Yellow-fever vaccine: the Belgian guide to the certificate
22 August 2026 · 8 min read
emmunity editorial teamHow we verify our information →
The yellow-fever vaccine is not required for every destination: it earns you an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP, the "yellow card") that only some countries ask for on entry, valid for life since 11 July 2016, and active only 10 days after the injection.
In Belgium the vaccine may be administered solely at an approved vaccination centre. Here is what the official sources say, situation by situation.
- The international certificate (ICVP) has been valid for life since 11 July 2016: the 10-year renewal was removed.
- The 10-day rule: the vaccination must be given at least 10 days before arrival, and the certificate only counts from day 10.
- In Belgium only an approved vaccination centre may administer the vaccine (Stamaril) and issue the certificate: there are around thirty.
- "Required" and "recommended" are not the same thing: many countries only ask for the certificate if you arrive from an endemic country.
- Yellow fever does not circulate in Asia, nor in Egypt or Madagascar according to the official sources reviewed.
What is yellow fever, and where does it exist?
Yellow fever is a viral disease that can be life-threatening: there is no specific antiviral treatment, only supportive care to relieve the symptoms. The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes that bite mainly during the day (WHO names the Aedes, Haemagogus and Sabethes genera, which breed in both domestic and forest settings), unlike the malaria-carrying ones.
It is not contagious from person to person. Early symptoms mimic flu (fever, headache, body aches, nausea, weakness) and last 3 to 4 days; about 15 % of infected people then move into a more severe "toxic" phase, with roughly 50 % mortality within 7 to 10 days among those who reach it.
WHO estimates around 200,000 infections and 30,000 deaths worldwide each year.
Where does yellow fever circulate in the world?
WHO classifies 27 African countries and 13 Latin American countries as high risk for transmission. No Asian country appears in those lists. Wanda also maintains a world map of risk zones (the "red" regions) where vaccination is recommended to every traveller: that is a separate question from which countries require the certificate on entry. For that second question, Wanda explicitly points travellers to its country pages, one by one.
How long is the certificate valid?
Since 11 July 2016, an amendment to Annex 7 of the International Health Regulations (2005) makes a completed international vaccination certificate valid for the lifetime of the vaccinated person. The former 10-year renewal requirement was removed.
The rule is binding on all States Parties to the Regulations and applies automatically to existing and new certificates alike: an older certificate therefore stays valid, whatever its issue date. WHO also confirms that a single dose gives lifelong immunity in most people, and that no booster is needed in that case.
The 10-day rule: why leaving it late does not work
The vaccination must be given at least 10 days before arrival in a country that requires the certificate: the certificate only counts from the 10th day after the injection.
That delay matches the time protection takes to build: according to WHO, 80 to 100 % of vaccinated people are immune within 10 days, and over 99 % within 30 days.
In practice, an appointment booked the day before departure will not get you into a country that asks for the certificate.
Which countries require the yellow-fever vaccine?
Wanda country pages consistently distinguish several situations. Knowing whether yellow fever exists in a country is therefore not enough: what counts is what that country asks for on entry, and where you are arriving from.
| Situation | What it means | Example countries |
|---|---|---|
| Required based on origin | No vaccine needed if you fly directly from Belgium. The certificate becomes exceptionally mandatory if you stayed in, or transited through, a country where yellow fever circulates in the 6 days before your arrival. | Egypt, Madagascar |
| Recommended (risk regions) | Wanda recommends vaccination for every traveller heading to an at-risk region of the country, and makes it mandatory for those who previously stayed in certain listed countries. | Bolivia (Pando department, northern parts of the Beni and La Paz departments) |
| Recent stay or transit | For some destinations the certificate is mandatory if, on the outbound journey, you stayed less than 6 days before arrival in a country from a specific list, or transited through one (short transits, under about 12 hours, are usually excepted). The requirement starts between 9 months and 1 year of age depending on the country. | Countries cited on the endemic side: Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria; Argentina (partly), Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela |
These entry requirements change: always check Wanda's country page for your destination before you book. Content verified on 22 August 2026 against the official sources listed at the bottom of this page.
Where can you get vaccinated in Belgium?
The yellow-fever vaccine (Stamaril) may only be administered at an approved vaccination centre: neither your GP nor the pharmacy may give it.
The official, up-to-date list of those centres is published by Wanda, the travel-medicine site of the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp. There are around thirty, spread across Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels, Ghent, Hasselt, Ypres, Leuven, Charleroi, Libramont, Liège, Mons, Namur, Ottignies and the province of Luxembourg.
The Institute of Tropical Medicine runs one of them itself in Antwerp (Kronenburgstraat 43/3 and Nationalestraat 155): the appointment must be booked in advance, ideally 4 to 6 weeks before departure.
What does it cost?
None of the official Belgian sources reviewed (Wanda, the Institute of Tropical Medicine, vaccination-info.be, the FPS Public Health) publishes a price for the vaccine or the consultation. The figures circulating online come from commercial or foreign sources: we do not repeat them. The approved centre will tell you the price when you book. Possible reimbursement by your health insurer is not covered by those official sources either: ask yours directly.
Who should not get this vaccine?
According to vaccination-info.be, the yellow-fever vaccine is contraindicated in infants under 9 months, during pregnancy (a theoretical risk to the fetus, and pregnancy should be avoided for 4 weeks after vaccination), in case of severe egg allergy (the vaccine is egg-based) and in people with weakened immune defences, in particular symptomatic HIV/AIDS infection or a thymus disorder.
Over 60, a first dose carries a higher risk of serious adverse effects: that is not an absolute contraindication, but a point to discuss at the centre. All of these are assessed during the consultation, not in advance online.
What are the side effects?
A flu-like reaction (fever, aches) occurs in 10 to 30 % of vaccinated people a few days after the injection, and generally clears within 24 hours. Serious adverse effects are rare: 1 to 4 cases per million doses.
There is also a Belgian nuance: since 2018 WHO considers one dose to give lifelong immunity in most people, but Belgian clinical guidance still provides for revaccination in certain specific groups. The sources reviewed do not say which ones: that is a question for the approved centre.
Three misconceptions worth correcting
- "You need the vaccine for Egypt." Wrong as a blanket rule: Wanda explicitly states the vaccine is not needed if you travel directly from Belgium. Egypt only asks for proof from travellers arriving from an endemic country within the previous 6 days, and is not itself described as a country where yellow fever circulates.
- "There is yellow fever in Asia." No Asian country appears in the endemic lists of WHO, Wanda or vaccination-info.be. The WHO classification names only African and Latin American countries.
- "The certificate has to be renewed every 10 years." That was true before 11 July 2016. Since the amendment to the International Health Regulations, a completed certificate is valid for life.
Keep your certificate within reach
The yellow card is a document you rarely pull out, and always at the worst moment: at a check-in desk or a border post. Now that it is valid for life, it has to survive years of moves and suitcases. A digital record like emmunity keeps your certificate and your vaccination proofs available offline, ready for every departure.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a yellow-fever vaccine for Egypt?
No, not if you travel directly from Belgium: Wanda explicitly states that vaccination is not necessary in that case. The certificate only becomes mandatory if you stayed in, or transited through, a country where yellow fever circulates in the 6 days before your arrival in Egypt. Egypt itself is not described as an endemic country. If your itinerary does pass through an endemic country, remember the 10-day rule: the certificate only takes effect 10 days after the injection, so an appointment booked the day before departure is of no use. In Belgium only an approved vaccination centre may administer the vaccine (Stamaril) and issue the certificate, never your GP or the pharmacy. This comes from the country pages of Wanda, the travel-medicine site of the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp.
Does yellow fever occur in Madagascar, and is the vaccine mandatory there?
No to both questions, according to the official sources reviewed: Madagascar is not described by Wanda as a country where yellow fever circulates, and vaccination is not necessary for a direct flight from Belgium. The certificate becomes exceptionally mandatory if you stayed in or transited through an endemic country in the 6 days before your arrival. In that case, plan ahead: the certificate only counts from the 10th day after the injection, and in Belgium only an approved vaccination centre may issue it, around thirty of them in total. Once issued, it has been valid for life since 11 July 2016. Source: the country pages of Wanda, the travel-medicine site of the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp.
Is yellow fever mandatory for Bolivia?
Wanda recommends vaccination for every traveller heading to an at-risk region of Bolivia: the Pando department and the northern parts of the Beni and La Paz departments. It becomes mandatory if you previously stayed in certain listed endemic countries. Recommended and mandatory are two different things: check your full itinerary, not just your final destination, since it is where you arrive from that triggers the requirement. Allow at least 10 days between the injection and your arrival, as the certificate only counts from the 10th day, and book at an approved vaccination centre, the only place in Belgium allowed to administer the vaccine. The certificate you get then stays valid for life.
How long does my yellow-fever certificate stay valid?
For life. Since 11 July 2016, an amendment to Annex 7 of the International Health Regulations makes a completed international certificate valid for the whole life of the vaccinated person, for existing and new certificates alike. The 10-year renewal was removed: an older certificate therefore stays valid, whatever its issue date. One caveat: the certificate only takes effect 10 days after the injection, the time protection takes to build. Since it now follows you for the rest of your life, keep it somewhere safe and within reach. Source: WHO, which documents this extension to life set out in the International Health Regulations.
Official sources
- Wanda : fièvre jaune ↗
- Wanda : vaccination après un séjour récent ou un transit ↗
- Wanda : cliniques du voyage agréées en Belgique ↗
- Wanda : carte mondiale de la fièvre jaune ↗
- OMS : fiche fièvre jaune ↗
- OMS : extension à vie de la validité du certificat (RSI annexe 7, PDF) ↗
- vaccination-info.be : fièvre jaune ↗
- Institut de Médecine Tropicale : consultation fièvre jaune ↗