In Korea, children aged 12 and under get 19 national vaccines free of charge. For 2026, this means every child born on or after 1 January 2013. Foreign children get them the same way as Korean children, with an Alien Registration Card or a temporary number.
The free shots are given at public health centers (보건소) and designated clinics (위탁의료기관). This guide shows the 2026 schedule, which vaccines you pay for, and what to bring. It also covers what to do if your child is behind schedule.
Who gets free vaccines
Rules verified October 2026 · Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, Article 24 · KDCA 2026 national vaccination guidelines
Article 24 of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act (감염병예방법) lists the diseases for required vaccination (필수예방접종). Each city, county or district must give these vaccines through its public health center. It can also ask clinics to give them.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA, 질병관리청) runs the program. Its vaccination site (예방접종도우미) sets the 2026 group as children aged 12 and under, born on or after 1 January 2013. The program pays the full cost, including the vaccine and the fee for giving it.
When each vaccine is given
Schedule verified October 2026 · KDCA standard vaccination schedule for children (2026) · 예방접종도우미 national vaccination program page
KDCA publishes a standard schedule (표준 예방접종 일정표) every year. The table below follows the 2026 version. The 19 vaccines include combined vaccines (혼합백신) that cover several diseases in one shot, so the table groups them by disease.
| Vaccine | When |
|---|---|
| Tuberculosis, BCG (결핵) | 1 dose within 4 weeks of birth |
| Hepatitis B (B형간염) | At birth, 1 month and 6 months |
| Diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (디프테리아·파상풍·백일해) | 2, 4 and 6 months. Then 15 to 18 months and 4 to 6 years. Then Tdap or Td at 11 to 12 years |
| Polio (폴리오) | 2 and 4 months. Then 6 to 18 months, and 4 to 6 years |
| Hib (b형헤모필루스인플루엔자) | 2, 4 and 6 months. Then 12 to 15 months |
| Pneumococcal (폐렴구균) | 2, 4 and 6 months. Then 12 to 15 months |
| Rotavirus (로타바이러스) | 2 and 4 months, or 2, 4 and 6 months, depending on the vaccine |
| Measles, mumps and rubella, MMR (홍역·유행성이하선염·풍진) | 12 to 15 months. Then 4 to 6 years |
| Chickenpox (수두) | 12 to 15 months |
| Hepatitis A (A형간염) | Doses 1 and 2 between 12 and 35 months |
| Japanese encephalitis, inactivated or killed virus (일본뇌염 불활성화 백신) | Doses 1 and 2 at 12 to 23 months. Then 24 to 35 months, 6 years and 12 years |
| Japanese encephalitis, live weakened virus (일본뇌염 약독화 생백신) | 12 to 23 months. Then 24 to 35 months |
| HPV (사람유두종바이러스) | Doses 1 and 2 at 11 to 12 years. Free from age 12, see below |
| Flu (인플루엔자) | Every year from 6 months |
Some vaccines have their own age limits for free shots. The program page lists these limits.
For this season’s flu shot, see the flu vaccine guide. For the HPV shot, KDCA says a parent should go with the child. If you cannot go, your child should bring a consent form (예방접종 시행 동의서) and a screening form that you completed. The forms are on the vaccination site under 예방접종관리, then 관련자료 다운로드.
What you still pay for
Costs verified October 2026 · 예방접종도우미 national vaccination program page
The program pays only for the listed vaccines given at a public health center or designated clinic. KDCA names two cases where you pay. You also pay after a vaccine’s free age limit.
A product outside the program. You pay the full cost for three products. They are the BCG given on the skin (경피용), Imojev (이모젭) for Japanese encephalitis, and the 9-type HPV vaccine (HPV 9가).
Past the age limit. A vaccine given after its free age limit in the box above is not free.
Ask which vaccine the clinic will use before the shot. The free BCG is the type injected into the skin (피내용). The free HPV vaccine is the 4-type vaccine (4가).
How to get the shots, step by step
Steps verified October 2026 · 예방접종도우미 program page, designated clinics and steps · KDCA 2026 national vaccination guidelines
Step 1 — Find a designated clinic
Search on the vaccination site (예방접종도우미, nip.kdca.go.kr): 예방접종관리, then 위탁의료기관 찾기. You can go to any designated clinic in Korea, not only one near your address.
Step 2 — Check that the clinic has the vaccine
KDCA says each clinic may stock different vaccines. Call the clinic or check the vaccination site before you go.
Step 3 — Bring ID and the vaccination booklet
Bring your ID and your child’s vaccination booklet (예방접종수첩). KDCA gives a parent’s resident registration card or health insurance card as examples of ID. For foreign children, the guidelines name the Alien Registration Card.
The guidelines also ask the parent to bring a document that shows the relationship to the child. One example is a family relation certificate (가족관계증명서). If you do not have this Korean certificate, ask the clinic which document to bring.
Step 4 — Complete the screening form
At the clinic, complete the vaccination screening form (예방접종 예진표). To get text alerts for the next shot, select 동의함 for text messages on the form.
Step 5 — See the doctor, then get the shot
The doctor checks your child before the shot. After the shot, the clinic explains what to watch for and when the next shot is due.
What to do if your child is behind schedule
Rules verified October 2026 · KDCA standard vaccination schedule page · 예방접종도우미 national vaccination program page
KDCA says a longer gap between doses does not mean starting again from the first dose. Your child also does not need extra doses because of the gap.
Starting a vaccine late is a different case. Then the number of doses can be different for some vaccines. These include DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough), polio, Hib, pneumococcal and inactivated Japanese encephalitis. KDCA asks parents to plan the missed doses with the doctor. KDCA also publishes a separate schedule for children who missed vaccines (미접종 소아 예방접종 일정표).
The age limits above still apply. For example, a rotavirus dose is no longer free after 8 months and 0 days.
How to add vaccines given abroad
Rules verified October 2026 · KDCA 2026 national vaccination guidelines · Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, Article 31
Vaccines your child got in another country are not in the Korean system yet. A public health center can add them. The guidelines say it must do this for anyone, whatever their address.
Bring a vaccination certificate or record from a vaccination center or health authority in that country. It must have an official stamp or signature. If staff are not sure the document is real, or it needs translation, they may ask for an officially certified (notarized) copy or translation.
The guidelines explain why this matters. Records are checked when a child enters a daycare center, or an elementary or middle school. Article 31 of the Act lets local governments ask these schools, kindergartens and daycare centers to check them.
The infant checkup also looks at vaccinations. Its 8th round, at 66 to 71 months, checks your child’s record, as the infant checkup guide explains.
What to say at the clinic
Show the Korean line on your phone, or read the romanized line aloud.
Frequently asked questions
Official sources
Every rule and figure here comes from the pages below. Rules can change each year. Open the page before you use this information.