Most travelers to Bali need four to six vaccinations beyond their routine shots: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, rabies, Japanese encephalitis, and up-to-date measles-mumps-rubella (MMR). None of these are legally required for entry (unless you’re arriving from a yellow fever country), but they’re strongly recommended by the CDC for health protection. Indonesia has no yellow fever risk, and Bali’s resort areas carry no malaria transmission, so two common travel worries are already off the table.
Here’s what you actually need, why it matters for Bali specifically, and how far ahead of your trip to start.
Routine Vaccines to Update First
Before thinking about travel-specific shots, make sure your standard childhood and adult vaccines are current. The most important one for Bali is MMR. The CDC recommends all international travelers be fully vaccinated against measles, and Indonesia has had ongoing gaps in immunization coverage that make outbreaks possible. If you’re unsure whether you had both doses as a child, a blood test can check your immunity, or you can simply get a booster.
Polio is the other one worth checking. Indonesia officially closed a polio outbreak in late 2025, but the WHO and Indonesia’s Ministry of Health have stressed that risk remains due to uneven vaccine coverage across provinces. Bali was actually one of the provinces where a new combined vaccine program launched in October 2025 to shore up protection. If you completed your childhood polio series, you’re likely fine, but adults who never received a booster may want one before traveling.
Also confirm you’re up to date on tetanus, diphtheria, and your annual flu shot.
Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B
Hepatitis A is the single most commonly recommended travel vaccine for Bali. You can pick it up from contaminated food or water, which is a real risk even at nicer restaurants. The first dose should ideally be given at least two weeks before departure, though getting it as late as the day you leave still offers some benefit. A second dose six to twelve months later provides long-lasting protection.
Hepatitis B spreads through blood and bodily fluids. It’s recommended for all unvaccinated travelers to Indonesia regardless of age. If you were born after the mid-1980s in the US, UK, or Australia, you likely received the series as an infant, but it’s worth confirming. The standard schedule is three doses over six months, so if you’re starting from scratch, plan ahead. Accelerated schedules are available for last-minute trips.
Typhoid
Typhoid is recommended for most travelers to Indonesia, especially if you’ll eat street food, visit smaller towns, or stay with friends or family rather than in tourist resorts. The bacteria spread through contaminated food and water, and Bali’s food scene is one of its biggest draws, so the overlap is hard to avoid.
You have two options. The injectable vaccine should be given at least two weeks before departure and lasts about two years. The oral version is a series of four capsules taken every other day, finishing at least one week before you leave. Either works well, and your travel clinic can help you decide based on timing and preference.
Rabies
Rabies deserves special attention for Bali. The island has a well-known population of stray dogs, and monkeys at temple sites like Ubud’s Monkey Forest are a major tourist attraction where bites and scratches happen regularly. Bali International Hospital reports that animal bite cases are still common, and the island’s government has set a goal of becoming rabies-free by 2028, which tells you it isn’t there yet.
Pre-exposure vaccination is especially recommended if you plan to spend time in rural areas, interact with animals, or travel with children (who tend to approach animals without caution). The vaccine series protects for one to three years depending on the type used. The critical thing to understand: even with pre-exposure shots, an animal bite still requires prompt medical attention and additional doses. What the vaccine buys you is time. Without it, a bite requires both the vaccine and rabies immunoglobulin (a blood product that can be difficult to find in remote areas), and treatment must begin immediately.
If you’re bitten or scratched by any animal in Bali, wash the wound with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes, apply antiseptic, and get to a hospital without delay. Rabies is nearly 100% fatal once symptoms appear, but completely preventable with prompt treatment.
Japanese Encephalitis
Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a mosquito-borne virus found across rural and agricultural parts of Southeast Asia, including Bali. The risk is low for short-stay resort tourists, but it’s not zero. Published case reports document infections in travelers who spent as little as 12 days on the island. One fatal case involved a Danish man on a 12-day holiday; others affected a 10-year-old Australian girl after a two-week trip and a Swedish woman after a similar stay.
The vaccine is worth considering if you’ll spend time near rice paddies or rural areas, travel during the rainy season when mosquitoes are most active, or stay longer than a couple of weeks. The two-dose series is given 28 days apart, so you need at least a month of lead time.
Dengue Fever
Dengue is common in Bali, particularly during the rainy season (roughly October through March). It spreads through daytime-biting mosquitoes, so bed nets alone won’t protect you. A newer vaccine called QDenga is available at some clinics in Bali and internationally. It’s designed to reduce the severity of infection, particularly for people who’ve had dengue before. For first-time travelers with no prior dengue exposure, the vaccine’s benefit is less clear, and it isn’t universally recommended for short-term tourists.
Your best defense against dengue remains mosquito avoidance: DEET-based repellent, long sleeves during dawn and dusk, and staying in accommodations with screens or air conditioning.
What You Don’t Need
Yellow fever vaccination is not recommended for Bali since the virus doesn’t exist there. However, if you’re arriving from a country where yellow fever is present (parts of Africa or South America), Indonesia may require you to show a yellow fever certificate at the border. If you’re flying directly from Europe, North America, or Australia, this doesn’t apply.
Malaria prophylaxis pills are not needed for Bali’s resort areas, the Gili Islands, or Java. If you’re island-hopping to more remote parts of eastern Indonesia like Papua, that’s a different situation worth discussing with a travel health provider.
Chikungunya vaccination may be worth considering only if you’re planning an extended stay of six months or more.
When to Start Your Vaccines
Ideally, visit a travel clinic six to eight weeks before departure. This gives you enough time to complete multi-dose series like Japanese encephalitis (28 days between doses) and hepatitis B (which has an accelerated schedule but works best with more lead time). At minimum, try to go at least two weeks before your flight so that hepatitis A and typhoid have time to build protection.
If your trip is next week, go anyway. Many vaccines offer partial protection even with compressed timing, and your clinic can prioritize the highest-risk shots for your specific itinerary.
Quick Reference List
- Hepatitis A: Recommended for virtually all travelers. One dose at least two weeks before departure.
- Hepatitis B: Recommended for all unvaccinated travelers. Check if you had the childhood series.
- Typhoid: Recommended, especially if eating local food outside resorts.
- Rabies: Strongly recommended if visiting temples with monkeys, rural areas, or traveling with kids.
- Japanese encephalitis: Consider for stays over two weeks, rural travel, or rainy season visits.
- MMR: Confirm you’ve had two doses.
- Polio/tetanus/diphtheria: Confirm boosters are current.