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43 doses, 24 of them mandatory. Add a birthday to see the dates.
At Birth
BCGMANDATORY
Bacille Calmette-Guérin – protects against tuberculosis.
1 dose - Intradermal
OPV 0MANDATORY
Oral Polio Vaccine – first dose at birth.
1 dose - Oral
Hepatitis B (Birth)MANDATORY
First dose of Hepatitis B vaccine — ideally within 24 hours of birth.
1st of 3 - Intramuscular
Vitamin KRECOMMENDED
Prevents Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding (VKDB). Recommended for all newborns.
1 dose - Intramuscular
6 Weeks
DTwP / DTaP 1MANDATORY
Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (whooping cough) — first dose.
1st of 3 - Intramuscular
IPV 1MANDATORY
Inactivated Polio Vaccine — first dose.
1st of 3 - Intramuscular
Hib 1MANDATORY
Haemophilus influenzae type b — protects against bacterial meningitis.
1st of 3 - Intramuscular
Hepatitis B 2MANDATORY
Second dose of Hepatitis B vaccine.
2nd of 3 - Intramuscular
Rotavirus 1RECOMMENDED
Protects against rotavirus — a leading cause of severe diarrhoea in infants.
1st of 3 - Oral
PCV 1RECOMMENDED
Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine — protects against pneumonia and meningitis.
1st of 3 - Intramuscular
10 Weeks
DTwP / DTaP 2MANDATORY
Second dose of Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis.
2nd of 3 - Intramuscular
IPV 2MANDATORY
Second dose of Inactivated Polio Vaccine.
2nd of 3 - Intramuscular
Hib 2MANDATORY
Second dose of Haemophilus influenzae type b.
2nd of 3 - Intramuscular
Rotavirus 2RECOMMENDED
Second dose of rotavirus vaccine.
2nd of 3 - Oral
PCV 2RECOMMENDED
Second dose of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine.
2nd of 3 - Intramuscular
14 Weeks
DTwP / DTaP 3MANDATORY
Third dose of Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis.
3rd of 3 - Intramuscular
IPV 3MANDATORY
Third dose of Inactivated Polio Vaccine.
3rd of 3 - Intramuscular
Hib 3MANDATORY
Third dose of Haemophilus influenzae type b.
3rd of 3 - Intramuscular
Rotavirus 3RECOMMENDED
Third dose of rotavirus vaccine.
3rd of 3 - Oral
PCV 3RECOMMENDED
Third dose of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine.
3rd of 3 - Intramuscular
6 Months
OPV 1MANDATORY
First dose of oral polio vaccine in primary series.
1st of 3 - Oral
Influenza 1RECOMMENDED
Annual flu vaccine — first dose. Two doses required in the first year.
1st of 2 - Intramuscular
Hepatitis B 3MANDATORY
Third and final dose of Hepatitis B vaccine.
3rd of 3 - Intramuscular
9 Months
MMR 1MANDATORY
Measles, Mumps, Rubella — first dose.
1st of 2 - Subcutaneous
OPV 2MANDATORY
Second dose of oral polio vaccine.
2nd of 3 - Oral
MenC / MeningococcalRECOMMENDED
Meningococcal vaccine — protects against bacterial meningitis.
1 dose - Intramuscular
Typhoid Conjugate VaccineRECOMMENDED
Protects against typhoid fever — highly recommended in India. Given from 9 months, with at least a month between this and MMR.
1 dose - Intramuscular
12 Months
Hepatitis A 1RECOMMENDED
First dose of Hepatitis A vaccine.
1st of 2 - Intramuscular
PCV BoosterRECOMMENDED
Booster dose of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine.
Booster - Intramuscular
15 Months
MMR 2MANDATORY
Second dose of Measles, Mumps, Rubella vaccine.
2nd of 2 - Subcutaneous
Varicella 1RECOMMENDED
Chickenpox vaccine — first dose. Breakthrough chickenpox is less likely when this is given from 15 months.
1st of 2 - Subcutaneous
16–18 Months
DTwP / DTaP Booster 1MANDATORY
First booster of Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis.
Booster 1 - Intramuscular
IPV BoosterMANDATORY
Booster dose of Inactivated Polio Vaccine.
Booster - Intramuscular
Hib BoosterMANDATORY
Booster dose of Haemophilus influenzae type b.
Booster - Intramuscular
OPV 3 BoosterMANDATORY
Booster oral polio vaccine dose.
Booster - Oral
18 Months
Hepatitis A 2RECOMMENDED
Second dose of Hepatitis A vaccine, six months after the first.
2nd of 2 - Intramuscular
Varicella 2RECOMMENDED
Second dose of chickenpox vaccine, at least three months after the first.
2nd of 2 - Subcutaneous
4–6 Years
DTwP / DTaP Booster 2MANDATORY
Second booster of Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis.
Booster 2 - Intramuscular
MMR 3 (optional)RECOMMENDED
Optional third MMR dose, especially if titre tests show low immunity.
Optional - Subcutaneous
Varicella BoosterRECOMMENDED
Booster chickenpox dose if not given earlier.
Booster - Subcutaneous
10–12 Years
Tdap / TdMANDATORY
Tetanus, reduced diphtheria and pertussis booster for older children.
Booster - Intramuscular
HPV (Human Papillomavirus)RECOMMENDED
Protects against HPV strains that cause cervical cancer. Recommended for girls; optional for boys.
2–3 doses - Intramuscular
Hepatitis A (if missed)RECOMMENDED
Catch-up hepatitis A vaccination if not given earlier.
Catch-up - Intramuscular
The Indian Academy of Pediatrics publishes the schedule most Indian paediatricians follow, from BCG at birth to Tdap and HPV in the pre-teen years. Ages are windows, not deadlines, and a dose given a little late still counts.
Questions parents ask about the vaccination schedule
Which vaccines does a baby need in India, and at what age?
Most Indian paediatricians follow the Indian Academy of Pediatrics schedule. It starts on the day of birth with BCG, the first Hepatitis B dose and OPV. The main run comes at 6, 10 and 14 weeks and covers DTwP or DTaP, IPV, Hib, rotavirus and PCV. MMR starts at 9 months, and the last items are Tdap and HPV somewhere in the pre-teen years. Put your child's date of birth into the planner above for the dated version, or read the whole thing age by age in our baby vaccination chart for India.
What happens if we are late for a dose?
A late dose still counts, and your baby almost certainly does not start again. Most ages in the schedule are windows rather than deadlines, so "6 weeks" really means from 6 weeks and still fine at 8. If you are further behind than that, paediatricians have a catch-up plan for exactly this. Call the clinic and ask instead of waiting for the next visit.
Is the government schedule different from the IAP one?
They overlap, and the difference is mostly about what you pay for. The government's Universal Immunisation Programme covers the core vaccines free at government centres. The IAP list adds a few that are usually paid for privately, like rotavirus, PCV, hepatitis A, varicella, typhoid conjugate and the yearly flu shot. Both are real schedules, and your paediatrician will tell you which one they are working from.
Are the privately paid vaccines necessary?
That is a conversation for your paediatrician rather than a website. What we can say is that they are on the IAP list because those illnesses are common enough in India to be worth protecting against, and that price and availability vary a lot between cities. It is a fair thing to ask directly, including what it costs before you agree.
My baby was born early. Does the schedule change?
Usually the dates are counted from the actual date of birth and not the due date, but there are real exceptions, and your paediatrician may reorder something or hold a dose back. This is one of the times a printed chart is not enough on its own. Take the chart to the appointment and let them mark it up for your baby.
Can I use this for a schedule outside India?
Yes. The planner on this page carries four: India's IAP schedule, the CDC one for the USA, the NHS one for the UK and Australia's NHMRC schedule. Pick the country and the dates are worked out against that country's list. It is a genuinely useful thing if your family has moved, because the schedules do not line up, and a paediatrician in the new country will want to see what has already been given.
How do I keep track of what is due next?
The planner above turns your child's date of birth into a dated list you can print or save as a PDF for the clinic. For something that follows you around, the free NavParent app does the same and then reminds you a week before, the day before and on the day. Those reminders are set on the phone itself, so they still arrive with no signal and no account, and the app holds more than one child.
We lost the immunisation card. What do we do?
Ask whoever gave the doses. Clinics and hospitals keep their own record and most will write out or reissue what your child has had. If the doses were given at a government centre, that centre's register is the place to start. Once you have it back, take a photo of it, because the card is the thing schools and passport offices ask for later.
Where this information comes from
This follows the Indian Academy of Pediatrics immunisation schedule. It is here to stop a dose being forgotten, not to replace the person giving it. Schedules get adjusted for prematurity, illness, missed doses and what is in stock locally, so your paediatrician's version is the one that counts.
More from NavParent: Baby vaccination chart for India, Your 6-month-old in India.