Which child vaccines are free and which you pay for

Key rules

• Rotavirus deadline: The first rotavirus dose must be given by 12 weeks of age, so ask at the first visit.
• Recommended is not free: A vaccine that pediatric experts recommend is only free if your region funds it for your child's age or risk group.
• Prescription: For any vaccine that is not funded, you need a prescription from the pediatrician before the pharmacy sells it.
• Cold chain: Keep a pharmacy vaccine at 2 to 8 °C and never frozen on the way to the appointment.

What is free and what you pay for

Funding depends on your region, your child's birth year and whether your child has a risk condition. A vaccine that experts recommend is not automatically free. If it is not in your region's funded calendar, you pay for it.

The vaccines most likely to raise this question are rotavirus, MenB, flu and RSV protection. Each regional health department sets its own dates and products, so confirm the details for your region.

Rotavirus

Rotavirus vaccine is now in the national calendar for babies born from 2023. It is normally given at 2 and 4 months, or 2, 4 and 6 months, depending on the product. Your region sets the exact timing.

The first dose must be given by 12 weeks of age, so ask about it at the first pediatric visit. If you miss that window, you may have to pay for the vaccine yourself.

MenB

MenB vaccine is funded for babies born in 2024 or later, at 2, 4 and 12 months. Regions are rolling it out in stages, so start dates differ. Check your region's calendar for the date that applies to your child's birth year.

Older children are generally not funded unless they have a medical risk, such as no spleen or a complement deficiency. Contacts in an outbreak are also covered. Outside these groups, you buy it.

Flu and RSV

Nationally, flu vaccination is recommended for all children aged 6 to 59 months. Children with a risk condition are funded everywhere from 6 months. For healthy children, funding varies. Several regions, including Andalucía, Galicia, Madrid and Murcia, fund the nasal vaccine for ages 2 to 5, and the age bands change each season.

For RSV, babies are protected with an antibody injection, and some regions use a maternal vaccine instead. Which product and which babies are covered depends on your region and the season. Your regional health department sets the groups every autumn.

How to buy a vaccine that is not funded

1. Ask the pediatrician for a prescription. This works with a public or a private pediatrician.
2. Take it to a pharmacy. The pharmacy may need to order it and will keep it refrigerated until you collect it.
3. Ask whether your health centre will give a vaccine you bought outside. Most public centres do, but some do not. If yours will not, a private clinic can supply and give it.
4. Carry the vaccine in an insulated bag with a cold pack. Keep it at 2 to 8 °C and never frozen.
5. The nurse or doctor gives it, usually the same day, and records it in your child's vaccination record.

What it costs

Prices depend on the product, the number of doses and the pharmacy. A full course of rotavirus or MenB usually comes to some hundreds of euros, with each dose costing tens of euros up to over a hundred. Hepatitis A and other vaccines cost less. As more vaccines become funded, fewer families need to pay. Ask the pharmacy for the price per dose and the total for the whole course.

How to decide

The pediatric experts' vaccine committee publishes a yearly calendar. It often recommends vaccines before they are funded, such as rotavirus, MenB and hepatitis A. That is a recommendation, not a funding decision.

Bring the calendar to your pediatrician and talk through four things:

• how serious the disease is
• your child's age window, since rotavirus and MenB start early
• the cost

If the vaccine is funded, use it. If not, the decision below helps you choose between a pharmacy purchase and a private clinic. The checklist below lists what to ask.

Choosing between options

Should you use the funded vaccine or pay for one yourself?

• Use the funded vaccine: Your region funds it for your child's age, birth year or risk condition, as with rotavirus for infants or flu for children with a risk condition.

• Buy it at a pharmacy with a prescription: Your region does not fund it for your child, such as MenB outside the funded schedule or hepatitis A, and the pediatrician recommends it.

• Have a private clinic supply it: Your public health centre will not give a vaccine you bring, and you would rather not arrange the pharmacy purchase yourself.

Check first whether your region funds the vaccine for your child's age and birth year. If it does, use it. If not, talk to the pediatrician about the disease, your child's age window (rotavirus and MenB start early), the cost and the experts' recommendation, then choose.

Timeline and deadlines

• Ask about funded rotavirus at the first pediatric visit; the first dose must be given by 12 weeks: at the first visit, before your baby is 12 weeks old

• Check which RSV protection your region offers for babies: each autumn, for infants under 6 months

• Give flu vaccination to children with a risk condition: every season from 6 months of age

• Ask about flu vaccination for healthy children, which is recommended nationally: each autumn, for ages 6 to 59 months, with the nasal vaccine in many regions at ages 2 to 5

Checklist

• Ask at the first pediatric visit whether rotavirus is funded in your region and when the first dose is due.

• Look up your region's yearly flu campaign for the ages and vaccine type it funds.

• Ask the pediatrician whether your child has a risk condition that makes flu or MenB vaccination funded.

• Bring the yearly pediatric experts' vaccine calendar to the pediatrician and talk through the disease, your child's age window, cost and regional funding.

• Ask the pediatrician for a prescription for any vaccine that is not funded.

• Make sure each dose is written in your child's vaccination record.

Frequently asked questions

Will my child's health centre give a vaccine I bought at a pharmacy?

Most public health centres will give a vaccine you bring, but some do not, so ask before you buy. Private clinics may supply the vaccine themselves, which saves you the pharmacy trip.

How do I keep a pharmacy vaccine safe on the way to the appointment?

Carry it in an insulated bag with a cold pack so it stays at 2 to 8 °C, and never let it freeze. The pharmacy may need to order it and keep it refrigerated until you collect it, so ask a few days ahead.

If pediatric experts recommend a vaccine, does that mean it is free?

No, a recommendation from pediatric experts is not a funding decision, so a vaccine can be recommended and still be paid for by you. Their yearly calendar often runs ahead of the public one, so take it to your pediatrician and ask whether your region funds the vaccine.