Immunisation catch-up in Ireland: missed doses and moving country

Late is not too late

This page covers doses that were missed, delayed, or given in another country. It is not the routine schedule; if your child is simply due their next vaccine at the usual age, that is an ordinary appointment.

The HSE's position on missed doses is plain: it is best to have vaccines on time, but you can still catch up on most vaccines if you miss them. An interrupted course is resumed rather than restarted, so nothing already given is wasted.

What to do first

Contact your GP surgery. The HSE directs parents to their GP to book or rearrange a missed appointment, and says that if your child missed a dose you should ask your GP for a catch-up vaccine appointment.

Citizens Information sets out the three routes by which children are vaccinated in Ireland: your GP, the School Immunisation Programme, and the HSE catch-up programme. It adds that you can also contact your local primary care centre or your GP directly. That third route exists precisely for children who have fallen outside the normal pattern.

All of it is free. Citizens Information states that these vaccinations are free of charge.

Who gives which vaccine

Knowing this saves a wasted trip. GPs give the early infant vaccines at 2, 4 and 6 months, and they give catch-up appointments.

Schools give two rounds: to junior infants aged 4 to 5, and to first-year secondary students aged 12 to 14. There is a geographic exception worth knowing about: in Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal, GPs administer those vaccines instead of school teams.

If your child was absent on the school vaccination day, or is home-educated, the school route has not happened and you need the GP or the catch-up programme.

The chickenpox cut-off

Ireland changed its schedule recently, and the change created a hard line that catches out families with more than one child. The chickenpox vaccine is included free for children born on or after 1 October 2024. For children born before that date, the HSE states that chickenpox vaccination is not part of their immunisation schedule, and that if you want your child vaccinated you can ask your GP but you will have to pay for it.

So an older sibling is not covered and a younger one is. That is a policy boundary rather than a clinical one, and it is the single most common source of confusion about the current Irish schedule.

MMR, and why parents should check their own record

MMR has the most generous catch-up provision in Ireland, and it reaches adults.

The HSE says your GP can give a free MMR vaccination if your child missed a dose of their MMR vaccine, and also if you are aged 18 to 46 and have not had 2 doses of the MMR vaccine.

That second clause matters if you have a newborn. Babies are not routinely given MMR until 12 months, so their protection in the first year comes partly from the people around them. A parent with one dose or no record is a gap in that circle, and the vaccine is free.

There is also a travel provision. If you are travelling abroad with your baby, your GP can give a dose of MMR to a baby aged 6 to 11 months, ideally at least two weeks before you travel. A baby under 6 months cannot have it. Importantly, an early dose does not replace the routine schedule: the HSE says a child vaccinated before 12 months still needs the regular doses at 12 months and at 4 to 5 years.

The HPV catch-up window

HPV vaccination is normally given in the first year of post-primary school by HSE vaccination teams visiting schools. For those who missed it, the HSE is running a free catch-up.

The HSE states that if you missed the HPV vaccine in first year you can get a free catch-up HPV vaccine between January 2026 and August 2026 if you are a student in fifth or sixth year of secondary school, or home-educated and born between 1 September 2006 and 31 August 2009. After that group, the vaccine will be offered to students in second, third, fourth and fifth years who missed it in first year.

Consent follows age: from 16 you consent for yourself, and for those aged 15 and under a parent or guardian is asked to consent.

Moving to Ireland with a child

Bring every record you have, in whatever language. A GP compares what your child has already received against the Irish schedule and orders the outstanding doses. Because national schedules differ in which vaccines they use and when, a child with a complete record from elsewhere may still have genuine gaps here, and that is normal rather than alarming.

Vaccination in Ireland is not compulsory. Citizens Information states that it is not compulsory but is strongly advised by the Department of Health, and that you should discuss any concerns with your GP before deciding. Consent rules are age-based: if you are under 16, a parent or guardian must consent.

Where to get help

Ring your GP surgery to arrange a catch-up appointment, and bring any records you hold. Contact your local primary care centre or your public health nurse if you cannot get a GP appointment, and ask about the HSE catch-up programme. HSE Live answers general queries on freephone 1800 700 700, Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 5pm. Citizens Information publishes the current schedule and the routes by which children are vaccinated.