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Shingles vaccination at the pharmacy

Who the Ständige Impfkommission recommends the shingles vaccination to, what it is meant to prevent, and which pharmacies offer it.

As of: 21/08/2026

Since 2 July 2026 pharmacies may vaccinate against shingles, or herpes zoster, to give it its medical name. It takes no doctor’s appointment and no referral. Anyone aged 18 or over can have it.

Who it is recommended to

The Ständige Impfkommission at the Robert Koch-Institut, Germany’s standing committee on vaccination, names two groups in its recommendation of 2026.

For everyone aged 60 and over it is a standard vaccination, recommended whatever their state of health. For adults from 18 it is recommended only where there is a raised health risk. One such risk is an immune deficiency, congenital or acquired, which means a weakened immune system. The other is a severe form of a chronic underlying condition. The committee gives examples of both:

  • after a stem cell transplant, a cell-based therapy or an organ transplant
  • while taking medicines that suppress the immune system, chemotherapy for instance
  • with cancer
  • with an HIV infection
  • with rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus
  • with a chronic inflammatory bowel disease
  • with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or bronchial asthma
  • with a chronic kidney disease or diabetes mellitus

How high that risk is depends on the condition. The committee sees it highest with an immune deficiency, and with certain autoimmune diseases or their treatment. Among people with a chronic condition, it expects the greatest benefit where that condition is not well controlled. The same holds for people with several conditions at once.

Between 18 and 59 the recommendation leaves out these conditions where they are mild, uncomplicated or well controlled by medication. The committee sees no markedly increased risk there. From 60 the standard vaccination applies anyway.

In both groups the recommendation sets out two doses, given two to six months apart. The Schutzimpfungs-Richtlinie, the directive of the Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss, builds on it and decides who can claim the vaccination from a statutory health insurer.

What the vaccination is meant to prevent

Shingles, and postherpetic neuralgia. Those are the two aims the committee names in its 2026 recommendation. The Robert Koch-Institut describes the neuralgia as nerve pain that can remain after shingles has healed.

According to the institute, the varicella-zoster virus first causes chickenpox and then stays in the body, in clusters of nerve cells. Shingles arises when it becomes active there again. Only people who already carry the virus can develop it.

Why not every pharmacy offers it

Vaccinating is voluntary for a pharmacy. § 20c of the Infektionsschutzgesetz, the German infection protection act, allows it and obliges nobody. Whoever vaccinates must be trained for it by a physician and be able to show they completed that training. Since 2 July 2026 the provision covers every vaccine that is not a live vaccine.

One inactivated vaccine against shingles is licensed in Germany — a vaccine containing no pathogens able to multiply. That is what makes the vaccination possible at a pharmacy. Which pharmacies offer it is listed further down this page.

Frequently asked questions

I have had shingles before. Does the recommendation still apply?

Yes. The 2026 recommendation of the Ständige Impfkommission advises the vaccination after a case of shingles as well, to avoid a recurrence. It names an interval of at least six to twelve months since that illness. One condition goes with it: the acute illness is over and the symptoms have subsided. When you have reached that point is something the pharmacy or your doctor’s practice can settle.

Does anyone have to check first whether I have had chickenpox?

No, usually not. Chickenpox and shingles later in life come from the same virus, the varicella-zoster virus. Up to 99% of people who grew up in Germany before 2004 have had that infection. That figure is in the 2026 recommendation of the Ständige Impfkommission. A blood test before the vaccination is therefore generally not needed.

Can I be vaccinated against something else at the same appointment?

Yes. The 2026 recommendation of the Ständige Impfkommission provides for it with four vaccinations: flu, the respiratory virus RSV, tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough, and COVID-19. For each of the four it names one particular vaccine type, so the pharmacy decides at the appointment.

Covered under conditions: the fund pays at a certain age or with a certain indication, otherwise you pay yourself. Your pharmacy will tell you which applies to you.

Information as of 21/08/2026

Pharmacies vaccinating against Shingles

No listed pharmacy has reported this vaccination to us yet. That does not mean nobody offers it. Ask at your pharmacy.

Find a pharmacy near you

Enter an address or postcode to find nearby pharmacies with a recorded vaccination offer. Filter by vaccination if needed.

Sources

This page gives general information and names its sources. It does not replace medical or pharmaceutical advice. What is right in your case is something to settle at your pharmacy or doctor's practice.