Children’s Vaccinations in France: What Is Compulsory

This guide is for parents and carers who have just moved to France and want to understand how children’s vaccinations are organised. After reading it, you will know which official sources to use, which questions to ask a crèche (nursery) or school, and which points the public pages leave open.

• What the official page covers
• Compulsory or recommended: the question to settle first
• Birth dates and the vaccination calendar
• Proof for crèche and school
• Cost
• FAQ

What the official page covers

The main public reference is the vaccination page on service-public.fr, the government’s information portal for residents. It sits under the heading Prévention – Vaccinations (prevention and vaccination). It groups several topics: the calendrier des vaccinations (vaccination calendar), DTP (diphtheria, tetanus and poliomyelitis), grippe saisonnière (seasonal flu), hepatitis B and BCG (tuberculosis).

The same page points to related resources. They include a question titled Qui a le droit de faire un vaccin ? (who is allowed to give a vaccine), a page on vaccinations for travel abroad, the Vaccination info service website, and the health ministry’s Calendrier des vaccinations 2026.

It is worth being clear about what this page is. In the version used for this guide, it works as a gateway to those topics. It does not set out in plain text the list of compulsory vaccines, the birth date from which they apply, the fees or the documents a crèche asks for. Rather than fill those gaps with guesses, the sections below explain where each answer sits and who decides it.

Compulsory or recommended: the question to settle first

Many newcomers assume that a vaccine listed in a national calendar is automatically compulsory. In France, the calendar and the legal obligation are two different questions, and the page used here does not say which listed vaccines fall into which category. DTP, hepatitis B and BCG each have their own topic on the page, and seasonal flu has one too. A topic heading alone does not tell you whether a vaccine is compulsory, recommended or aimed at certain groups.

The reliable way to find out is to read the current calendrier des vaccinations published by the health ministry, which the service-public.fr page links to. The calendar is updated over time, and the link is to the 2026 edition. For that reason, check that the version you read is the current one and the one that applies to your child’s age.

If the calendar leaves you unsure about a particular vaccine, the sources to ask are the child’s doctor or the national Vaccination info service site. Neither this guide nor the page it relies on can say, for an individual child, which vaccines are required.

Birth dates and the vaccination calendar

Newcomers often ask whether the rules depend on the year a child was born. The page used for this guide does not give a birth date from which any vaccination became compulsory, so this guide does not state one. It also does not say how the rules apply to a child who was vaccinated in another country before arriving.

What the official materials do provide is a calendar organised by age. That is the document to use when you compare a child’s existing vaccination record with the French schedule. The comparison itself is a medical question. A doctor can read a foreign vaccination record, match it to the French calendar and say what, if anything, is outstanding. The public pages do not describe how a foreign record is treated, so ask the doctor or the local health service rather than assuming either way.

A practical point on timing: the page does not give any deadline for completing vaccinations after arrival. If a crèche or school names a deadline, that deadline comes from them or from the relevant authority, and you should ask for it in writing.

Proof for crèche and school

Proof of vaccination is where families most often meet the rules in practice. A crèche (nursery for young children) and an école (school) will each want to see that the child’s vaccinations are in order before admission. The service-public.fr vaccination page does not list the documents they accept, and it does not say whether a foreign record is enough, whether a translation is required, or whether a doctor’s certificate is needed.

Because the page is silent, the decision rests with the body admitting the child:

• For a school place, the mairie (town hall) and the school itself handle enrolment, and they can say what they require. Requirements are set locally in how they are applied, so ask them directly.
• For a crèche, the nursery or the organisation that runs it explains what it needs. Municipal and private crèches may ask for different things, and the public pages used here do not describe either.
• For a child who has not completed the schedule, the health professional treating the child is the person who can say what is medically outstanding.

It helps to ask each body three things: which document it accepts, whether it needs the original or a copy, and whether a record from abroad is acceptable. Ask for the answers in writing, since the rules were not stated in the source used for this guide.

Cost

The page used for this guide does not state what a childhood vaccination costs, how much of it is reimbursed, or whether any vaccine is free of charge. It does show a heading, Bilans et examens gratuits (free check-ups and examinations), but that heading concerns health checks and does not tell you the price of a vaccine. Reading it as a statement about vaccination fees would be a mistake.

What can be said safely is that the question of who is allowed to administer a vaccine is covered by a separate page, Qui a le droit de faire un vaccin ?, linked from the vaccination page. The fee depends on the person or service that gives the vaccine and on how the child is covered by the health system. Your health insurance office, the doctor or the vaccination service can give a figure for your situation. Ask before the appointment whether any amount is payable up front and whether any part is reimbursed.

If your question is about health cover itself, which depends on your residence status, a general vaccination page cannot answer it. For a specific residence question, contact the préfecture (the local state office that handles residence permits) or a migration advice service.

FAQ

Where can I find the official list of vaccines for children?

The service-public.fr vaccination page links to the health ministry’s Calendrier des vaccinations 2026 and to the Vaccination info service website. These are the places to read the calendar. The service-public.fr page itself, in the version used here, does not set out the list in full.

From which birth date are vaccinations compulsory?

The source page used for this guide does not give a birth date, so this guide does not state one. The current calendar and a doctor can tell you how the rules apply to a given age group.

What proof will a crèche or school ask for?

The public page does not name the accepted documents. The crèche, or the school and town hall, decides what it requires. Ask them which document they accept, and whether a record from another country is enough.

How much do childhood vaccinations cost?

The page does not state a fee or a reimbursement rate. The cost depends on who gives the vaccine and on how the child is covered. Ask the doctor, the vaccination service or your health insurance office before the appointment. For questions that depend on your residence status, contact the prefecture or a migration advice service.

Sources: service-public.fr

Last verified: 12 November 2026 against the pages linked above. Rules and fees change; the responsible authority always has the final word.

This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. For your own situation, ask the prefecture of your département, a recognised migration advice service or a lawyer (avocat).