How Much Do Travel Vaccinations Cost in the UK? Full Price Guide for Every Jab

Which travel vaccines are free on the NHS?

Only four are free on the NHS, and only at a GP surgery that has chosen to offer travel vaccination clinics: cholera, polio, hepatitis A and typhoid, confirmed on the NHS travel vaccinations page. Everything else, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, rabies, tick-borne encephalitis and yellow fever, is paid for whether you go to a GP, a pharmacy, or a private travel clinic. A growing number of GP surgeries have stopped running travel clinics altogether, which is why so many people end up booking privately even for the vaccines that are technically free. If that's you, our separate guide on booking cholera and typhoid vaccines when your GP doesn't stock them covers that gap in more detail.

Typhoid vaccine cost: injection vs oral capsules

There are two ways to have the typhoid vaccine: Typhim Vi, a single injection giving three years of protection, or Vivotif, a three-capsule oral course taken over five days, also protecting for three years. Both are listed in NaTHNaC's vaccine schedule as equivalent options. At Medway Travel Clinic, the injection is £55 for a single dose, with no extra charge for the consultation. If your own GP still runs a travel clinic, ask there first, it should cost nothing.

Is the cholera vaccine free on the NHS?

Yes, in principle. Cholera immunisation is an "Additional Service" under the GP contract, which means no fee can be charged to a registered patient if their surgery runs travel vaccination clinics. In practice, many surgeries have opted out of that service entirely, since the oral vaccine needs cold-chain storage and staff time that doesn't suit every practice. If yours has, expect to pay privately: at Medway Travel Clinic, cholera vaccination is £45 per dose, and most travellers need two doses, one to six weeks apart, so budget around £90 for the full course.

Yellow fever vaccine cost

Yellow fever is never free on the NHS and can only be given at a registered Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre. At Medway Travel Clinic it's £70, which includes the vaccine itself and your International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP), the certificate you'll need at the border for many countries in Africa and South America. See our yellow fever vaccine page for certificate rules and timing.

Hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccine cost

Hepatitis A is free on the NHS if your GP offers it, otherwise it's £55 per dose privately, one or two doses depending on your age and how long you need protection for. Hepatitis B is not on the NHS free list at all, so it's £55 per dose across a three-dose course, roughly £165 in total, recommended for longer stays, medical or aid work, or travellers who may need medical treatment abroad.

Rabies and Japanese encephalitis: why the multi-dose courses cost more

Rabies pre-exposure vaccination is £85 per dose, and the full course needs three doses, so around £255 in total. Japanese encephalitis is £95 per dose across two doses, around £190. These are the two most expensive travel vaccines we offer, largely because of the number of doses required rather than the per-dose price alone, and neither is available on the NHS. Both are risk-based rather than routine, so we'll only recommend them where your itinerary genuinely calls for it, long stays, rural travel, or specific activities like running or cycling in areas with limited medical access.

Meningitis ACWY and tetanus boosters

Meningitis ACWY is £80 for a single dose, giving five years' protection. It's compulsory for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims and recommended for sub-Saharan Africa travel. A combined tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis booster is £55 if your routine boosters have lapsed, worth checking even if your trip doesn't need anything else.

Malaria tablets and other travel treatments: priced differently

Antimalarial tablets aren't priced per dose like vaccines, they're priced per tablet, since the course length depends entirely on your trip. Malarone is £2.50 per tablet, taken daily from one to two days before travel until seven days after you're home, so a two-week trip typically works out at around £50-£60. Standby traveller's diarrhoea treatment starts from £15, and altitude sickness prevention (acetazolamide) from £20. None of these are on the NHS free list for travel purposes.

A traveller came in recently pricing up a family trip to Kenya and had assumed every jab on his list would cost the same as the last one he remembered from years ago. Once we went through it properly, hepatitis A and typhoid for three of them, yellow fever for the whole family since it's a certificate country, and malaria tablets for the two weeks, the total was more than he'd budgeted, but less than he'd feared once we explained which vaccines he already had cover from a previous trip and didn't need repeating. Knowing what you actually need, rather than a generic checklist, is often what keeps the final bill down.

No hidden consultation fees

Every price above is the full cost, we don't charge separately for the consultation or risk assessment. We're open 7 days a week, 7:30am to 10pm, and same-day appointments are usually available if you're working to a tight budget and an even tighter deadline. Get in touch and we can give you an exact total for your specific itinerary before you book.

Frequently asked questions