You arrive in Germany healthy and do not think about vaccinations at all, until your child's Kita asks for proof of measles vaccination, or a new job requires evidence of certain shots, and you realise your vaccination history lives in a different country, a different language, and possibly a drawer you cannot reach. The German system has a tidy answer to all of this, a little yellow booklet, and the sooner you have one, the smoother things go.
Vaccinations in Germany are well organised, mostly free, and centred on a single document you carry. The system has clear recommendations, a clear record, and a clear way to fold your existing foreign history into it. The only mistake is ignoring it until a school or employer suddenly needs proof you cannot produce.
The Impfpass: your vaccination record
The Impfpass (or Impfausweis) is a vaccination record booklet, traditionally yellow, that lists every vaccine you have received, with dates and often batch numbers.
It matters because Germany asks for proof of vaccination in several everyday situations:
- Kita and school enrolment (measles proof is legally required)
- Certain jobs, especially in healthcare and education
- Travel and some visa contexts
German doctors record each vaccination in your Impfpass, and you present it whenever proof is needed. If you do not have one, your Hausarzt can issue a new Impfpass and start populating it. Getting one early, as part of settling in, means you are never caught without proof.
STIKO: who decides what you need
Germany's official vaccination recommendations come from STIKO, the Ständige Impfkommission (Standing Committee on Vaccination), based at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
STIKO publishes the standard schedule: childhood vaccinations, adult boosters (like tetanus and diphtheria), and situational vaccines (for age groups, risk groups, pregnancy, and travel). Your doctor follows STIKO guidance when advising what you or your child should have and when boosters are due.
When a doctor says a vaccine is "recommended", they usually mean STIKO-recommended, which also matters for cost, because that recommendation is what your insurance ties coverage to.
Cost: what is covered
The good news: STIKO-recommended vaccinations are generally free on statutory health insurance (GKV). The standard schedule, childhood vaccines, recommended adult boosters, recommended situational shots, costs you nothing at the point of care.
Where it varies:
- Travel vaccines (for trips abroad) may be self-paid or only partly covered, though some insurers reimburse certain travel vaccinations as a perk, so check with yours.
- Non-recommended or optional vaccines may be self-paid.
So routine protection is covered; travel-specific shots are the category to check on before assuming. Ask your insurer (or look at their benefits) about travel vaccine reimbursement, it is a common extra that goes unclaimed.
Where to get vaccinated
Your Hausarzt (GP) is the normal place. They administer most routine and booster vaccinations and, importantly, update your Impfpass each time.
Other routes:
- Specialists for certain situational vaccines
- Occupational health (Betriebsarzt) for work-required vaccines
- Travel-medicine clinics for travel-specific advice and shots
- Pharmacies, which now offer certain vaccinations (such as flu) in many cases
For most people most of the time, the GP covers it. Bring your Impfpass to every appointment so it stays current, and so the doctor can see what you have already had before recommending more.
Getting your foreign record recognised
If you were vaccinated abroad, your history usually counts, you do not start from zero.
The approach:
- Bring your existing vaccination record (in whatever form, foreign booklet, certificate, printout) to your German doctor.
- The doctor can transfer the information into a German Impfpass or work from your record directly.
- If your record is unclear, incomplete, or missing, the doctor advises rather than guesses, options include a titre test (a blood test to check existing immunity) or catch-up vaccinations to fill gaps.
The key is not to discard or ignore your foreign record. Even an imperfect one gives the doctor a starting point and can save you redundant shots. If you have nothing, that is solvable too, through titre testing and a catch-up schedule, but bringing what you have is far easier.
For families, line this up before Kita or school applications, since measles proof in particular is a legal enrolment requirement and you do not want to discover a gap at the deadline.
What to do this week
- Get an Impfpass from your Hausarzt if you do not have one, and bring any foreign vaccination record so it can be transferred in.
- Ask your doctor to check your record against the STIKO schedule for any due boosters or gaps.
- If you have children, sort their vaccination proof early, since measles vaccination is a legal requirement for Kita and school.
