What documents do I need to bring to get my child vaccinated at a health post?

No documents are required. Nepal's national immunization program is open to every child regardless of paperwork, address registration, or payment. Just bring your child's vaccination card if they have already had doses — that is the only record you need to carry.

My child missed their 10-week vaccine visit. Do we need to start the series again from the beginning?

No. Doses already received remain valid. Go to your nearest health post as soon as you can and let the health worker know what was missed. They will advise on the right doses to give next — the schedule continues forward from where it was interrupted, not from the beginning.

My daughter is 12. Has she missed the HPV vaccine?

The HPV vaccine targets girls aged 10–14 years (school grades 6–10, including out-of-school girls), and it is now part of Nepal's routine national immunization program. At 12, your daughter is well within the recommended age group. Visit your local health post to find out when the next session is available in your area.

We are moving from Kathmandu to a Terai district. Do we need to do anything about vaccines?

Bring your child's vaccination card and show it to the health post in your new location. Most of the schedule is the same nationwide. One thing to ask specifically: whether your new district is endemic for Japanese encephalitis (JE), as the JE vaccine is given in endemic districts. The health post will review the card and let you know if any additional dose is recommended.

My child got some vaccines abroad before we moved back to Nepal. Do those count?

Possibly — it depends on which vaccines were given and at what ages. Schedules vary between countries. Bring all overseas vaccination records to a local health post. A health worker can review them alongside Nepal's schedule and advise on whether any doses are still recommended. There is no need to repeat doses that are clearly documented as having been given.

Nepal's Childhood Vaccine Schedule, Explained for Parents

Every parent wants to know: which vaccine does my child need next, and when? Nepal's national immunization program has a clear answer for every age from birth through early adolescence — and every dose is provided free of cost at health posts across the country. This guide walks through the full schedule, explains what each vaccine protects against, and tells you exactly where to go and what to bring.

How the national program works

Nepal's Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) was established in 1977/78 and today covers 12 vaccine-preventable diseases — all provided free to every eligible child, regardless of family income, location, or documentation. Nepal's 2016 Immunization Act and 2015 Constitution formally codify vaccination as a right, not a privilege.

The program is one of Nepal's highest-priority health programs. It operates through more than 16,950 immunization clinic sites and conducts over 16,000 outreach sessions each month — including in geographically remote and hard-to-reach communities. Sessions follow a fixed-day, fixed-site schedule, so the same location runs on the same day each month, making it straightforward for families to plan ahead. On average, a clinic is 11 minutes away by motor vehicle, and 29 minutes on foot — though in mountain regions that can stretch to around 39–55 minutes on foot.

Nepal also has approximately 51,470 Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) — local women established as a national network since 1988 — who visit households, identify children who may have missed a dose, and provide reminders before scheduled sessions. If you are unsure when your child's next visit is due, your local FCHV is one of the best first contacts.

93%DTP3 national coverage

The age-by-age vaccine schedule

At birth (day 0–30)

BCG — one intradermal injection, usually on the upper arm. Protects against tuberculosis. A small raised scar at the site is normal and expected.
Hepatitis B birth dose — prevents mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus.
OPV-0 (oral polio vaccine birth dose) — given as drops by mouth within the first 30 days of life.

6 weeks

Pentavalent 1 (DPT-HepB-Hib) — a single injection protecting against five diseases: diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type b.
OPV 1 — oral drops, first in the three-dose series.
PCV10 1 — protects against pneumonia and meningitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. Introduced into Nepal's program in January 2015.
RVV 1 (rotavirus vaccine) — oral drops. Protects against rotavirus, the most common cause of severe diarrhea in young children. Introduced in July 2020.

10 weeks

Pentavalent 2
OPV 2
PCV10 2
RVV 2 — this completes the rotavirus vaccine series.

14 weeks

Pentavalent 3 — completes the primary series for diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B, and Hib.
OPV 3 — completes the oral polio series.
fIPV (fractional inactivated polio vaccine) — given as a fractional intradermal dose. Nepal introduced IPV in 2014 and uses one-fifth of a standard dose; Nepal is one of a small number of countries using fractional-dose IPV in routine immunization.

9 months

MR1 (measles-rubella, first dose) — protects against measles and rubella. National MR1 coverage has reached 97%.
PCV10 booster — the third and final dose of the pneumococcal series.

12 months

JE vaccine (Japanese encephalitis) — a single dose of the live-attenuated SA 14-14-2 vaccine, given in districts where JE is endemic. Nepal's JE program has reduced incidence by 78% compared to expected rates without vaccination.

15 months

MR2 (measles-rubella, second dose) — the booster that strengthens and extends protection. National MR2 coverage is 93%. On 18 August 2025, WHO officially declared Nepal had eliminated rubella — a milestone reached through sustained MR vaccination.
TCV (typhoid conjugate vaccine) — protects against typhoid fever. Introduced into Nepal's routine schedule in 2022. Nepal carries one of the world's highest burdens of typhoid, with an estimated 82,449 cases and 919 deaths annually.

Girls aged 10–14 years (grades 6–10)

HPV vaccine — a single dose protecting against the human papillomavirus strains that cause most cases of cervical cancer. Nepal introduced HPV into the routine national program following a 2025 nationwide campaign that vaccinated over 1.46 million girls at 94% administrative coverage. The government's goal is to fully vaccinate 90% of girls in this age group by 2030.

52% fewer in one year — from 23,000 in 2023 to 11,000 in 2024Zero-dose children reduction in Nepal

Where to go and what is provided free

All vaccines in Nepal's national program are free of cost at any government health post, primary health care centre, or community hospital. No documents, proof of address, or payment is required — every child is eligible to receive vaccinations as and when required.

To find your nearest immunization day, go to your local health post and ask for the fixed immunization schedule. Health posts run sessions on a predictable fixed-day, fixed-site basis each month. If you cannot reach a fixed site, outreach sessions visit communities regularly — your FCHV or ward health office can tell you the next date in your area.

The immunization card: what it is and why it matters

When your child receives their first vaccines, the health worker will give you an official vaccination card — a record that lists every dose your child has received, including the date and the health worker's notation. This card is your child's permanent health record for immunization.

Bring the card to every immunization visit so the health worker can update it.
Keep it safe throughout childhood — you will need it for school registration and any new health facility visit.
If the card is lost, go to the health post as soon as possible. The immunization register holds a copy of your child's record, and the card can be reconstructed.
If your child received vaccines abroad, bring those records to a local health post so a health worker can review them and advise whether any doses from Nepal's schedule are still needed.

Travel, moving, and staying on track

Families who move between districts or travel during the immunization period sometimes worry about gaps in the schedule. The key reassurance is this: a delayed dose is not a lost dose. Doses your child received on time remain in effect. If a visit is missed, go to the nearest health post as soon as it is practical — the health worker will advise on continuing from the point where the schedule was interrupted.

One thing worth knowing if you are moving between districts: the JE vaccine is given only in endemic districts. If you are relocating from a non-endemic area to one where JE is present — or the reverse — ask the health post specifically about your child's eligibility and whether a dose is recommended.

Research from Nepal shows that while most children eventually complete the schedule, many receive doses later than the recommended ages. Timing matters: the schedule is designed around the ages when children are most at risk and when each vaccine builds the strongest response. Staying as close to the recommended ages as circumstances allow is worthwhile — not because a late dose is without value, but because an on-time dose provides protection exactly when it is needed most.

Where to ask questions locally

Your first point of contact for any immunization question is your nearest government health post. They hold the district immunization schedule, can review your child's vaccination card, and can provide catch-up doses if needed. Your Female Community Health Volunteer (FCHV) — a trained local woman in your community — is another accessible first contact for reminders, questions about outreach sessions, and guidance on where to go. For national programme information, the Family Welfare Division (FWD) under the Ministry of Health and Population maintains the official schedule at fwd.gov.np.