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Vaccines for India: typhoid, malaria and what you need (2026)
Flying from Portugal to India? No required vaccine on a direct flight. Typhoid and hepatitis A even on short trips. Malaria includes Delhi and Mumbai. Yellow fever rules are strict if you come from a risk country.
General information — it does not replace a medical consultation. Vaccination centre hours may change.
India needs a little more preparation than a beach destination. Not because of a required vaccine on a direct flight from Portugal, but because food- and water-borne disease — typhoid above all — is common, and because malaria is present across much of the country. That applies to foreign residents leaving from Lisbon or Porto as much as to anyone else.
A travel consultation (€39, in English) matches the route and the season to your record.
Quick summary
- Required on entry (flight from Portugal): no vaccine. Watch yellow fever if you arrive from Africa or South America (see below).
- Typhoid and hepatitis A: recommended by the CDC even for short trips.
- Malaria: risk across much of the country, including Mumbai and New Delhi. No risk above 2,000 metres.
- Other vaccines: hepatitis B, rabies and Japanese encephalitis depending on length and type of trip.
- When to book: 6 to 8 weeks ahead.
Yellow fever: watch the route
India has no yellow fever and the CDC does not recommend the vaccine for the trip itself. The entry rules are among the strictest in the world.
A traveller aged 9 months or older who arrives without a certificate within 6 days of being in a yellow fever risk country — including, in some cases, stopovers — can be isolated for up to 6 days.
India’s list includes, among others, Angola, Brazil, Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana and Uganda. If the route combines India with any of these, or if you have a long stopover in Addis Ababa or Nairobi, you need the vaccine — given at an International Vaccination Centre in Portugal, at least 10 days before. Vaccine guide: yellow fever. It is not given at CUF.
Typhoid and hepatitis A: the priorities
- Typhoid: India and South Asia account for the great majority of typhoid cases in travellers, and many strains are resistant to antibiotics. The CDC recommends the vaccine even for short trips.
- Hepatitis A: recommended for all unvaccinated travellers from 1 year of age.
This applies to a five-star hotel in Delhi and to a guesthouse in Varanasi. More context: malaria and hepatitis A/B.
Malaria
According to the CDC, malaria transmission is country-wide, including Mumbai and New Delhi, except above 2,000 metres (parts of the Himalayas, Ladakh, Sikkim and high areas in the south). The CDC recommends preventive tablets for transmission areas (atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine or tafenoquine). The prescription comes from the consultation: malaria prophylaxis.
In practice, risk varies a lot with region, season (higher during and after the monsoon) and the type of trip. Some European guidance is more selective than the CDC for short urban routes. That is why this decision belongs in a consultation, with your route in front of you.
Travel consultation · video
Prepare your trip with a personal vaccine plan
- €39 · video consultation
- Prescriptions and vaccine plan the same day, when indicated
- Vaccines paid separately, at an International Vaccination Centre
In every case: repellent, protection in the evening and at night, and any fever during or after the trip is an emergency — always say you were in India.
Other vaccines to consider
- Hepatitis B: recommended by the CDC for unvaccinated travellers under 60; especially important if you expect medical or dental treatment, tattoos, or a long stay.
- Rabies: India carries the world’s largest rabies burden, and immunoglobulin is not always available on the ground. Preventive vaccine makes treatment after a bite much simpler. Consider it for long stays, rural areas, trekking, or contact with animals (including monkeys).
- Japanese encephalitis: recommended if you stay a month or more in risk areas, are moving there, or travel often; consider it on short trips with a lot of rural time. Not recommended for short city-only trips.
- Cholera: only in specific situations.
- Routine vaccines: measles in particular. If your record is from outside Portugal, bring it.
How far ahead to book
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 6–8 weeks before | Travel consultation; start multi-dose vaccines (rabies, Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis B) |
| 2 weeks before | Typhoid and hepatitis A done, ideally |
| 1–2 weeks before | Collect malaria tablets, if indicated |
| Last minute | Still useful: hepatitis A and typhoid give meaningful protection even close to the date |
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a required vaccine for India?
No, if you fly directly from Portugal. Yes, if you have recently been in a yellow fever risk country.
I am only doing the Golden Triangle (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur). Do I need malaria tablets?
The CDC recommends them for transmission areas, which include these cities. Other guidance is more selective. Decide with the doctor, according to the season and the type of trip.
I am having medical or dental treatment in India. Does that change anything?
Yes — hepatitis B becomes especially important.
Book the travel consultation
Other destinations
- Vaccines for Brazil
- Vaccines for Angola
- Vaccines for Mozambique
- Vaccines for Cape Verde
- Vaccines for Thailand
- Safari in Kenya and Tanzania
- All destinations
Sources
- CDC Travelers' Health — India
- CDC Yellow Book — Yellow Fever Vaccine and Malaria Prevention Information, by Country
- CDC Yellow Book — Japanese Encephalitis
This article is information. It does not replace a medical consultation. Entry rules can change; check them before you travel.
