Which Travel Vaccines Are Free on the NHS?
Quick answer
In England, four travel vaccines are usually free on the NHS from your GP surgery: hepatitis A, typhoid, cholera and the diphtheria, tetanus and polio booster. Others, including yellow fever, rabies, Japanese encephalitis, tick-borne encephalitis and usually hepatitis B, aren’t routinely available on the NHS, so you pay for them at a pharmacy or travel clinic. Malaria tablets for travel aren’t available on the NHS either.
Knowing what’s free can save you money, and knowing what isn’t saves a wasted trip to the GP. Here’s a simple guide from the pharmacists at Summersdale Pharmacy in Chichester.
Free from your GP surgery
- Hepatitis A
- Typhoid
- Cholera
- Diphtheria, tetanus and polio (a combined booster)
Your surgery will usually ask you to fill in a travel form first. Not every surgery can offer travel appointments quickly, so get in touch early.
Vaccines you usually pay for
- Yellow fever, which only registered Yellow Fever Vaccination Centres can give
- Rabies, before you travel
- Japanese encephalitis
- Tick-borne encephalitis
- Hepatitis B, in most cases
- Meningitis ACWY for travel, for example for Hajj and Umrah. Some GP surgeries give it free, but many don’t.
- Chikungunya and dengue
- Malaria tablets
Our prices
| Vaccine | Price |
|---|---|
| Yellow fever, including certificate | £80 |
| Rabies (before travel) | from £85 |
| Japanese encephalitis | from £100 |
| Tick-borne encephalitis | from £65 |
| Hepatitis B | from £45 |
| Meningitis ACWY | £55 |
| Chikungunya | £190 |
| Malaria tablets | from £20 |
Prices checked November 2026. Many vaccines need more than one dose, and your pharmacist will confirm the total before you go ahead. See all our prices.
Getting it all sorted
You can mix and match: have the free vaccines at your GP surgery and the rest with us. If your surgery can’t fit you in before you travel, we can also give the free ones privately, so you can have everything at one appointment. At your travel consultation, we’ll tell you which of your vaccines you could get free.
Bitten or scratched by an animal abroad?
Wash the wound with soap and water and get medical help straight away, wherever you are. When you’re back in the UK, contact your GP or NHS 111 as soon as possible. Treatment after a possible rabies exposure is free on the NHS.
Book your travel consultation
Our pharmacist will go through your trip, tell you what you need and what you could get free, and give most vaccines the same day. Book online or call us on 01243 380185.