Tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough and polio: vaccination at the pharmacy

Since 2 July 2026, trained pharmacists have been allowed to vaccinate adults against tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough and polio. Before that, the only vaccinations a pharmacy could give were against flu and COVID-19. The rule is § 20c of the Infektionsschutzgesetz, Germany’s Infection Protection Act. The pharmacy vaccinates from the age of 18, with no doctor’s appointment and no referral. The list further down this page shows which pharmacies offer this vaccination today.

Why one vaccination covers four diseases

There is no longer a separate vaccine against whooping cough, or pertussis. The Ständige Impfkommission, the standing committee on vaccination at the Robert Koch-Institut, says in its 2026 recommendation that a combination vaccination is needed instead. Your vaccination record shows its abbreviation, one letter per component:

• T for tetanus
• d for diphtheria
• ap for whooping cough
• IPV for polio, called poliomyelitis in the recommendation

The lower-case letters stand for a reduced amount of that component, which is what the recommendation sets for adults. Without the polio component the same combination is called Tdap, and without the whooping cough component Td. All four components are inactivated vaccines. These contain no pathogens that can multiply, and they are the only kind a pharmacy may give.

Who the vaccination is recommended for

Adults whose booster is due. For tetanus and diphtheria, the 2026 recommendation sets ten years from the last vaccination. It adds the whooping cough component to the next of these boosters, once, for every adult.

The recommendation also sets a regular whooping cough vaccination for these groups:

• pregnant women, in every pregnancy from week 28, or earlier if a premature birth is more likely
• close household contacts and carers of a newborn, every ten years and if possible four weeks before the due date
• staff in health care and in community facilities, every ten years

Polio has a rule of its own. If you have had a complete primary course, meaning the first series of vaccinations, and one booster, the recommendation counts you as fully vaccinated. It sets no further routine booster for adults in Germany.

When polio is added

The recommendation adds the polio component before a trip to a region where there is a risk of infection. The 2026 recommendation records wild polioviruses of types 2 and 3 as eradicated worldwide, but type 1 remains, as do mutated vaccine viruses. It names Afghanistan and Pakistan separately. For a stay there of up to four weeks, it sets a booster if the last vaccination was more than ten years ago.

For work, it names medical staff who may have close contact with people who are ill, laboratory staff and staff in communal accommodation. As long as the risk lasts, it sets a booster every ten years.

Your health insurer does not always pay for a vaccination before a private trip. The relevant law is § 20i of the Fünftes Sozialgesetzbuch, Book V of the German Social Code. It covers a vaccination for a stay abroad only under certain conditions, for example when the trip is for work. Who is entitled to which vaccination is listed in Annex 1 of the Schutzimpfungs-Richtlinie, the vaccination directive of the Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss. Before your appointment, the pharmacy checks whether your insurer pays in your case.