Hepatitis B vaccine before travel
Choose the 2 dose or 3 dose vaccine and your departure: the checker says how many doses fit before the trip and what the series costs.
Hepatitis B, 2 doses (Heplisav-B): when to start
28 days before
latest start for protection on departure day
| Doses | 2 doses: day 0, day 28 |
| Protection | CDC gives no lead time |
| Published price per dose | $149 median, $138 to $190 (7 departments) |
| Series, median total with fees | $347 ($280 to $520) |
| CDC private-sector list price (Heplisav-B) | $166 per dose, vaccine only |
Schedule from the CDC Yellow Book (2025-07-02). Not medical advice.
| Health department | Per dose | Series with fees |
|---|---|---|
| County of Orange Health Care Agency, CA | $138 | $347 |
| Tarrant County Public Health, TX | $140 | $280 |
| Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County (approximate prices, 2025 list), FL | $142 | $283 |
| Southwest Utah Public Health Department, UT | $149 | $298 |
| Fairfax County Health Department, VA | $150 | $390 |
| Norwalk Health Department, CT | $155 | $390 |
| Denver Health Public Health Institute, CO | $190 | $520 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · Method and sources · CDC pages read October 24, 2026
CDC's destination pages now list hepatitis B for unvaccinated travelers to all 242 destinations they cover, in one of two wordings: for 131, among them Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, China and most of West Africa, recommended for unvaccinated travelers of all ages; for the other 111, recommended for those younger than 60, while travelers aged 60 and older may get vaccinated. That follows the US adult schedule, which has recommended hepatitis B vaccine for all adults aged 19 to 59 since 2022, so the trip is often simply the occasion to catch up. Hepatitis B passes through blood and body fluids: sex, medical or dental care with unsterile equipment, tattoos, piercings, or an accident abroad. Three choices exist for adults. Heplisav-B takes two doses four weeks apart, so the series fits in 28 days; the older vaccines take three doses at 0, 1 and 6 months; and Twinrix covers hepatitis A and B together. At US county health departments, a Heplisav-B dose costs a median of $149 and a dose of a three dose vaccine $90.
Why it is on every page
Hepatitis B is not a disease of one region the way yellow fever or Japanese encephalitis are. It is more common in parts of Asia, Africa and the Pacific, but the ways a traveler can catch it, an emergency treatment, a new partner, a tattoo, are the same anywhere. CDC therefore lists it for every destination, and sorts them only by age: where hepatitis B is more common, as in much of Asia, Africa and the Pacific islands, the line covers unvaccinated travelers of all ages; elsewhere, from Mexico to Japan, it covers those younger than 60. In practice the question is not where you go but whether you are already vaccinated. Most people born in the United States after the early 1990s received hepatitis B vaccine as infants, and many health workers and students received it later; older adults often did not. Records from a pediatrician, a school or a state immunization registry usually answer the question, and a blood test can too.
Two dose hepatitis B: does it fit before the trip?
Hepatitis B, 2 doses (Heplisav-B): when to start
28 days before
| Doses | 2 doses: day 0, day 28 |
| Protection | CDC gives no lead time |
| Published price per dose | $149 median, $138 to $190 (7 departments) |
| Series, median total with fees | $347 ($280 to $520) |
The three schedules
Heplisav-B, for adults 18 and older, is given in two doses at least four weeks apart. It is the shortest route to a complete series, which makes it the usual choice when the trip is a month or two away. Engerix-B and Recombivax HB are given in three doses at 0, 1 and 6 months; the CDC adult schedule sets the minimum intervals at four weeks between the first two doses, eight weeks between the second and third, and sixteen weeks between the first and third. Twinrix protects against hepatitis A and B at once, in three doses at 0, 1 and 6 months, or on an accelerated schedule at 0, 7 and 21 to 30 days with a booster at 12 months. CDC does not give a date at which a partial series protects, so the checker on this page shows when each dose is due and how many fit before departure, without marking a protection date.
What it costs
On the CDC private-sector price list of October 1, 2026, a dose of Heplisav-B costs $166 and a dose of Engerix-B (vial) $75. At the 7 health departments that publish a self-pay price, a Heplisav-B dose costs $138 to $190, and a dose of a three dose vaccine $52 to $100. With their visit and administration fees, the full series comes to $280 to $520 for two doses and $236 to $480 for three, since three doses mean three visits. Because hepatitis B is on the routine adult schedule for ages 19 to 59, health insurance and Medicaid cover it far more often than travel-only vaccines, so the plan comes first.
Hepatitis B with hepatitis A and typhoid
Self-pay cost of these travel vaccines
$724
| Hepatitis A, 2 doses | $217 |
| Typhoid, injection, 1 dose | $174 |
| Hepatitis B, 2 doses (Heplisav-B), 2 doses | $298 |
Twinrix or separate vaccines
A traveler who needs both hepatitis A and B can choose Twinrix, at a median of $148 a dose at the health departments, or a hepatitis A vaccine plus a hepatitis B vaccine. Twinrix means fewer injections in total, but all three doses are needed for hepatitis A and B protection equal to the separate vaccines, and the accelerated schedule adds a fourth dose at 12 months. Separate vaccines allow one dose of hepatitis A before the trip and Heplisav-B in two visits four weeks apart. The hepatitis A page gives the hepatitis A side of the comparison, and a clinician chooses with the traveler's record in hand.
Over 60
For unvaccinated travelers aged 60 and older going to one of the 111 destinations with the under 60 wording, CDC's line changes from recommended to may get vaccinated: the vaccine is offered, and the decision depends on the person's risks and wishes. For the 131 destinations with the all ages wording, it stays recommended at any age. Chronic liver disease, diabetes and some other conditions are reasons clinicians raise it at any age.
Habits that lower the risk
The vaccine is the main protection, and a few habits add to it. Tattoos, piercings and acupuncture abroad carry a risk wherever needles are reused, as do shared razors. Condoms reduce the risk from sex with a new partner. A small travel kit with sterile needles and syringes is sometimes packed for remote trips, for use by a local clinician. Travelers who receive emergency care abroad, including a blood transfusion, should mention it to their doctor on return, since a test can then check for hepatitis B and C.