How to book in France
Vaccinations are given by your medecin traitant, a paediatrician, a free PMI centre (Protection Maternelle et Infantile) for under-6s, or a centre de vaccination. Bring the carnet de sante. Pharmacists and nurses can now also give many vaccines.
sante.fr - trouver un centre de vaccinationTap any milestone to expand it. Each vaccine explains what it is, the diseases it prevents, and why it is given at that age.
2 monthsNewborn3 vaccines
One injection covering six of the mandatory diseases. France uses a 2+1 schedule, so most babies need three hexavalent doses in total.
Mandatory. Protects against pneumonia, ear infections and pneumococcal meningitis.
Recommended (not mandatory). Oral drops against severe infant gastroenteritis.
3 monthsNewborn1 vaccine
Compulsory for babies born from 2023. Protects against the main cause of meningococcal meningitis and sepsis in young children.
4 monthsNewborn3 vaccines
Second hexavalent dose.
Second pneumococcal dose.
Final rotavirus dose.
5 monthsNewborn1 vaccine
Second MenB dose.
6 monthsInfant1 vaccine
Compulsory from 2025, replacing the older meningitis C requirement, to cover four groups of meningococcal bacteria.
11 monthsInfant2 vaccines
The booster that completes the 2+1 hexavalent course.
The pneumococcal booster.
12 monthsToddler3 vaccines
First measles, mumps and rubella dose. France had large measles outbreaks in the 2010s, which is part of why these vaccines became mandatory.
The MenB booster.
The meningococcal ACWY booster at 12 months.
16 to 18 monthsToddler1 vaccine
The second measles-containing dose, needed for lasting protection and required for school.
6 yearsChild1 vaccine
A booster at age 6 against four diseases.
11 to 13 yearsTeen2 vaccines
The pre-teen booster.
Recommended for all children from age 11, and offered free through a school programme. Prevents the infections that cause almost all cervical cancer. Catch-up is available up to age 26.
Given in addition to the routine schedule, for children who meet certain criteria.
When: From 1 month
Who: Recommended (no longer mandatory) for children at higher risk of TB - for example those born in or with family from a high-incidence country, or living in Ile-de-France, Guyane or Mayotte.
When: Every autumn, from 2 years
Who: Recommended for all children aged 2-17, with a nasal spray option for most, and free for children with chronic conditions.
When: Autumn campaign from 1 September: the antibody at the maternity unit for babies born during the season, with catch-up for babies born from February; or the mother's vaccine (Abrysvo) at 32 to 36 weeks of pregnancy
Who: All newborns and babies in their first RSV season. Parents choose one of the two strategies - not both.
How France compares with other countries for each vaccine, and the side effects that are normal.
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About the France schedule
France requires a set of infant vaccines for all children, given in the first two years and needed for entry to nursery, school and other group childcare. The calendar is set by the Ministry of Health with advice from the Haute Autorite de Sante (HAS).
From 2025, meningococcal ACWY and meningococcal B vaccination became compulsory for infants, replacing the earlier meningococcal C requirement. This reflects a rise in meningococcal W and Y disease in France.
Most doses are given by the family doctor, a paediatrician, or a free PMI (Protection Maternelle et Infantile) centre.
How France compares
France's routine schedule protects against 15 diseases across 10 vaccination ages, 6 of them in the first year. By age 2 a child has had about 15 vaccine doses, including oral drops against rotavirus.
Less common elsewhere: France routinely vaccinates against Meningococcal B, which fewer than half of the other 13 countries on this site include for every child.
Not routine here: Chickenpox is routine in most of the other countries we cover but not on France's schedule for every child.
Compare France with any other country, disease by disease.
Behind schedule or new to France? Almost every dose still counts, and your clinic can plan a catch-up - see common questions.