Travel Vaccines for Dubai and the UAE: What You Actually Need

Here is the short answer most travel clinics will not lead with: for a normal holiday or business trip to Dubai, Abu Dhabi or anywhere in the UAE, you do not need any vaccines to enter, and there is no malaria risk. Anyone telling you otherwise is selling.

That said, a trip is a useful prompt to check a couple of things, and there are situations where the advice changes.

Worth checking before you go

Tetanus, diphtheria and polio (£35) — this is the one most adults are overdue for. Boosters last ten years and plenty of people last had one at school. A minor cut or scrape abroad is a lot less stressful if you know you are covered.

Hepatitis A (£65, child £55) — not required, but reasonable if you plan to eat widely outside hotels and restaurants, or if you are travelling on elsewhere in the region.

When the advice changes

Onward travel. Dubai is a hub. If the UAE is a stopover on the way to South Asia, East Africa or Southeast Asia, the vaccines you need are the ones for your final destination — and if you are arriving from or transiting a yellow fever country, the UAE can ask for a certificate. Bring your full itinerary, not just the Dubai leg.

Longer stays and working there. If you are living or working in the UAE rather than visiting, hepatitis B (£55 per dose) and typhoid (£35) become more reasonable, particularly for healthcare workers or anyone likely to need medical or dental treatment.

Medical or cosmetic treatment. Travelling for dental work, surgery or cosmetic procedures is worth a conversation about hepatitis B before you go.

The advice that actually matters for Dubai

Heat is the real risk, not disease. Summer temperatures regularly exceed 45°C. Sun protection, serious hydration, and care with air conditioning and cold drinks after heat exposure will do more for your trip than any vaccine. If you take regular medicines, check they are permitted — the UAE has strict rules on some common ones, including certain painkillers, sleeping tablets and cold remedies, and carrying a prescription letter is sensible.

Frequently asked questions