🟡 Yellow Fever Travel Information
Understanding CDC recommendations & country entry requirements • Updated 2026
📋 Key distinction: CDC vaccine recommendations protect your health — country entry requirements determine if you can enter. Since 2016, the International Certificate of Vaccination (ICVP) or “yellow card” is valid for the life of the vaccinated person.
✅ No booster required — one dose provides lifelong validity
✅ No booster required — one dose provides lifelong validity
📌 Countries Requiring a Yellow Fever Certificate from U.S. travelers arriving from the United States
⚠️ Important distinction:
The countries and territory in the first table currently require proof
of yellow fever vaccination from eligible travelers even when they arrive
directly from the United States and have not visited another yellow fever
risk country.
🔹 Certificate required from travelers arriving directly from the USA
| Country or territory | Age requirement | Requirement for direct travel from USA |
|---|---|---|
| Angola | 9 months and older | Certificate required for all arriving travelers in this age group |
| Benin | 9 months and older | Certificate required for all arriving travelers in this age group |
| Bolivia | 1 year and older | Certificate required for all arriving travelers in this age group |
| Burkina Faso | 9 months and older | Certificate required for all arriving travelers in this age group |
| Burundi | 9 months and older | Certificate required for all arriving travelers in this age group |
| Cameroon | 1 year and older | Certificate required for all arriving travelers in this age group |
| Central African Republic | 9 months and older | Certificate required for all arriving travelers in this age group |
| Colombia | 1 year and older | Certificate required for all arriving travelers in this age group |
| Congo, Republic of | 9 months and older | Certificate required for all arriving travelers in this age group |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 9 months and older | Certificate required for all arriving travelers in this age group |
| Côte d’Ivoire | 9 months and older | Certificate required for all arriving travelers in this age group |
| French Guiana | 1 year and older | Certificate required for all arriving travelers in this age group |
| Gabon | 9 months and older | Certificate required for all arriving travelers in this age group |
| Ghana | 9 months and older | Certificate required for all arriving travelers in this age group |
| Guinea-Bissau | 1 year and older | Certificate required for all arriving travelers in this age group |
| Mali | 9 months and older | Certificate required for all arriving travelers in this age group |
| Niger | 9 months and older | Certificate required for all arriving travelers in this age group |
| Sierra Leone | All travelers | Certificate required for all arriving travelers |
| Togo | 9 months and older | Certificate required for all arriving travelers in this age group |
| Uganda | 1 year and older | Certificate required for all arriving travelers in this age group |
🔹 Special entry rule for Guinea
Guinea airport exception:
For direct travel from the United States, a certificate is generally not
required under the standard national rule. However, CDC reports that proof
of yellow fever vaccination is required for travelers aged
9 months or older arriving at Ahmed Sékou Touré International
Airport in Conakry, regardless of their country of origin.
🔹 Countries requiring a certificate only after travel through a yellow fever risk country
✈️ Travel tip:
Many additional countries do not require a certificate from a traveler
flying directly from the United States. However, they may require one if
the traveler recently visited a yellow fever risk country or completed a
qualifying airport transit there. The transit threshold varies by
destination and is not always 12 hours.
| Example destination | Direct arrival from USA | When a certificate may be required |
|---|---|---|
| Kenya | Not normally required | May be required after travel through a country with yellow fever transmission risk |
| Tanzania | Not normally required | May apply after travel through a risk country, including certain airport transits |
| South Africa | Not normally required | May apply after travel through a risk country, including certain airport transits |
| Rwanda | Not normally required | May be required after travel through a country with yellow fever transmission risk |
| Ethiopia | Not normally required | May apply after travel through a risk country, including airport transits or layovers longer than 12 hours |
| Namibia | Not normally required | May apply after travel through a risk country, including airport transits or layovers longer than 12 hours |
📋 Before departure:
Country entry rules can change with little notice. Travelers should verify
the current requirement for every destination and transit point using CDC
destination guidance and the relevant embassy or consulate.
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🌍 Countries with Risk of Yellow Fever Transmission
Yellow fever is endemic in tropical areas of Africa and Central/South America. CDC recommends vaccination for travelers visiting areas with endemic or transitional risk. Click any country for the Traveler-Health.com destination guide.
🌍 Africa
⚡ Countries with “Low Potential” for Exposure
not on WHO risk list
For travelers limited to these areas, CDC generally does not recommend vaccination. Always verify with a travel medicine specialist.
🧳 Practical Travel Tips for US Travelers
- Before you go: Check your full itinerary — requirements depend on your entire route, including layovers. Visit a travel clinic 4–6 weeks before departure.
- ICVP “Yellow Card”: Valid 10 days after vaccination and for the lifetime of the vaccinated person. Carry the original physical card — digital copies are often rejected at borders.
- Medical exemptions: If you cannot receive the vaccine, your clinician may issue a waiver on the ICVP. Waivers are accepted at the discretion of the destination country — check with the embassy before travel.
⚕️ Always consult the CDC Yellow Book and destination embassy for the latest updates.
Explore the Yellow Fever Risk Map
View countries with yellow fever transmission risk and destinations where vaccination may be recommended or required before you travel.
View the Yellow Fever Risk Map
View countries with yellow fever transmission risk and destinations where vaccination may be recommended or required before you travel.
View the Yellow Fever Risk Map