Finding your region's vaccine calendar and booking shots

Key rules

• Regional calendars: Each region sets its own vaccine calendar, so use the one for the place where you are registered.
• Booking: Your child's health centre usually calls you or books the next visit; if not, book by phone, in person or through the regional health app.
• School consent: School vaccination needs a parent's or guardian's signed consent form and is voluntary.
• Missed school session: If your child misses the school visit, book a catch-up at the health centre.

Find your region's calendar

Your region's calendar is the one that counts. Each autonomous community publishes its own, so the ages and some vaccines differ from place to place.

Use any of these routes:

• Search "calendario de vacunación" plus your region's name.
• Open the vaccination section of the Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Sanidad) website. It holds the common calendar and links to each region's calendar.
• Go to your regional health department's portal (the Consejería de Sanidad or servicio de salud). Look in its vaccination or public health section.

If you live in Ceuta or Melilla, you follow the calendar of INGESA, the national health service that covers both cities.

Book routine shots

In most regions, your child gets routine vaccines at their health centre (centro de salud) from the pediatric nurse. The centre usually calls you, or books the next visit at the end of the previous one. Ask at the first visit which of the two your centre does.

If nobody calls, you can book yourself:

• by phone,
• in person at the health centre,
• through your region's health app or website.

Each region has its own app and name. App names and procedures change, so ask your health centre which one to use.

Your child must be registered in the public health system for this to work. If you use a private pediatric clinic, book directly with the clinic.

Some regions, and adult vaccines or travel vaccines, use separate vaccination points (centros de vacunación). Your health centre can tell you if that applies.

School vaccination

Many regions vaccinate children at school, usually in the first year of secondary school (1st ESO, around age 12). Some regions use 6th year of primary instead. Nurses from public health or primary care visit the school.

The usual vaccines are HPV and, in many regions, Td/Tdap or MenACWY. Some regions add catch-up doses, for example for chickenpox. Exact vaccines and ages depend on your region, so check its calendar or ask the school.

This applies in public, concertada and private schools in regions that run the programme.

To take part:

1. Watch for the consent form sent home from school.
2. Sign it as a parent or legal guardian and return it.
3. Your child is vaccinated at school on the visit day.

Vaccination is voluntary. If your child misses the school session, book a catch-up visit at your health centre.

The checklist below walks through these steps, and the FAQ answers common questions.

Checklist

• Search 'calendario de vacunación' with your region's name to find its official calendar.

• Open the vaccination section of the Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Sanidad) website and follow the link to your community's calendar.

• Check your regional health department's portal (Consejería de Sanidad or servicio de salud) for its own published calendar.

• Ask your child's health centre whether the pediatric nurse will call you or book the next visit at the end of each appointment.

• Book by phone, at the health centre, or through your region's health app or website if the centre has not called you.

• Look for a school vaccination programme in your region, usually around age 12 (1st ESO) and in some regions 6th primary.

• Sign and return the consent form sent home from school so your child can be vaccinated there.

Frequently asked questions

Who gives my child routine vaccines in Spain?

Routine child vaccines are usually given at your child's health centre by the pediatric nurse.

Is a vaccine given at school compulsory?

No, school vaccination is voluntary, and a parent or legal guardian must give consent first.

Which vaccines are given at school and at what age?

School programmes usually run in the first years of secondary school, around age 12 (1st ESO), and some regions use 6th primary. The usual vaccine is HPV, and many regions add Td/Tdap or MenACWY, plus catch-up doses such as chickenpox. Exact vaccines and ages vary by region, so ask the school or your regional health service.

Where do Ceuta and Melilla families find their calendar?

Ceuta and Melilla follow the INGESA calendar, the national health service body that runs public health care in those two cities. Ask your health centre if you cannot find it online.