⚠ NOT LIVE — Burntwood Clinic is not currently a designated Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre. Verify on the NaTHNaC register before publishing this page.
Yellow fever vaccination and certificates
Yellow fever vaccination and your ICVP certificate
If your trip takes you to a country with a risk of yellow fever, or to one that asks for a certificate at the border, here is what the vaccine is, what the certificate does, and how far ahead you need to plan.
We refer for yellow fever
Yellow fever vaccination and ICVP certificates can only be given by a centre designated by NaTHNaC. Burntwood Clinic is not a designated centre, so we will point you to one — and we can still look after the rest of your travel vaccines.
Please check the centre's own availability and prices before you travel. Designated centres change, so it is worth confirming on the NaTHNaC register too.
Who it is for
Who needs a yellow fever vaccination
Yellow fever vaccination is not needed for most trips. Whether it applies to you depends on where you are going, how long for and what you will be doing there.
Travelling to a country with a risk of yellow fever
Yellow fever is spread by mosquitoes in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Central and South America. Whether it is recommended for you depends on exactly where you are going, the time of year and what you will be doing.
Entering a country that asks for a certificate
Some countries require an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP) as a condition of entry — often if you are arriving from, or have recently passed through, a country with a risk of transmission.
Transiting through an airport on the way
A stopover can be enough to trigger a certificate requirement at your final destination, even if you never leave the airport. Bring your full itinerary, including connections.
Travelling for work, study or volunteering
Longer stays, rural travel, fieldwork and work with communities usually mean more exposure to mosquitoes than a short city break, and that changes the advice.
The certificate
The ICVP — the certificate border officials ask for
The vaccine and the certificate are two separate things. Some travellers need the protection; some also need the paperwork.
What the certificate is
The ICVP is the international certificate that records a yellow fever vaccination. It is the document a border official may ask to see. It must be completed and stamped by a designated Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre.
When it becomes valid
A certificate for a first (primary) yellow fever vaccination becomes valid 10 days after the date of vaccination. Before those 10 days are up it will not be accepted at a border.
How long it lasts
Under the International Health Regulations, a yellow fever certificate is valid for the life of the person vaccinated. A small number of people may be advised to have a further dose on clinical grounds.
Looking after it
Keep the certificate with your passport, and take a photo of it as a backup. A replacement can only be issued by a designated centre, and it cannot be back-dated.
Country requirements
Recommended, or required? They are not the same thing
Two different questions decide whether yellow fever applies to your trip — and it is common to need one without the other.
- Recommended means the vaccine is advised to protect you, because there is a risk of yellow fever where you are going.
- Required means a certificate is a condition of entry, and a border official can ask to see it.
- A requirement can be triggered by a country you are only transiting through, so your full itinerary matters.
- Requirements are set by each country and change — they are checked against current NaTHNaC advice at your appointment, not taken from a list on a website.
Country-by-country requirements for UK travellers are published by NaTHNaC at travelhealthpro.org.uk and are updated regularly. Always check close to your travel date.
When extra care is needed
Yellow fever vaccine is a live vaccine, so it is not suitable for everyone. Anyone in these groups needs an individual assessment before any decision is made:
- Babies under 9 months old
- People having a first dose aged 60 or over
- Anyone with a weakened immune system, including from medicines or treatment
- People who have had their thymus removed, or have a thymus disorder
- Anyone with a severe allergy to eggs or to any vaccine ingredient
- People who are pregnant or breastfeeding
If the vaccine is not suitable for you, a designated centre can assess whether a medical letter of exemption is appropriate. Whether that letter is accepted is a decision for the country you are entering.
Timing
When to get it done
Yellow fever has a deadline that other travel vaccines do not — the certificate itself takes 10 days to become valid.
- As early as you canBook your travel appointment as soon as your trip is booked. Some vaccines need more than one dose, spaced out over weeks.
- At least 10 days before you travelA first yellow fever certificate is not valid until 10 days after the vaccination, so this is the hard deadline for the certificate, not just a recommendation.
- Left it late?Still come in. Other travel vaccines and malaria advice may still help, and we can tell you quickly whether yellow fever is realistic in the time you have.
We refer for yellow fever
Yellow fever vaccination and ICVP certificates can only be given by a centre designated by NaTHNaC. Burntwood Clinic is not a designated centre, so we will point you to one — and we can still look after the rest of your travel vaccines.
Please check the centre's own availability and prices before you travel. Designated centres change, so it is worth confirming on the NaTHNaC register too.
Questions
Common questions about yellow fever
Is yellow fever vaccination compulsory?
It depends on the country. For some destinations it is recommended to protect you; for others a certificate is a legal condition of entry. Those are two different things, and your itinerary decides which applies.
What if the vaccine is not suitable for me?
A designated centre can assess you and, where appropriate, issue a medical letter of exemption instead. Whether that letter is accepted is a decision for the country you are entering.
Can I have it at the same time as my other travel vaccines?
Usually yes. Your clinician will confirm what can be given on the day and what needs spacing out.
Where do I check the requirements for my trip?
TravelHealthPro (travelhealthpro.org.uk) publishes country-by-country advice for UK travellers, and it is updated regularly. Requirements do change — always check close to your travel date.
Planning a trip? Start with a travel health appointment
Bring your itinerary and your vaccination record and we will go through what is recommended, what is required and what can wait.
- Pharmacist-led travel health appointments in Burntwood
- Your whole itinerary reviewed, not just one vaccine
- Free parking nearby, Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings
- Honest advice on what you need, and what you do not
We refer for yellow fever
Yellow fever vaccination and ICVP certificates can only be given by a centre designated by NaTHNaC. Burntwood Clinic is not a designated centre, so we will point you to one — and we can still look after the rest of your travel vaccines.
Please check the centre's own availability and prices before you travel. Designated centres change, so it is worth confirming on the NaTHNaC register too.