Baby Vaccine Schedules by Country, Compared

A friend moved from Mexico City to Austin when her son was five months old. At his first US pediatrician visit, the nurse pulled out his Cartilla and started ticking off checkboxes, then paused: "He already had BCG?" In Mexico it's the first shot a baby gets, given in the hospital before mom is even discharged. In the US, it isn't on the schedule at all. The nurse wrote a note, moved on, and the kid was back on track within one visit.

Every high-income country protects babies against roughly the same set of diseases in the first year of life. The differences are in timing, in which combined shots get used, and in a handful of vaccines that reflect local disease patterns. If you are moving across borders, or parenting in one country while family asks about the schedule in another, the overlap is reassuring and the gaps are manageable. The destination country's schedule is the one that matters.

Which vaccines do most countries give in the first year?

Across the US, UK, Mexico, Brazil, Italy, France, and Germany, infants under 12 months are vaccinated against the same core list: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), pneumococcus, rotavirus, hepatitis B, and meningococcal disease.¹² Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) typically start at 11 to 15 months. Chickenpox (varicella) is routine in some countries and not others.

Two vaccines that routinely split countries apart: BCG (tuberculosis) and the birth dose of hepatitis B. BCG is given in countries with higher TB prevalence, usually at birth. The hepatitis B birth dose is universal in some schedules and delayed or selective in others.

Comparison table: first-year infant vaccines by country

This is a simplified view of the first-year backbone. Boosters, catch-up doses, and country-specific additions (flu, RSV, COVID-19, HPV later) are left out.

Age	US (CDC)1	UK (NHS)2	Mexico (Cartilla)3	Brazil (PNI/SUS)4	Italy (PNPV)5	France6	Germany (STIKO)7
Birth	HepB	—	BCG, HepB	BCG, HepB	—	—	—
2 months	HepB, RV, DTaP, Hib, PCV, IPV	6-in-1, MenB, Rota	HepB (2nd), Rota, Pentavalente (DTaP-Hib-IPV), PCV	Penta (DTP-HepB-Hib), Rota, PCV10, IPV	6-in-1, PCV, MenB, Rota	6-in-1, PCV, Rota	6-in-1, PCV, Rota
3 months	—	—	—	—	—	MenB	—
4 months	RV, DTaP, Hib, PCV, IPV	6-in-1, PCV, Rota (2)	Pentavalente (2), Rota (2), PCV (2)	Penta (2), Rota (2), PCV10 (2), IPV (2)	6-in-1 (2), PCV (2), MenB (2)	6-in-1 (2), PCV (2)	6-in-1 (2), PCV (2), MenB
5 months	—	—	—	—	—	MenB (2)	—
6 months	HepB (3), RV (if 3-dose), DTaP (3), Hib (if 4-dose), PCV (3), IPV (3)	6-in-1 (3), MenB (2)	Pentavalente (3), Influenza	Penta (3), VOP (bOPV), meningococcal C	—	MenACWY	—
11-12 months	MMR, Varicella, HepA, PCV (booster)	MMRV, Hib/MenC, PCV (booster), MenB (3)	SRP (MMR)	MMR, MenC booster, HepA, PCV (booster)	6-in-1 (3), PCV (3), MMRV, MenACWY	MMR, MenB (3), MenACWY (2)	6-in-1 (3), PCV (3), MMR, varicella, MenB, MenC
15-18 months	DTaP (4), Hib (final)	6-in-1 (4, UK-born 2024+)	DTP booster, SRP	DTP booster, varicella	—	DTP booster	—

Note: "6-in-1" and "penta" (Hexavalent / Pentavalent) are combination shots carrying the same core antigens: DTaP, IPV, Hib, and usually HepB. One injection does the work of four to six.

Where do the real differences show up?

BCG (tuberculosis). Mexico and Brazil give BCG at birth.³⁴ The US, UK general population, Italy, France, and Germany do not, though the UK offers it selectively to babies in higher-risk communities. A baby immigrating from Brazil to the US does not need to repeat anything. A baby moving the other direction usually gets BCG caught up if under 12 months.

Hepatitis B birth dose. The US, Mexico, and Brazil give hepatitis B within 24 hours of birth as universal practice.¹³⁴ The UK, Italy, France, and Germany typically fold hepatitis B into the 6-in-1 starting at 8 weeks or 2 months, with a selective birth dose when the mother tests positive.²⁶

Rotavirus: two doses or three. The NHS, Germany, France, and Italy commonly use the 2-dose oral rotavirus (Rotarix). The US and Brazilian schedules use either a 2-dose (Rotarix) or 3-dose (RotaTeq) depending on product in use.⁴ Missing the window matters more than which product: the first dose has to start before 15 weeks and the series finished before 8 months in most schedules. Catching up a baby who migrated past the age cutoff is usually not possible.

MMR timing. The UK gives its first MMR (now MMRV, including varicella) at 12 months as of January 2026.² Italy gives MMRV at around 13 to 15 months.⁵ The US, France, Germany, and Mexico give MMR between 12 and 15 months, with varicella either combined (MMRV) or given separately at the same visit.¹⁶⁷ Brazil's MMR ("triplice viral") is given at 12 months, with a tetra-viral including varicella at 15 months.⁴

Meningococcal coverage. France made meningococcal B mandatory with a 3-5-12 month schedule starting in 2025, and broadened C to ACWY (6 and 12 months).⁶ The UK gives MenB at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and 1 year.² Germany added MenB as a routine infant vaccine.⁷ The US recommends MenACWY at age 11, not in infancy, unless the baby is in a high-risk group. Mexico and Brazil do MenC in infancy.

New additions to watch. The UK switched from separate MMR plus varicella to combined MMRV in January 2026.² RSV maternal vaccination (given during pregnancy) and infant monoclonal antibody (nirsevimab) are now routine in most of these countries, though delivered through maternity or seasonal programs rather than the standard infant calendar.

What should a migrating family actually do?

Bring the paper record from the origin country. A US CDC immunization card, a UK Red Book, a Mexican Cartilla Nacional de Salud, a Brazilian Caderneta de Vacinação, a German Impfpass, a French carnet de santé, and an Italian libretto sanitario are all accepted at pediatric visits abroad. Pediatricians read schedules from other countries every day.

The first pediatric visit in the destination country should be booked within the first few weeks. The clinician will match what the baby has had to the local schedule, mark anything missing, and build a catch-up plan. Most missed doses slot into the existing visits without a separate trip.

A few things do not transfer. BCG given in Brazil shows a small shoulder scar that US or UK clinicians might ask about: that is expected and not a problem. A hepatitis B birth dose given in Mexico counts toward the UK schedule even though the UK does not give one routinely. A MenB series started in France has no US equivalent in infancy, so the dosing stops at the border unless the child is in a high-risk group.

The thing that trips families up more than schedule differences: paper. Make copies, take photos of each page, and email them to yourself before the move. Re-obtaining a vaccination record across borders is surprisingly hard.

How does nappi handle country-specific tracking?

nappi doesn't schedule vaccines for you, and shouldn't: that belongs to your pediatrician. What the app does is let you log doses with dates so the record travels with your family alongside sleep, feeding, and growth. When you hand your phone to a new clinician at a new visit, the dates are in one place and don't rely on the paper card making it through the move.

The growth chart and feeding guide are similarly country-agnostic: WHO standards for the first two years, with CDC reference curves available for families whose pediatrician uses those instead. For country-specific health questions beyond the schedule, check the resources hub for what we've documented so far.

Frequently asked questions

Is my baby over-vaccinated if I do both the origin-country and destination-country schedule?

Almost never. Pediatricians evaluating a transfer record deliberately avoid duplicating doses that already count. If a baby had the full 6-in-1 series in France, the US clinician will not restart DTaP; they'll record the French doses and continue from where the schedule left off. The rare extra dose (e.g., an MMR given earlier than the US schedule expects) is medically harmless.

What happens if my baby missed a dose by a few weeks because of travel?

A delay of a few weeks is not a problem for any infant vaccine. Catch-up schedules exist specifically for this. The exception is rotavirus, which has a firm upper age limit because of a rare intussusception risk. If rotavirus was missed entirely and your baby is past 8 months, it cannot be caught up, but every other vaccine on the schedule has a catch-up window well into childhood.

Does my baby need BCG if we moved to a country that doesn't give it?

Usually no, unless you're moving back to or traveling frequently to a country with higher TB prevalence. The US, for example, does not recommend BCG for children whose long-term residence is in the US. If your family situation is mixed (grandparents in Mexico, primary residence in Germany, frequent long stays), ask your pediatrician specifically; BCG is available through travel clinics.

Which countries consider vaccines legally mandatory versus recommended?

France, Italy, and Brazil treat most core infant vaccines as legally required for daycare or school enrollment.⁴⁵⁶ Mexico requires them for the Cartilla to be valid, which is needed for preschool. The US, UK, and Germany rely on strong recommendation plus school entry requirements that vary by state or region. The practical effect is similar: most children in all seven countries receive most vaccines on time.

This piece is a reference, not medical advice. Vaccine schedules change, and individual circumstances (prematurity, immune conditions, travel plans, family history) affect what your baby actually needs. Talk to your pediatrician about your specific situation.