Illustration of a globe, passport and aeroplane, representing travel vaccinations

What vaccinations do I need for Thailand?

ByZain Rajabali

“What do I need for Thailand?” is one of the most searched travel health questions in the UK, and the answer is often less than people expect. Most short trips need only a couple of vaccines, and most tourist areas have little or no malaria. But what you do there, and for how long, can change that.

This guide is based on the UK’s official travel health advice from TravelHealthPro (NaTHNaC). It’s general information: which vaccines are right for you is decided at a travel consultation, based on your plans and health.

The short answer

  • Recommended for most travellers: hepatitis A, tetanus.
  • Some travellers, depending on your plans: typhoid, hepatitis B, rabies, Japanese encephalitis, chikungunya, dengue, measles, tuberculosis.
  • Malaria: Most tourist areas, including Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui and Pattaya, have no or very low malaria risk. Malaria tablets usually aren’t needed.
  • Book 4 to 6 weeks before you travel. Some vaccines need more than one dose. If you’re short of time, it’s still worth coming in.

Vaccines recommended for most travellers to Thailand

TravelHealthPro recommends these for most travellers:

Hepatitis A spreads through contaminated food and water. TravelHealthPro recommends it for all previously unvaccinated travellers, because it’s well tolerated and gives long-lasting protection. £80 per dose with us, or free from your GP surgery.

Tetanus is everywhere, in soil and manure, and gets in through wounds. You should have completed the UK course. TravelHealthPro advises a booster if your last dose was more than 10 years ago and you’re going somewhere medical care may be limited. It’s given as a combined tetanus, diphtheria and polio booster: £50 with us, or free from your GP surgery.

All travellers should also be up to date with their routine UK vaccines.

Vaccines some travellers need

These depend on what you’ll be doing, where you’ll stay and for how long:

  • Typhoid (£55, or free from your GP) – for people visiting friends and relatives, staying longer or travelling often, or going where food and water hygiene may be poor.
  • Hepatitis B (£65 per dose, £195 for the course) – for anyone who might have unprotected sex, need medical or dental treatment, stay a long time, play contact sports, or work with blood.
  • Rabies (£90 per dose, £270 for the course) – for people who’ll be far from medical care, doing higher-risk activities like running or cycling, working with animals, or staying more than a month.
  • Japanese encephalitis (£126 per dose, £252 for the course) – spread by mosquitoes in rural areas; for people staying a month or more during the transmission season, or with plans like visiting rice fields or farms.
  • Chikungunya (£185, for adults) – spread by daytime-biting mosquitoes; considered if there’s a current outbreak, or for long-term or frequent travellers.
  • Dengue – spread by daytime-biting mosquitoes. A vaccine exists, but it’s only considered for people who’ve had dengue before. For everyone else, avoiding mosquito bites is the protection.
  • Measles – make sure you’ve had two doses of the MMR vaccine. If you’ve missed doses, ask your GP surgery, or we can give it (£60 per dose).
  • Tuberculosis (BCG) – recommended for unvaccinated children under 16 who are going to live there for more than 3 months, and some health workers. Ask your GP about BCG.

TravelHealthPro notes that Japanese encephalitis occurs across Thailand, year-round, with seasonal peaks from May to October, especially in the north, including the Chiang Mai valley. Short trips of less than a month, particularly to cities, are considered lower risk.

Do I need malaria tablets for Thailand?

According to TravelHealthPro:

  • No risk in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui and Pattaya.
  • Very low risk in most other areas, including Kanchanaburi (the River Kwai bridge).
  • Low risk in the rural, forested border areas with Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

For most trips, TravelHealthPro recommends being aware of the risk and avoiding mosquito bites rather than taking malaria tablets. Tablets may be considered in exceptional cases for people at higher risk, such as long-term travellers visiting friends and relatives, people over 70, pregnant women, young children, or people with a weakened immune system.

Wherever you go, avoid mosquito bites: cover up, use insect repellent, and sleep under a net or in screened rooms where needed. If you do need tablets, a pharmacist can supply them at your consultation. See our malaria tablets page.

Do I need a yellow fever certificate?

There’s no yellow fever in Thailand, but you need a yellow fever certificate if you’re arriving from a country with a risk of yellow fever, or have spent more than 12 hours in transit at an airport in one. Flying direct from the UK, you don’t need one.

How far ahead should I book?

The NHS and TravelHealthPro both advise seeing a travel health professional at least 4 to 6 weeks before you travel. Our guide to how long travel vaccines last explains how far ahead each vaccine needs, and how long it protects you for.

Common questions

Are any of these vaccines free? Yes. The NHS says hepatitis A, typhoid, cholera and polio (as part of the tetanus, diphtheria and polio booster) are free from your GP surgery after a risk assessment. Many people still come to us so everything’s done in one appointment, or because their surgery can’t fit them in before they fly.

How much does a travel consultation cost? At MediPill, a travel consultation is £10, and it’s redeemable against same-day vaccines.

What if I’m travelling in less than 2 weeks? Come in anyway. Several vaccines can still be given, and some have faster schedules.

Where can I check the latest advice? Outbreaks and advice change, so check the TravelHealthPro page for Thailand before you travel, and the FCDO’s foreign travel advice for entry requirements.

Travel vaccinations in Oxford

All four MediPill branches run a full travel clinic, and all four are registered Yellow Fever Vaccination Centres:

See every vaccine and price on our travel clinic page, or book a travel health consultation.

More destination guides

Sources

  1. Thailand – TravelHealthPro (NaTHNaC). https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/countries/thailand (page updated 2 February 2024; accessed 23 September 2026)
  2. Travel vaccinations – NHS. https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/travel-vaccinations/ (accessed 23 September 2026)

Written by Zain Rajabali, Superintendent Pharmacist – GPhC #2219769
Medically reviewed by Zain Rajabali, Superintendent Pharmacist, Independent Prescriber – GPhC #2219769
Last reviewed: 23 September 2026 · Next review due: March 2027

This article is general health information based on UK travel health guidance and is not a substitute for a travel consultation. It does not recommend any specific vaccine or medicine for you. What you need is decided at an individual assessment with a pharmacist.

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