You should make an appointment for a travel health risk assessment if you’re travelling abroad and think you need:
A travel health professional will take you through your travel health risk assessment.
Your GP is no longer your point of contact for a travel health risk assessment, including travel vaccines.
NHS Scotland provides a travel health service that includes some free vaccines.
To find information on how to make an appointment for a travel health risk assessment in Scotland, contact the NHS health board where you live.
You can also visit an independent (private) travel clinic for:
You should arrange a travel health risk assessment 6 to 8 weeks before you travel. This gives time for any vaccines you need to become fully effective.
If your trip is sooner, remember it’s never too late to get advice.
If you’re planning to travel outside the UK, your travel health needs will depend on your individual situation. This includes:
The fitfortravel website provides country-specific advice on:
If you think you need vaccines and/or a malaria risk assessment, you should make an appointment with a travel health professional.
A travel health risk assessment is also recommended for some people, even when vaccines or malaria tablets aren’t required. This includes:
The following travel vaccines are free on the NHS in Scotland:
It’s likely that you’ll have to pay for vaccines against:
You may also have to pay for the following vaccines if they’re only needed for travel purposes:
To enter some countries you may need proof that you have had particular vaccines. This includes the yellow fever vaccine.
Yellow fever vaccines are only available from designated centres. To find out if you need a yellow fever vaccine or proof of the vaccine, you should contact a yellow fever clinic.
To request a list of any other vaccines held on your GP record, contact your GP practice. GP practices cannot provide proof of COVID vaccine.
Vaccines or anti-malarial tablets will not protect against all travel health risks. This means you’ll need to take extra steps to protect your health whilst travelling abroad.
The fitfortravel website has further advice on preventing health risks whilst travelling. This includes information on:
If you’re travelling abroad to visit friends or relatives, you may be at higher risk of developing travel-related illnesses. For example, malaria or typhoid. This could be because:
The fitfortravel website provides information and advice on visiting friends and family abroad.
You can find country-specific safety and security advice through the UK government website.
Many countries don’t have the same access to medical treatments as the UK and can be expensive.
It’s recommended that all travellers get comprehensive travel insurance before travelling.
If you become unwell and/or develop a fever when you return home, it’s important to get medical advice as soon as possible. You should seek medical help even if it’s up to 1 month after you’ve been travelling.
Always make sure you tell the health professional that you’ve recently travelled abroad. This is especially important if you have been to a country where malaria is a risk.
Travel outside the UK can affect whether you can give blood donations. This is because some infections may be caught abroad. This is usually through mosquito or other insect bites.
There are conditions for donating blood if you’ve been to certain countries. This can depend on your length of stay and some other factors.
Further information on donating blood after travelling abroad
Last updated:
01 March 2024