Do You Need a Yellow Fever Vaccine? Which Countries Require Proof of a Yellow Fever Vaccine? If you're headed to Africa or South America, you may need a yellow fever vaccine, depending on where you're visiting. And even if you're just transiting the airport of a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission, you may need to show proof of yellow fever vaccination when entering your destination country.
Keep in mind that even if a yellow fever vaccine is not required to enter a country, there can be a risk of yellow fever infection, so it's always prudent to read the current World Health Organization status of your destination country and take prophylactic measures as needed to prevent mosquito bites, which are the main means of transmission of yellow fever and malaria.
2018: Countries with a Risk of Yellow Fever Transmission
- Angola
- Argentina (Misiones and Corrientes provinces)
- Benin
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Colombia
- Congo
- Cote d'Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Ecuador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Ethiopia
- French Guiana
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Kenya
- Liberia
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Togo
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Uganda
- Venezuela
Additional Countries That Require Proof of Yellow Fever Vaccination When Arriving from Country with Risk of Transmission
Below I've excluded the countries listed above, since presumably if you're going there you'll want to get a yellow fever vaccine anyway, given the risk of transmission. Again, for the countries below, you only have to worry about getting a yellow fever vaccine if you're arriving from a country with yellow fever risk (or in some cases, have a >12 hour transit in an airport in a country with yellow fever risk). If you're flying directly from the U.S., Canada, or other country without a risk of yellow fever transmission, there is no proof of yellow fever vaccination required.
For all countries below with an asterisk (*), the proof of yellow fever vaccination requirement also applies to travelers who have transited >12 hours through the airport of a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission.
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria*
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Aruba
- Australia* Excludes Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, excludes Tobago, and limited to Misiones Province in Argentina
- Bahamas: Excludes Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, but includes Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, and Tanzania, and also applies to travelers who have transited >12 hours through the airport of a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission (with above mentioned inclusions and exclusions)
- Bahrain*
- Bangladesh
- Barbados: excludes Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. Requirement also applies to travelers who have transited >12 hours through the airport of a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission.
- Belize
- Bhutan: requirement also applies to travelers who have transited through the airport of a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission.
- Bonaire
- Botswana*
- Brunei*
- Cabo Verde*
- Cambodia*
- China: requirement also applies to travelers who have transited through the airport of a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission. Requirement does not apply to travelers whose itineraries are limited to Hong Kong SAR and/or Macao SAR.
- Costa Rica* with the exception of Argentina, Panama, and Trinidad and Tobago
- Cuba*
- Curacao*
- Djibouti: requirement also applies to travelers who have transited through the airport of a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission.
- Dominica*
- Egypt* Also, all arrivals from Sudan are required to possess either proof of vaccination or a location certificate issued by an official Sudanese government agency stating the traveler has not been south of 15 degrees within the past 6 days.
- El Salvador*
- Eritrea
- Fiji*
- French Polynesia*
- Grenada*
- Guadeloupe*
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Honduras* With the exception of Panama
- India: requirement also applies to travelers who have transited through the airport of a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission. Anyone without proof of vaccination who arrives within 6 days of departure from a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission is detained in isolation up to 6 days. Countries with a risk of yellow fever transmission are defined as: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Venzuela
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jamaica: requirement also applies to travelers who have transited through the airport of a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission.
- Jordan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Kyrgyzstan*
- Laos
- Lesotho*
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi*
- Malaysia*
- Maldives*
- Malta
- Martinique*
- Mauritius*
- Mayotte*
- Montserrat
- Mozambique
- Myanmar*
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- New Caledonia*
- Nicaragua
- Niue
- North Korea
- Oman*
- Pakistan*
- Philippines: Also required for all travelers having transited through an airport of a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission.
- Pitcairn Islands
- Reunion*
- Rwanda
- Saint Barthelemy*
- Saint Helena
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Martin*
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa*
- Sao Tome and Principe*
- Saudi Arabia: Also required for all travelers having transited through an airport of a country with a risk of yellow fever
- Seychelles: Also required for all travelers having transited through an airport of a country with a risk of yellow fever
- Singapore: Required for all travelers who within the past 6 days have been in or have transited >12 hours through an airport of a country with a risk of yellow fever
- Sint Maarten
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- South Africa* In addition to travelers from yellow fever countries mentioned above, travelers (and those who have transited >12 hours in airports in the following countries) from Eritrea, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, Tanzania, and Zambia must have proof of yellow fever vaccination.
- Sri Lanka*
- Swaziland
- Tanzania
- Thailand: Also required for all travelers having transited through an airport of a country with a risk of yellow fever
- Timor Leste
- Zambia*
- Zimbabwe*
Do I Need a Yellow Fever Vaccine Booster?
The yellow fever vaccine provides lifelong protection for most people, so no booster should be needed. That said, if you can't find your yellow fever vaccine proof of vaccination card and can't get it reissued, you may need to get the shot again, so that you have proof of your vaccination to bring with you on your trip.
Where to Get a Yellow Fever Vaccine?
In the U.S., depending on where you live, you may be able to get the yellow fever vaccine from your local government's travel clinic, or if you're at a university, the university health clinic. Generally the vaccine isn't covered by insurance, so it tends to be quite pricey as vaccines go, ~$200 or more in some cases. You can use this CDC page to try to find a yellow fever vaccination clinic near you.
Have you ever needed to show proof of yellow fever vaccination?
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So if I originate from the United States and travel to one of hte listed countries (likely South Africa, Tanzania or Kenya) and then travel between the countries of Kenya, DRC, Tanzania and possibly Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, Madagascar, and South Africa (one, two, three, etc. or all of them), will I need to get a yellow fever vaccine at any point during my trip?
Yes, you will need to show proof of yellow fever vaccination if entering Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, Madagascar and South Africa from Kenya, and also if you enter South Africa from Tanzania or Zambia. Also see the asterisked countries in the 2nd list, because even if you were just in transit >12 hours in a country with the risk of yellow fever transmission, such as Kenya, you will need to show proof of the yellow fever vaccine. To be sure, I do recommend contacting the relevant embassies/consulates once you have your itinerary finalized. Or for peace of mind,… Read more »
I didn’t realize that there were so many countries that require a yellow fever vaccine in order to enter the country. My sister is traveling to Peru, and wants to make sure that she has everything in order before she leaves. I will have to ask her if she has her yellow fever vaccine yet.