Moving from Germany to the Netherlands: your child's vaccinations
The Dutch programme covers most of the same diseases as the German one, but at different ages, without MenB or chickenpox, and with MenACWY for toddlers. Vaccinations are free and voluntary, and they happen at the consultatiebureau, not at the doctor's. Here's what to expect.
How vaccination works in the Netherlands
- Register your address with your municipality. The youth health service (JGZ) then contacts you, and babies and toddlers are invited to the consultatiebureau (child health clinic).
- From about 4 years, the GGD youth health service sends the invitations, for example for the vaccinations at 9 or 10 and 14.
- All vaccinations in the National Immunisation Programme (Rijksvaccinatieprogramma, RVP) are free and voluntary. There is no measles requirement for daycare or school like the one in Germany.
Key differences at a glance
| Germany (STIKO) | Netherlands (RVP) | |
|---|---|---|
| 6-in-1 | 2, 4 and 11 months | 3, 5 and 12 months (plus 6 to 9 weeks if the mother wasn't vaccinated against whooping cough in pregnancy) |
| Pneumococcal | 2, 4 and 11 months | 3, 5 and 12 months |
| Meningococcal B | 2, 4 and 12 months | Not in the programme |
| MMR | 11 and 15 months | 14 months and 3 years |
| Chickenpox | 11 and 15 months | Not in the programme |
| MenACWY | Once at 12 to 14 years | 14 months and 14 years |
| Pre-school booster | Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough at 5 to 6 years | Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough at 5 years |
| Teen booster | Tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, polio at 9 to 16 | Diphtheria, tetanus, polio at 14 |
| HPV | 2 doses at 9 to 14 | 2 doses at 10 |
Both countries offer an RSV antibody to babies in their first RSV season and rotavirus vaccine to young babies. Neither offers a yearly flu vaccine to healthy children.
What your child may need after the move
- MenACWY as a toddler. Germany doesn't give it until 12 to 14 years; the Netherlands gives it at 14 months. The consultatiebureau checks whether your child should still get it.
- Unfinished MenB or chickenpox series. These aren't in the Dutch programme. Doses your child already had still count. If a series isn't complete, ask the consultatiebureau what they advise.
- Different timings for the 6-in-1, pneumococcal and MMR doses. The consultatiebureau compares the German doses with the Dutch programme and plans any missing ones.
What happens to the German Impfpass
- Bring the Impfpass to the first appointment at the consultatiebureau or GGD. They compare it with the Dutch programme.
- Vaccinations given in the Netherlands are recorded by RIVM. You can request an overview through MijnRIVM.
How VaxFile helps
Add your child's German doses (or scan the Impfpass), then switch the country to the Netherlands. VaxFile shows what's still due on the Dutch schedule, and you can export a PDF for the consultatiebureau.
Sources: RIVM, vaccination schedule · RIVM, vaccination overview · RKI, STIKO Impfkalender 2026
This page compares the German STIKO schedule with the Dutch National Immunisation Programme, for information only. It isn't medical advice. The consultatiebureau or youth doctor decides which vaccinations your child needs.
Last checked against the official sources: 8 October 2026.