Vaccines for Colombia
The checker at the top is set on Colombia: it applies the entry rule CDC reports, then the CDC list, the malaria areas and the price of each shot for the route you enter.
Travel vaccines CDC lists for most or some travelers on this trip
4 vaccines
plus 3 to discuss and routine vaccines up to date
| Yellow fever | Certificate required at the border (Colombia) |
| Malaria | Prescription tablets for areas of Colombia |
| Longest lead time | 28 days before departure (Hepatitis B, 2 doses (Heplisav-B)) |
| Published price, these vaccines | $685 median, $638 to $930 |
Levels from the CDC destination pages; age 35 used for the Japanese encephalitis schedule. A list to take to a doctor, nurse or pharmacist, not medical advice.
| Disease | CDC level | Where | Start at least | Median price per dose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow fever | Certificate required at the border | Colombia | 10 days before | $269 |
| Hepatitis A | CDC: most travelers | Colombia | Any time before | $109 |
| Hepatitis B | CDC: most travelers | Colombia | 28 days before | $149 |
| Measles | CDC: most travelers | Colombia | Ask | $115 |
| Chikungunya | CDC: may be considered | Colombia | Any time before | $326 |
| Rabies | CDC: may be considered | Colombia | 7 days before | $419 |
| Typhoid | CDC: may be considered | Colombia | 14 days before | $174 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · Method and sources · CDC page reviewed September 3, 2026, read October 24, 2026
Colombia stands out on this list because CDC reports a yellow fever certificate requirement for all arriving travelers aged 1 year or older, with a reminder that entry rules can change and that embassies confirm them; CDC also posted a Level 2 yellow fever notice for Colombia in September 2026. CDC recommends the vaccine for travelers 9 months or older to most of the country, calls it generally not recommended for travel limited to Barranquilla, Cali, Cartagena or Medellín, and not recommended for travel limited to Bogotá, areas above 2,300 meters, or San Andrés and Providencia. Hepatitis A and, for unvaccinated travelers under 60, hepatitis B are listed for most travelers; typhoid is to consider. Malaria tablets are advised for areas below 1,700 meters, not for Bogotá, Cartagena or Medellín. At US county health departments, the yellow fever shot has a median price of $269, and with both hepatitis A doses and visit fees the pair comes to $516.
The entry rule: every arriving traveler
CDC's page for Colombia carries a country entry requirement that applies to everyone: the vaccine is required for all arriving travelers aged 1 year or older. CDC adds, on the same line, that country entry requirements are subject to change and that travelers should check with the embassies or consulates on their itinerary before departure. The practical effect for a visitor from the US, the UK, Canada or Australia is simple. Under the rule as CDC reports it, a city break in Bogotá, which on medical grounds is outside the recommendation, still needs a valid certificate at the airport, and the certificate counts only from 10 days after the shot.
The same page shows a Level 2 travel notice for yellow fever in Colombia, dated September 18, 2026. The notice page has the details. With the entry rule and the notice together, the yellow fever shot is a question for nearly every Colombian itinerary, not only for jungle trips. The published US price runs from $226 to $360 a dose.
Colombia certificate check
Yellow fever certificate for Colombia
Required
| CDC vaccine advice | Recommended (for the areas CDC lists) |
| Who must show a certificate | Every arriving traveler (age limits apply) |
| Valid from | 10 days after the shot, for life |
| Published price | $269 median, $226 to $360 |
What CDC advises, city by city
Separate from the border, CDC's medical advice has three tiers for Colombia, updated July 9, 2025. The vaccine is recommended for all travelers 9 months or older, with two sets of exceptions. It is generally not recommended for travel limited to Barranquilla, Cali, Cartagena or Medellín, a wording that still leaves a clinician room to consider the shot. It is not recommended for travel limited to areas above 2,300 meters (7,550 feet), to the island department of San Andrés and Providencia, or to Bogotá.
The rest of the country below 2,300 meters falls under the recommendation: the coffee region, Santa Marta and Tayrona on the Caribbean coast, the Amazon around Leticia, the Pacific coast and the eastern plains. A traveler going from Cartagena to Tayrona, or from Medellín to the coffee farms, leaves the exception the moment the trip is no longer "limited to" those cities. Age and health conditions can make the vaccine a matter for careful review, and a clinician weighs that against the entry rule; the yellow fever vaccine page covers travelers who cannot have it.
Malaria below 1,700 meters
CDC's malaria line for Colombia uses a lower altitude than its yellow fever line: transmission in all areas below 1,700 meters (5,600 feet), with no transmission in Bogotá, Cartagena or Medellín. Cartagena is at sea level but is named as free of transmission, so the altitude rule does not decide everything. Unusually, CDC splits the species evenly, P. falciparum 50% and P. vivax 50%, and reports chloroquine resistance. The four drugs listed are atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine and tafenoquine.
A ten day loop through the Caribbean coast outside Cartagena, the Pacific or the Amazon means 19 atovaquone-proguanil tablets (about $28 at pharmacy cost), 40 doxycycline tablets or 8 mefloquine tablets. Trips limited to the three cities CDC names do not fall in the medicine area. The prescriber chooses the drug.
Malaria tablets for Colombia
Atovaquone-proguanil for 10 days in Colombia
19 tablets
| CDC for this country | Prescription medicine for the areas listed |
| Drugs CDC lists here | Atovaquone-proguanil, Doxycycline, Mefloquine, Tafenoquine |
| Start and stop | daily, from 2 days before to 7 days after the risk area |
The other lines on the Colombia page
Hepatitis A is listed for unvaccinated travelers 1 year or older ($109 a dose at the median), hepatitis B for unvaccinated travelers younger than 60 ($149 a dose). Typhoid is in the consider group, for rural areas with poor sanitation, stays of a month or more and visits to family, at $174 for the shot. Rabies is sometimes found in dogs and in bats, and post-bite vaccine is typically available throughout most of the country (two pre-exposure doses: $838 at the median). CDC also lists elevated chikungunya risk, with vaccination to consider for stays of six months or more ($326), and has a global dengue notice that covers Colombia.
What CDC says for Colombia, word for word
Source: CDC, Travelers' Health destination page for Colombia, page last reviewed September 3, 2026, read on October 24, 2026. The text is reproduced without change; it is available free of charge on cdc.gov. Its use here does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government.
Travel notices: Level 2, Yellow Fever in Colombia (September 18, 2026) · Level 1, Global Dengue (September 3, 2026) · Level 1, Global Measles (May 28, 2025)
| Disease | CDC wording |
|---|---|
| Routine vaccines | Make sure you are up-to-date on all routine vaccines before every trip. Some of these vaccines include • Chickenpox (Varicella) • Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DTaP, Tdap, or Td) • Flu (influenza) • Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) • Polio • Shingles |
| COVID-19 | All eligible travelers should be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines. Please see Your COVID-19 Vaccination for more information. |
| Hepatitis A | Recommended for unvaccinated travelers one year old or older going to Colombia. Infants 6 to 11 months old should also be vaccinated against Hepatitis A. The dose does not count toward the routine 2-dose series. Travelers allergic to a vaccine component should receive a single dose of immune globulin, which provides effective protection for up to 2 months depending on dosage given. Unvaccinated travelers who are over 40 years old, are immunocompromised, or have chronic medical conditions planning to depart to a risk area in less than 2 weeks should get the initial dose of vaccine and at the same appointment receive immune globulin. |
| Hepatitis B | Recommended for unvaccinated travelers younger than 60 years old traveling to Colombia. Unvaccinated travelers 60 years and older may get vaccinated before traveling to Colombia. |
| Typhoid | Consider getting a typhoid vaccine if you might: • Travel to areas with poor sanitation and unsafe water, including rural areas • Spend a long time in Colombia, such as a month or more • Visit friends or relatives Typhoid vaccine is not 100% effective. Practicing safe food and water habits, including washing hands at key times, can also help prevent typhoid fever. |
| Yellow Fever | CDC recommendations: • Vaccine is recommended for all travelers ≥9 months old except as follows • Vaccine is generally not recommended for travel limited to the cities of Barranquilla, Cali, Cartagena, or Medellín. • Vaccine is not recommended for travel limited to areas >2,300 m (7,550 ft) elevation, the archipelago department of San Andrés and Providencia, or the city of Bogotá (the capital). Country entry requirements: • Vaccine is required for all arriving travelers ≥1 year old. • Country entry requirements are subject to change. Check with the embassies or consulates on your itinerary to confirm entry requirements before departure. Updated July 9, 2025 See footnotes |
| Malaria | CDC recommends that travelers going to certain areas of Colombia take prescription medicine to prevent malaria. Depending on the medicine you take, you will need to start taking this medicine multiple days before your trip, as well as during and after your trip. Talk to your doctor about which malaria medication you should take. Transmission areas • All areas <1,700 m (<5,600 ft) elevation • No malaria transmission in the cities of Bogotá (the capital), Cartagena, or Medellín Drug resistance • Chloroquine Species • P. falciparum (50%) • P. vivax (50%) Recommended chemoprophylaxis • Atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine, tafenoquine Updated April 23, 2025 See footnotes |
| Rabies | Dogs infected with rabies are sometimes found in Colombia. Rabies is also present in bats. If rabies exposures occur while in Colombia, rabies vaccines are typically available throughout most of the country. Rabies pre-exposure vaccination considerations include whether travelers 1) will be performing occupational or recreational activities that increase risk for exposure to potentially rabid animals and 2) might have difficulty getting prompt access to safe post-exposure prophylaxis. Please consult with a healthcare provider to determine whether you should receive pre-exposure vaccination before travel. For more information, see country rabies status assessments. |
| Chikungunya | There is elevated chikungunya risk in Colombia. Chikungunya vaccination may be considered for people traveling or moving to this location if they are planning to stay for an extended period of time (for example, 6 months or more). |
| Measles | Cases of measles are on the rise worldwide. Travelers are at risk of measles if they have not been fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior to departure, or have not had measles in the past, and travel internationally to areas where measles is spreading. All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, including an early dose for infants 6–11 months, according to CDC’s measles vaccination recommendations for international travel. |
| Monkeypox | Monkeypox vaccination is recommended for any adult who anticipates any of the following activities during travel: • Sexual or intimate contact with a new partner • Sexual or intimate contact at a commercial sex venue, like a sex club or bathhouse • Sexual or intimate contact in exchange for money, goods, drugs, or other trade • Sexual or intimate contact in association with a large public event, such as a rave, party, or festival Get your first monkeypox vaccine at least 6 weeks before traveling if you can, or as far as possible before travel if fewer than 6 weeks before you leave. Two doses of vaccine, given 4 weeks apart, are recommended. After completing your first and second vaccine doses it takes about 2 more weeks to get the best protection against monkeypox. Whether or not you've been vaccinated, continue to take steps to reduce your risk of getting monkeypox while you are away. |