Shingles vaccine in Belgium: price, reimbursement, for whom

11 October 2026 · 10 min read

emmunity editorial teamHow we verify our information →

No, the shingles vaccine is not reimbursed from the age of 65 in Belgium: no reimbursement is tied to age. INAMI/RIZIV only contributes for adults of 18 and over in three specific medical situations: a cancer actively treated within the last 5 years, an HIV infection, an organ or stem-cell transplant or being a candidate for a transplant.

For everyone else, the Shingrix vaccine costs 163,34 € per dose in the CBIP/BCFI directory, price consulted on 10 October 2026, and the schedule has two doses. The Superior Health Council nevertheless recommends it from 60: recommended does not mean reimbursed.

Key takeaways

The Superior Health Council recommends the vaccine for immunocompetent adults from 60 and for immunocompromised patients from 16 (avis 9684, 2022).
The schedule is 2 intramuscular injections 2 to 6 months apart; according to CBIP/BCFI, the need for a booster is not clearly established.
Shingrix costs 163,34 € per dose in the CBIP/BCFI directory, price consulted on 10 October 2026: your pharmacy confirms the amount at the counter.
No reimbursement is tied to age: INAMI/RIZIV only reimburses three medical situations, with a co-payment of 12,80 € or 8,50 € per dose.
You need a doctor’s prescription: according to the official pages consulted, pharmacists may only prescribe and administer the flu and COVID-19 vaccines.

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Who does the Superior Health Council recommend the shingles vaccine for?

The reference text is avis no. 9684 of the Superior Health Council (CSS/HGR) on vaccination against herpes zoster, published on 7 September 2022. It replaces avis 9209 of 2017 and designates a non-live, recombinant, adjuvanted vaccine given in two doses. The CBIP/BCFI directory (October 2026 edition) refers to no more recent advice.

The licensed indication of the vaccine, as summarised by CBIP/BCFI, is wider on age (adults of 50 and over) and narrower for minors: it covers adults of 18 and over at increased risk of shingles, where the Council says 16.

The French-speaking and Flemish public sites carry the threshold of 60. On the French-speaking side, vaccination-info.be has no dedicated shingles page: its seniors page (updated on 7 July 2026) says vaccination is to be considered from 60, with no need to check serology first.

On the Flemish side, the Departement Zorg recommends it from 60. The adult vaccination guide of AVIQ (Wallonia, version of 17 February 2025) carries the same threshold.

Recommended does not mean reimbursed: the Council does not take the cost of vaccination into account, CBIP/BCFI points out, and some vaccines it recommends for older people are not reimbursed.

Group	Age or note	Source
Immunocompetent adults	60 and over	CSS/HGR, avis 9684 (2022)
Immunocompromised patients, including those on immunosuppressive treatment	16 and over	CSS/HGR, avis 9684 (2022)
Patients on anti-JAK treatment	Named in addition by the avis	CSS/HGR, avis 9684 (2022)
Licensed indication of the vaccine	50 and over, or 18 and over at increased risk of shingles	CBIP/BCFI directory

Recommended does not mean reimbursed: the Council does not take the cost of vaccination into account.

Source : CSS/HGR: avis 9684, vaccination against herpes zoster (FR) ↗vaccination-info.be: seniors, 65 and over (FR) ↗departementzorg.be: zona, gordelroos (NL) ↗The adult vaccination schedule in Belgium ↗

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How many doses, and how far apart?

2 doses

Full schedule, by intramuscular injection

2 to 6 months

Interval between the two injections (CBIP/BCFI)

163,34 €

Public price per dose of Shingrix (CBIP/BCFI, 10/10/2026)

Two intramuscular injections, 2 to 6 months apart: that is the schedule given in the CBIP/BCFI directory. The Council’s avis speaks of two doses of 0.5 ml at least two months apart, and the site of the Flemish Departement Zorg sums it up as a one-off vaccination in 2 doses.

According to CBIP/BCFI, the interval can be shortened to 1 to 2 months when an immunodeficiency is expected. Your doctor sets the timing.

CBIP/BCFI notes that with a single dose, protection declined rapidly, and that the need for a booster injection is not clearly established. It also states that the shingles vaccine is not interchangeable with the varicella (chickenpox) vaccines.

The Council’s 2022 avis considers co-administration with the seasonal flu vaccine, a pneumococcal vaccine (PPV23 or PCV13) or dTpa to be safe. For the COVID-19 vaccine, the avis only mentions an ongoing study, with no conclusion. It names neither the RSV vaccine nor the pneumococcal vaccines PCV20 and PCV21: for those combinations, ask your doctor.

Source : CBIP/BCFI: directory, shingles vaccine (FR) ↗Tool: the Belgian vaccination calendar ↗

What does the shingles vaccine (Shingrix) cost in Belgium?

A single shingles vaccine is on the Belgian market: Shingrix (GSK). The CBIP/BCFI directory also lists a parallel-distribution pack (Abacus). The live vaccine is not marketed in Belgium.

The listed price is a price per dose: each pack contains one dose, and the schedule has two.

Product	Pack	Public price per dose	Reimbursement mention	Consulted on
Shingrix (GSK)	1 dose + 0.5 ml solvent, 2 vials, intramuscular	163,34 €	Category b, chapter IV, a priori control	10 October 2026
Shingrix (Abacus, parallel distribution)	Identical	163,00 €	No reimbursement symbol shown	10 October 2026

Public prices taken from the CBIP/BCFI directory (October 2026 edition) on 10 October 2026, in the public pharmacy circuit. They can change: your pharmacy confirms the exact amount at the counter.

CBIP/BCFI publishes no total for the full schedule: only the price per dose is official. Hospital-circuit prices were not checked.

Source : CBIP/BCFI: Shingrix price (FR) ↗Vaccine prices in Belgium: the full table ↗

Is the shingles vaccine reimbursed in Belgium, and for whom?

Not on the basis of age. Being 60 or 65 does not, on its own, give any right to reimbursement of the shingles vaccine.

Shingrix has been reimbursed by INAMI/RIZIV in category b since 1 November 2023, but only under chapter IV (paragraph 12320000, a priori control), for beneficiaries aged 18 or over who are in at least one of the following three situations.

Qualifying situation (aged 18 or over)	Ordinary co-payment	With increased reimbursement
Haematological malignancy or malignant tumour, with active treatment within the last 5 years	12,80 € per dose	8,50 € per dose
Infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)	12,80 € per dose	8,50 € per dose
Haematopoietic stem-cell transplant or organ transplant already received, or being a candidate for a transplant	12,80 € per dose	8,50 € per dose

Reimbursement is limited to 2 packs per beneficiary, the second dose being given between 2 and 6 months after the first. Your doctor completes a request form, which must reach the advisory doctor (médecin-conseil) before the vaccination; the certificate issued is valid for 8 months at most.

The Council also recommends the vaccine for people on immunosuppressive treatment for another disease: that situation is not among the three that INAMI/RIZIV reimburses.

The 12,80 € and 8,50 € match the co-payment ceiling set by INAMI/RIZIV for a category b medicine since 1 January 2026. Those ceilings can be indexed every year.

Neither the Flemish nor the French Community offers this vaccine free to adults: it is not in the CBIP/BCFI table of free vaccines, which covers these two Communities (situation on 1 September 2025). The Flemish site states that it is not free, only partly reimbursed for a limited number of specifically described high-risk groups.

These conditions are those of INAMI/RIZIV as reproduced by CBIP/BCFI (situation on 1 February 2026), consulted on 10 October 2026. We found no INAMI/RIZIV page dedicated to the shingles vaccine.

Being 60 or 65 does not, on its own, give any right to reimbursement of the shingles vaccine.

Source : CBIP/BCFI: Shingrix, reimbursement conditions (chapter IV, FR) ↗INAMI/RIZIV: minimum and maximum amounts paid by the patient (FR) ↗departementzorg.be: vaccinations from 65 (NL) ↗

Aged 65 and outside those three situations: what do you pay?

The full public price, with no INAMI/RIZIV contribution: 163,34 € per dose of Shingrix in the CBIP/BCFI directory on 10 October 2026, for a schedule of two doses. Your pharmacy confirms the amount at the counter.

In its section on older patients, CBIP/BCFI describes this vaccine as costly and not reimbursed. It also reports that in 2022 the KCE concluded that vaccinating the target groups defined by the Council is not “cost-effective” at present: fairly limited health benefits and a very high price. CBIP/BCFI adds that the decision is taken on an individual basis.

The same CBIP/BCFI section says elsewhere that the vaccine is reimbursed under certain conditions. We read the two sentences this way: “reimbursed under conditions” applies to the three medical situations of chapter IV, “not reimbursed” to anyone outside those three situations, so also when age is the only criterion.

That leaves the supplementary insurance of your mutuality (health fund), which may provide a yearly amount for vaccines. The next section gives the amounts we were able to read.

Source : Vaccine prices in Belgium: the full table ↗

Does your mutuality reimburse the shingles vaccine?

None of the mutuality pages we opened names the shingles vaccine or Shingrix. What does exist is a general yearly allowance for vaccines through the supplementary insurance, whose amount and conditions vary from one mutuality to another.

These are the amounts read on the official pages on 10 October 2026. They do not guarantee that your purchase of Shingrix will be covered. Check your own mutuality’s page before you pay.

Mutuality	Published allowance	Conditions read on the page
Mutualité chrétienne (MC, French page)	Up to 15 € per item, up to 75 € per year and per person	Since 1 January 2025. Ceiling shared across the whole alternative therapies and prevention benefit. Products on the CBIP/BCFI list, bought in Belgium or a neighbouring country, BVAC proof.
Solidaris Wallonie	25 € per year for anti-infectious vaccines in the summary, up to 30 € per year and per beneficiary in the detail	The page shows both amounts. BVAC certificate, vaccine recognised by Solidaris.
Mutualité Libérale (ML MUTPLUS.be)	50 % of the price actually paid, maximum 30 € per calendar year	All vaccines recognised in Belgium. Nothing if the vaccine is free in a public programme.
Helan	Maximum 25 € per year	Only vaccines that are not reimbursed by the compulsory insurance.
Partenamut	Up to 35 € per year	All vaccines registered in Belgium.
Mutualia	35 € per year and per beneficiary	All vaccines recognised in Belgium, capped at the amount left after the compulsory insurance.
La Mutualité Neutre	Up to 35 € per calendar year	Any type of vaccine, BVAC certificate.

This list is not exhaustive: we did not read the pages of the other mutualities, and the Dutch-language page of CM could not be opened on 10 October 2026.

Check your own mutuality’s page before you pay.

Source : Mutualité chrétienne: vaccination (FR) ↗Solidaris Wallonie: vaccines (FR) ↗Mutualité Libérale: vaccine reimbursement (FR) ↗Helan: vaccines ↗Partenamut: vaccination (FR) ↗Mutualia: vaccines (FR) ↗La Mutualité Neutre: vaccination (FR) ↗

Where do you get the shingles vaccine, and do you need a prescription?

You need a prescription: in the CBIP/BCFI directory, every pack of Shingrix carries the mention that a prescription is required.

According to the official pages consulted, pharmacists may only prescribe and administer the flu and COVID-19 vaccines: for shingles, you have to go through a doctor. None of those pages (vaccination-info.be, AFMPS/FAGG, INAMI/RIZIV) names the shingles vaccine for pharmacists. The professional site of vaccination-info.be only mentions the possibility that their role will be extended in the future.

No official page describes the route specific to Shingrix. Put together from the general rules, it looks like this.

Consultation

Your doctor writes the prescription. If you are in one of the three reimbursed situations, the doctor completes the request form, which must reach the advisory doctor before the vaccination.

Pharmacy

You buy the vaccine in a public pharmacy with the prescription, and with the advisory doctor’s certificate if you are reimbursed.

Injection

The doctor injects the vaccine. According to vaccination-info.be, a nurse may also inject a vaccine prescribed by a doctor.

Second dose

The same route for the second injection, 2 to 6 months after the first. If you are reimbursed, the same advisory doctor’s certificate covers the 2 packs, for 8 months at most.

This guide covers the public pharmacy circuit: no hospital-circuit price was checked.

According to the official pages consulted, pharmacists may only prescribe and administer the flu and COVID-19 vaccines: for shingles, you have to go through a doctor.

Source : vaccination-info.be: who vaccinates and where (FR) ↗Flu vaccine in Belgium: who, when, how much ↗

What the official sources do not say

On several common questions, none of the official sources consulted on 10 October 2026 gives an answer. We would rather say so than fill the gap: for each of them, ask your doctor.

After shingles: no official text we found says whether you should be vaccinated after an episode, or how long to wait, for the current vaccine. The Council passage found on this point concerns another vaccine, Zostavax.
With other vaccines: no official conclusion on giving it the same day as the COVID-19 or RSV vaccines or the pneumococcal vaccines PCV20 and PCV21. The Council only takes a position on flu, PPV23, PCV13 and dTpa.
Free programme in the German-speaking Community: we found no official information. The CBIP/BCFI table only covers the Flemish and French Communities.
Price of the full schedule: CBIP/BCFI publishes a price per dose, no official total for the two doses.
Booster: its need is not clearly established according to CBIP/BCFI, and no duration of protection is given as a rule.
Immunosuppressive treatments: we found no official list of the treatments covered by the Council’s recommendation. The avis refers to another avis (CSS 9158), which we did not consult.
Brussels and the German-speaking Community: nothing specific to shingles, beyond a one-line mention on the Vivalis site.

Source : Where to find your vaccination history in Belgium ↗

Frequently asked questions

Is the shingles vaccine reimbursed for people over 65 in Belgium?

No. No reimbursement is tied to age: INAMI/RIZIV only reimburses Shingrix for adults aged 18 or over in three situations (haematological malignancy or malignant tumour actively treated within the last 5 years, HIV infection, organ or stem-cell transplant or being a candidate for a transplant). Outside those situations you pay the public price.

What is the price of Shingrix in Belgium?

163,34 € per dose in the CBIP/BCFI directory, price consulted on 10 October 2026, for a schedule of two doses. Your pharmacy confirms the amount at the counter.

How much do you pay when the vaccine is reimbursed?

A co-payment of 12,80 € per dose, or 8,50 € with increased reimbursement, for 2 packs at most. A request form completed by the prescribing doctor first has to reach the advisory doctor, before the vaccination.

From what age is the shingles vaccine recommended?

The Superior Health Council (avis 9684, 2022) recommends it for immunocompetent adults from 60 and for immunocompromised patients from 16. The French-speaking and Flemish public sites carry the threshold of 60.

How many doses do you need?

Two intramuscular injections 2 to 6 months apart, according to CBIP/BCFI. The need for a booster is not clearly established.

Can the pharmacist vaccinate me against shingles?

No, according to the official pages consulted: pharmacists may only prescribe and administer the flu and COVID-19 vaccines. For shingles you need a doctor’s prescription.