway. Accelerated schedules exist, and even a single dose gives partial protection. Skipping the appointment because "it is too late now" is the worst of the available choices.
Travel medicine clinics operate in most larger cities, some attached to infectious disease hospitals. Book ahead, because appointments can be weeks out. Take with you:
Travelling with us? Before departure you get a checklist of everything to arrange — visa, vaccinations, insurance — with deadlines, so nothing is left to the last minute.
See our toursThis is the part that genuinely rescues a trip. Pharmacies in India are everywhere and many medicines are available without prescription — but hunting for the right preparation at two in the morning, in another language and under an unfamiliar brand name, is the last thing you want to be doing.
Rules that in practice matter more than any vaccination:
Travel insurance with medical cover is not optional. Private healthcare in India is good and inexpensive by European standards, but a serious case — hospitalisation or, in the worst case, medical repatriation — runs into sums no one wants to meet from their own pocket. Check that the policy covers the whole duration of the trip and any activities in the programme.
If you take medication regularly, bring the full quantity for the trip plus a few days' margin, in original packaging, in hand luggage. It is worth carrying a copy of the prescription or a note of the active substance rather than the brand name — brand names differ from country to country, and the active substance is understood everywhere.
For travellers arriving directly from Europe, no vaccination is required for entry. The one exception is yellow fever: a certificate is required from travellers arriving from countries where the disease is present, mainly sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South America, including where you have merely transited through such a country.
It depends on your route and your dates. On classic tourist routes such as the Golden Triangle and Rajasthan in winter the risk is low and doctors often do not recommend prophylaxis. Take your itinerary with the list of cities to the appointment so the decision can be made on your actual trip.
Six to eight weeks before departure. Some vaccinations need two or three doses spaced apart, and the body needs time to build immunity. If you have less time than that, go anyway — accelerated schedules exist and even a single dose gives partial protection.
Anti-diarrhoeal medication, followed closely by oral rehydration salts. In heat, dehydration is the bigger danger of the two, which is why the salts matter more than people expect.
Yes — pharmacies are everywhere and many medicines are available without prescription. But hunting for the right preparation at two in the morning, in another language and under an unfamiliar brand name, is the last thing you want. Bring the basics with you.
No. Drink bottled water only, check the seal is unbroken, and use it for brushing your teeth as well. Most stomach trouble on a trip traces back to water, ice or unwashed hands.
Before departure you get a checklist of everything to arrange — visa, vaccinations, insurance — with deadlines, so nothing is left to the last minute.