Travel health
Tokyo, Seoul and Dubai need nothing beyond routine vaccines. Rural South-East Asia and South Asia are a different story. Here's what each of the 48 countries can ask for at the border, and what doctors recommend for the trip itself.
General guidance, not medical advice. Entry rules change and depend on your route, health and nationality. Check the destination's embassy and see a travel health clinic 6 to 8 weeks before you go. Last checked September 2026.
The quick answer
Almost never. There's no yellow fever in Asia, and only a few specific rules apply: for pilgrims, for long stays in polio-affected countries, and for anyone arriving from a yellow fever risk country.
Hajj and Umrah: Saudi Arabia requires the meningococcal ACWY vaccine for every pilgrim, given at least 10 days before arrival. Polio: if you stay 4 weeks or more in Pakistan or Afghanistan, you may need proof of a recent polio dose to leave. Yellow fever: there's none in Asia, but most countries ask for a certificate if you arrive from a risk country in Africa or South America. India and Singapore are the strictest.
These countries have no vaccine entry rules for visitors. Routine vaccines and hepatitis A cover most trips.
What to get
Hepatitis A and typhoid are advised for most of the region. Beyond those, four things come up most. See the vaccine field guide for doses and timing.
A mosquito-borne infection found across South, South-East and East Asia, mostly in rice-growing and farming areas. Advised for a month or more in rural areas, or shorter trips with lots of time outdoors. Two doses, finished a week before you go.
Only 20 of 48 countries have any risk left, and in most it's limited to forests and border areas. China, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, Georgia, Tajikistan and Azerbaijan have all been certified malaria-free. India and Pakistan are the big exceptions, with risk in cities too.
Dog rabies is common in South and South-East Asia, including Bali, Thailand, the Philippines and India, and temple monkeys bite. The vaccine makes treatment after a bite much simpler. Whatever you decide, any bite or scratch needs urgent care.
Saudi Arabia requires ACWY for Hajj and Umrah. Long stays in Pakistan or Afghanistan may need proof of a recent polio dose when you leave. Neither applies to ordinary tourist trips elsewhere.
All 48 countries
Open a country for its entry rules, recommended vaccines and malaria risk. Use the filters to narrow the list.
Showing 48 of 48
Malaria: Risk below 2,500 m from April to December, mainly in the east and south.
Under Taliban control, with active security threats across the country. Almost all governments advise against all travel.
Malaria: Certified malaria-free by the WHO in 2011.
Malaria: Certified malaria-free by the WHO in 2023.
Malaria: No malaria.
Malaria: Risk mainly in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and border areas near Cox's Bazar. Very low in Dhaka.
Malaria: Risk only in the southern districts along the Indian border. None in Paro, Thimphu, Punakha or the other main valleys.
Malaria: Very low risk; rare cases of monkey malaria in forested areas.
Malaria: Low and falling, mainly in forested areas near the borders. None in Phnom Penh; very low around Angkor.
Malaria: Certified malaria-free by the WHO in 2021.
Malaria: No malaria.
Malaria: Certified malaria-free by the WHO in 2025.
Malaria: Risk in all areas below 2,000 m, including Delhi and Mumbai, highest in the monsoon and in the east and north-east. None in the high Himalaya (Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Sikkim above 2,000 m).
India is strict about yellow fever: if you arrive within 6 days of being in a risk country without a valid certificate, you can be quarantined for up to 6 days.
Malaria: Risk in Papua and the eastern provinces, and in rural parts of Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Sumatra and Nusa Tenggara. None in Jakarta or Bali.
Bali has rabies in dogs, and temple monkeys bite. Any bite or scratch needs urgent treatment, even if you've had the vaccine.
Malaria: Low risk, limited to the south-east (Sistan and Baluchestan, Hormozgan and southern Kerman). None in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz or the central tourist route.
Many governments advise against all travel to Iran. Check your government's travel advice before you plan a trip.
Malaria: No local malaria transmission in recent years.
Most governments advise against all but essential travel to much of Iraq outside the Kurdistan Region.
Malaria: No malaria.
Security conditions can change quickly. Check your government's travel advice before you go.
Malaria: No malaria.
Malaria: No malaria.
Malaria: Certified malaria-free by the WHO in 2012.
Malaria: No malaria.
Malaria: Certified malaria-free by the WHO in 2016.
Malaria: Risk in rural and forested areas, highest in the south. Very low in Vientiane and Luang Prabang town.
Malaria: No malaria.
Security has been volatile since the 2024 conflict with Israel. Check your government's travel advice carefully.
Malaria: Risk of monkey malaria (knowlesi) in forested areas of Sabah, Sarawak and rural peninsular Malaysia. None in Kuala Lumpur, Penang or Langkawi.
Malaria: Certified malaria-free by the WHO in 2015.
Malaria: No malaria.
Plague occurs in marmots and other rodents in rural areas, mostly in summer. Don't handle or eat marmots.
Malaria: Risk in rural and forested areas, highest in Rakhine, Kachin, Shan and the border regions. Low in Yangon and Mandalay.
Under military rule since the 2021 coup, with armed conflict in many regions. Most governments advise against all but essential travel.
Malaria: Risk in the Terai lowlands below 2,000 m, including Chitwan and Bardia. None in Kathmandu, Pokhara or on the main trekking routes.
Malaria: Low risk in the south, from May to October.
Tourism is extremely restricted and many governments advise against all travel.
Malaria: No local malaria transmission; occasional imported cases.
Malaria: Risk in all areas below 2,500 m, including Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. Lower on the Karakoram Highway and in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Pakistan is one of the last two countries with wild polio. If you stay 4 weeks or more, you'll need a polio dose given between 4 weeks and 12 months before you leave, recorded on your yellow card.
Malaria: No malaria.
Gaza is in a severe humanitarian crisis with extremely limited access. Check your government's travel advice before visiting the West Bank.
Malaria: Risk in rural southern Palawan and parts of Mindanao. None in Manila, Cebu, Boracay, Siargao or El Nido town.
Dog rabies is common across the country. Any bite or scratch needs urgent treatment.
Malaria: No malaria.
Malaria: Low risk in the south-west (Jazan and Asir), near Yemen. None in Mecca, Medina, Jeddah or Riyadh.
For pilgrims, a conjugate ACWY vaccine is valid for 5 years and a polysaccharide one for 3 years. Without proof you won't be allowed to perform the pilgrimage.
Malaria: No malaria.
Singapore applies its yellow fever rule strictly: travellers arriving from risk countries without a certificate can be refused entry or quarantined.
Malaria: Very low risk near the border with North Korea, from April to October. None in Seoul, Busan or Jeju.
Malaria: Certified malaria-free by the WHO in 2016.
Malaria: No local malaria transmission in recent years.
Syria is in a fragile transition after the fall of the Assad government in December 2024. Most governments advise against all travel.
Malaria: Malaria-free since 1965.
Malaria: Certified malaria-free by the WHO in 2023.
Malaria: Risk only in forested areas along the borders with Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. None in Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Samui, Krabi, Pattaya or Chiang Mai city.
Dog rabies is common. Any bite or scratch needs urgent treatment, even if you've had the vaccine.
Malaria: Certified malaria-free by the WHO in 2025.
Malaria: Certified malaria-free by the WHO in 2010.
Malaria: Certified malaria-free by the WHO in 2007.
Malaria: Certified malaria-free by the WHO in 2018.
Malaria: Risk in rural forested areas of the Central Highlands and some border provinces. None in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, Da Nang or Phu Quoc.
Malaria: High risk in most areas below 2,000 m.
One of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with conflict across much of the country. All governments advise against all travel.
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Common questions
For most travellers, none are legally required. The exceptions are a yellow fever certificate if you arrive from a country with yellow fever risk (India and Singapore are strict about this), the meningococcal ACWY vaccine for Hajj and Umrah in Saudi Arabia, and proof of polio vaccination when leaving Pakistan or Afghanistan after a stay of 4 weeks or more. Hepatitis A and typhoid are recommended for most of the region.
Usually only if you'll spend a month or more in rural areas, or a shorter time with lots of outdoor activity in farming and rice-growing areas, especially in the rainy season. City and beach holidays rarely need it. It's two doses, finished at least a week before you travel.
Usually not on standard routes. Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Bali, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur and Siem Reap have little or no risk. Malaria is mostly limited to forested border areas, Papua and eastern Indonesia, and parts of Myanmar and Laos. South Asia is different: India and Pakistan have risk in most areas below 2,000 to 2,500 m, including big cities.
It's recommended for long stays, remote travel and anyone who'll be around animals. Bali, Thailand and the Philippines all have rabies in dogs, and monkeys at temples often bite. Even if you're vaccinated, wash any bite or scratch for 15 minutes and get medical care the same day.
Saudi Arabia requires the meningococcal ACWY vaccine for every pilgrim, given at least 10 days before arrival: a conjugate vaccine counts for 5 years, a polysaccharide one for 3 years. Pilgrims from some countries also need proof of polio vaccination, and a yellow fever certificate is needed if you arrive from a risk country. Flu vaccination is strongly advised.
Check the official word
Yellow fever entry rules follow the CDC Yellow Book's country list, alongside WHO and UK guidance. Use these to double-check anything important for your trip.
Last checked: September 2026.
Every region page uses the same labels, so you can compare rules at a glance. Then read the full country guide for safety, visas, money and local tips.