Moving from Ireland to Australia: your child's vaccinations
The Irish and Australian schedules cover mostly the same diseases, but at different ages. Australia gives MenACWY to toddlers, doesn't give MenB to all babies, and links vaccination to childcare and family payments. The most important step: get your child's Irish record onto the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).
Childcare and family payments
- No Jab No Play. Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia require children to be up to date (or on an approved catch-up schedule) to enrol in childcare or kindergarten.
- No Jab No Pay. To get Family Tax Benefit Part A supplements and the Child Care Subsidy, your child must meet the immunisation requirements.
- In both cases, the AIR is what counts.
Getting Irish doses onto the AIR
- A GP or other vaccination provider can add vaccines your child had overseas to their AIR record.
- Bring your child's immunisation passport and a printout from your Irish GP with vaccine names and dates.
- Catch-up vaccines on the National Immunisation Program are free for everyone under 20.
Key differences at a glance
| Ireland (HSE) | Australia (NIP) | |
|---|---|---|
| Hepatitis B | In the 6-in-1 from 2 months | Birth dose, then in the 6-in-1 from 2 months |
| 6-in-1 | 2, 4, 6 months, plus 13 months for children born from 1 October 2024 | 2, 4, 6 months |
| Meningococcal B | 2, 4 and 12 months | Not for all children. Free in Queensland and South Australia, and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies |
| Meningococcal C / ACWY | MenC as a baby; MenACWY in first year of secondary school | MenACWY at 12 months and in Year 10 (14 to 16) |
| MMR / chickenpox | Depends on birth date (see below) | MMR at 12 months, MMRV at 18 months |
| 18-month boosters | None (boosters at 13 months instead) | Hib, MMRV and DTPa |
| Flu | Nasal spray every year from 2 to 17 | Free every year from 6 months to under 5 |
| Pre-school booster | 4-in-1 in junior infants (4 to 5) | DTPa-IPV at 4 years |
| Teens | HPV, Tdap and MenACWY in first year of secondary school | HPV and dTpa in Year 7; MenACWY in Year 10 |
Which Irish schedule your child had
- Born on or after 1 October 2024: chickenpox vaccine at 12 months, a 4th 6-in-1 and MenC at 13 months, and MMRV in junior infants.
- Born before 1 October 2024: MenC at 6 months, Hib/MenC at 13 months, MMR in junior infants, and no chickenpox vaccine in the schedule.
What your child may need after the move
- MenACWY as a toddler. Irish babies get MenC, not MenACWY. Ask your GP whether your child should get the Australian dose; catch-up on the program is free under 20.
- Chickenpox if your child was born before 1 October 2024 and never had the vaccine. Catch-up on the program is free under 20.
- 18-month boosters. Ireland gives its boosters at 13 months. Your GP compares the Irish doses with the Australian schedule and decides whether anything is missing.
- Flu every year for children under 5, free.
- MenB: your child likely had it in Ireland. Bring the record.
How VaxFile helps
Log your child's Irish doses (or scan the record), add Australia as a country, and see what's still due on the Australian schedule. Export a PDF to take to the GP visit where the doses go onto the AIR.
Sources: Australian Government, NIP schedule (May 2026) · Australian Government, catch-up immunisation · NCIRS, No Jab No Play / No Jab No Pay · Queensland Health MenB program · SA Health MenB program · HSE, Primary Childhood Immunisation Schedule
This page compares the Irish HSE schedule with the Australian National Immunisation Program, for information only. It isn't medical advice. Your GP decides which vaccines your child needs.
Last checked against the official sources: 30 October 2026.