Hajj & Umrah Vaccine Requirements for Filipinos 2026: What You Need

Quick Answer: Saudi Arabia requires every Hajj and Umrah pilgrim, from every country, to have the meningococcal ACYW vaccine at least 10 days before arrival — this is confirmed directly from the Saudi Ministry of Health's official 1447H (2026) requirements document. The conjugate ACYW (or ACYWX) vaccine is valid 5 years; the older polysaccharide ACYW is valid 3 years. Filipinos going through NCMF's official Hajj delegation get it free through NCMF-Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) vaccination drives. Everyone else — private Umrah travelers, non-quota pilgrims — needs to source it themselves; private clinics charge roughly ₱3,000–₱6,500 (exact BOQ walk-in pricing for this specific shot is not published online). Polio and yellow fever are NOT required for travelers coming directly from the Philippines; COVID-19 is required only for specific risk groups, and flu is recommended, not mandatory.

Table of Contents

• What vaccine is actually mandatory for Hajj and Umrah?
• Do Filipinos need the polio, yellow fever, or COVID-19 vaccine too?
• How does the NCMF-BOQ vaccination arrangement work?
• Where do non-pilgrims and private Umrah travelers get the meningococcal shot?
• How much does the meningococcal ACYW vaccine cost?
• What documentation do you need to bring to Saudi Arabia?
• Step-by-step: getting vaccine-ready for Hajj or Umrah
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Conclusion

What vaccine is actually mandatory for Hajj and Umrah?

The meningococcal meningitis vaccine, covering serogroups A, C, Y, and W (ACYW), is the only vaccine Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health lists as mandatory for all pilgrims from all countries in its official Health Requirements and Recommendations for Travelers to Saudi Arabia for Hajj — 1447H (2026) document. It applies to anyone performing Hajj or seasonal work in the Hajj areas (Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah, Taif), and the same requirement carries over to Umrah under Saudi health regulations.

Two vaccine types are accepted, each with its own validity window counted from the date of administration:

One detail matters a lot at the airport: Saudi MOH's own document states that if your vaccination certificate doesn't clearly show the vaccine's name and administration date, it's treated as valid for 3 years only — even if you actually received the longer-lasting conjugate shot. Whoever vaccinates you, in the Philippines or abroad, needs to print the specific vaccine brand/type and date on your certificate, not just "meningococcal vaccine given."

Do Filipinos need the polio, yellow fever, or COVID-19 vaccine too?

Not automatically. Saudi MOH's 2026 requirements tie polio and yellow fever vaccination to your country of departure, not blanket rules for everyone:

• Polio: mandatory only for travelers arriving from a specific list of countries with active poliovirus transmission — currently Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mozambique, DR Congo, and Guinea (strictest tier), plus a longer list of mostly African countries, Indonesia, Palestine, and Yemen (second tier). The Philippines is not on either list, so a Filipino pilgrim flying directly from the Philippines does not need a polio certificate for Hajj/Umrah entry under the 2026 rules. Saudi MOH does separately recommend (not require) staying current on routine polio immunization for everyone.
• Yellow fever: mandatory only for travelers arriving from yellow-fever-endemic countries in Africa and South America. The Philippines isn't on that list either, so this doesn't apply to a direct Philippines-to-Saudi Arabia itinerary. If you're routing through a yellow-fever country, see our yellow fever vaccine and yellow card guide — that's a separate BOQ process from the meningococcal shot covered here.
• COVID-19: required only for "specific groups" intending to perform Hajj or seasonal work, per Saudi MOH's 2026 document — the document doesn't spell out exactly who counts as a specific group (age or risk-based criteria are typical in past seasons), so if you fall into an older-age or immunocompromised category, confirm directly with your Hajj/Umrah operator or the Saudi consulate whether it applies to you. Accepted proof: one updated 2025–2026 season dose, a completed primary series from 2021–2024, or lab-confirmed COVID-19 recovery in 2025. For everyone else, COVID-19 vaccination is only advised, following the WHO's SAGE prioritization roadmap.
• Seasonal flu: recommended for all pilgrims for the 2025–2026 season, but not mandatory. It's still worth getting, especially for older pilgrims, given how packed and prolonged the Hajj crowds are — see our Mercury Drug flu vaccine price guide if you're getting it privately.
• Routine shots: Saudi MOH also recommends being up to date on DTaP (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis), polio, measles, chickenpox, and mumps as general good practice, separate from the entry-specific requirements above.

How does the NCMF-BOQ vaccination arrangement work?

For Filipino Muslims going through the official government-organized Hajj delegation, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) coordinates vaccination directly with the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ). Per BOQ's own account of the program's history, meningococcal vaccination became the required shot for Hajj-bound Filipinos back in 2000–2001, with flu vaccine added in 2006 and oral polio vaccine added in 2014 (a legacy requirement from years polio was a bigger transmission concern for Hajj travel, distinct from the 2026 country-based polio rule above).

For the 2026 season specifically, the Ministry of Health-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MOH-BARMM) donated 5,000 doses each of meningococcal and flu vaccine to NCMF — the first vaccine donation of its kind between the two agencies — under an agreement signed in April 2025 at NCMF's Quezon City office. NCMF distributes and coordinates these doses nationwide through NCMF-organized vaccination drives at Bureau of Quarantine sites. If you're part of the official Hajj quota, the practical steps are:

1. Confirm your Hajj slot through NCMF's Bureau of Pilgrimage and Endowment.
2. Watch for the NCMF-announced vaccination drive schedule at your regional BOQ office.
3. Bring your Hajj registration documents and a valid government ID to the drive.
4. Receive your shot at least 10 days before your scheduled departure to Saudi Arabia — earlier is safer, since group vaccination drives run on fixed schedules, not on-demand.
5. Get your Medical Certificate ("Yellow Card") from BOQ, certifying vaccination against meningitis (and flu, where administered) — this is what your Hajj travel group and Saudi immigration will check.

BOQ separately has an internal circular (Bureau Memorandum Circular 2024-04) specifically covering administration of the meningitis vaccine and issuance of the International Certificate of Vaccination and Prophylaxis (ICVP) for Umrah purposes — confirming BOQ does handle this outside the annual Hajj-season drives too, though the exact process and fee for that year-round Umrah track isn't detailed on BOQ's public-facing pages as of this writing. Call or visit your nearest BOQ office to confirm current availability if you're traveling for Umrah outside the main Hajj vaccination drive window.

Where do non-pilgrims and private Umrah travelers get the meningococcal shot?

If you're not part of an NCMF-organized Hajj delegation — most Umrah travelers booking through a private travel agency fall into this group — you generally can't rely on the free NCMF-BOQ drive doses, which are allocated to the official Hajj quota. Two realistic paths:

1. Ask BOQ directly. BOQ's general online booking portal, icv.boq.ph, lists yellow fever, polio (IPV), and MMR as its standard bookable vaccination services — meningococcal/meningitis is not listed there as a self-service option as of this writing, even though BOQ's Memorandum Circular 2024-04 (above) does cover meningitis vaccination for Umrah. That gap between the circular and the booking portal means you should call or visit a BOQ office directly to ask whether meningococcal vaccination is currently offered to walk-in Umrah applicants at your location, rather than assuming you can book it online the way you would yellow fever.
2. Get it at a private clinic or hospital travel-medicine service. Many private hospitals, travel clinics, and some pharmacy-run vaccination centers carry the meningococcal ACYW conjugate vaccine (brands like Menveo or Nimenrix are commonly used internationally). Confirm with the clinic before booking that they stock ACYW specifically — some pharmacies only carry it on request or seasonally around Hajj/Umrah travel periods — and that they'll print the vaccine name and date on your certificate, since that's what determines whether Saudi authorities treat it as 3-year or 5-year valid (see above).

Either way, get vaccinated at least 10 days before you fly, and don't leave this until the week of departure — Saudi entry requirements are checked, and travel agencies handling Umrah bookings routinely ask for the certificate before finalizing your visa paperwork.

How much does the meningococcal ACYW vaccine cost?

There's no single official published Bureau of Quarantine price for a walk-in, non-Hajj-quota meningococcal shot — this is a gap in publicly available information, and if you find a current BOQ rate, treat it as more authoritative than the range below. In the private sector, meningococcal ACYW vaccination in the Philippines is generally priced at ₱3,000–₱6,500 per dose, varying by brand, clinic, and city; for reference, Hi-Precision's online vaccine store listed the ACYW vaccine at ₱4,500 at the time of writing. See our broader vaccine cost guide for the Philippines for how meningococcal pricing compares to other travel vaccines.

If cost is a barrier and you're part of the official NCMF Hajj delegation, the NCMF-BOQ drive doses (from the MOH-BARMM donation described above) are provided at no cost to you — confirm your eligibility and the drive schedule with NCMF's Bureau of Pilgrimage and Endowment rather than paying privately first.

What documentation do you need to bring to Saudi Arabia?

Saudi immigration and your Hajj/Umrah operator will expect to see a vaccination certificate that clearly states:

• Your full name and passport number, matching your travel documents exactly.
• The specific vaccine name/brand administered (conjugate ACYW/ACYWX, or polysaccharide ACYW) — remember, an unlabeled certificate defaults to the shorter 3-year validity window regardless of which vaccine you actually got.
• The date of administration, since the 10-day-minimum and validity-period rules are both counted from that date.
• The administering facility's certification (BOQ's Medical Certificate/Yellow Card format, or your private clinic's official vaccination certificate).

If your certificate is from a private Philippine clinic rather than BOQ, ask in advance whether it needs to be countersigned or reissued in the WHO/ICVP format that BOQ uses — some Hajj/Umrah operators require the BOQ-format certificate specifically, even if you were vaccinated privately, so confirm with your travel operator before your appointment rather than after.

Step-by-step: getting vaccine-ready for Hajj or Umrah

1. Confirm your travel category — official NCMF Hajj delegate, or private Hajj/Umrah traveler — since that determines whether you're eligible for the free NCMF-BOQ drive.
2. Book your meningococcal ACYW vaccination at least 3–4 weeks before departure, giving buffer beyond the 10-day minimum in case of scheduling delays.
3. NCMF delegates: watch for the announced vaccination drive dates through NCMF's Bureau of Pilgrimage and Endowment and bring your Hajj registration documents and ID.
4. Private/independent travelers: call your nearest BOQ office to ask about meningococcal availability, or book with a private clinic confirmed to stock ACYW conjugate vaccine.
5. Verify your certificate shows vaccine name/type and administration date before you leave the vaccination site.
6. Check whether COVID-19 vaccination applies to you as a member of a Saudi MOH-defined risk group, and get the seasonal flu shot if you're older or have a chronic condition.
7. Pack your certificate with your passport and visa documents — don't leave it in checked baggage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the meningococcal vaccine really mandatory, or just recommended, for Hajj and Umrah?

It's mandatory. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health requires it for all individuals performing Hajj or Umrah, from all countries, with no exceptions listed for nationality. This is confirmed directly in the Saudi MOH's official 1447H (2026) health requirements document.

How many days before I fly do I need the meningococcal shot?

At least 10 days before arrival in Saudi Arabia, per Saudi MOH's 2026 requirements. Book earlier than the minimum to leave room for scheduling issues.

Do I need the polio vaccine for Hajj if I'm flying from the Philippines?

No, not under the 2026 rules. Polio vaccination is required only for travelers arriving from a specific list of countries with active poliovirus transmission, and the Philippines is not currently on that list. Saudi MOH does recommend staying current with routine polio immunization generally, but that's a recommendation, not an entry requirement, for Filipino travelers.

Is the COVID-19 vaccine required for Hajj 2026?

Only for "specific groups," per Saudi MOH's 2026 document, which doesn't publicly define exactly who those groups are. Confirm with your Hajj/Umrah operator or the Saudi consulate if you have risk factors like advanced age or a chronic condition. For everyone else, it's advised but not mandatory.

Where do I get the meningococcal vaccine for free in the Philippines?

Through the NCMF-organized vaccination drive at Bureau of Quarantine sites, available to Filipino Muslims in the official government Hajj delegation. For 2026, this is funded partly through a 5,000-dose donation from MOH-BARMM. Private Umrah travelers outside the official quota generally need to pay for the vaccine themselves.

How much does the meningitis vaccine cost if I'm not part of the NCMF Hajj delegation?

Private-sector pricing runs roughly ₱3,000–₱6,500 per dose, depending on the clinic and brand. There's no published official Bureau of Quarantine walk-in rate for this specific vaccine, so confirm pricing directly with whichever clinic or BOQ office you approach.

Does the yellow card (ICV) from BOQ cover the meningococcal vaccine too?

Not automatically through BOQ's general online booking system, which currently lists yellow fever, polio, and MMR as bookable services. BOQ does have a separate internal circular covering meningitis vaccination and ICVP issuance for Umrah, so check directly with a BOQ office rather than assuming it's available through the standard icv.boq.ph portal. See our yellow fever vaccine and yellow card guide for how that separate BOQ process works.

Is a 5-year-old meningococcal vaccine certificate still valid?

It depends on which vaccine you received and whether your certificate clearly states it. Conjugate ACYW/ACYWX vaccines are valid 5 years from administration; polysaccharide ACYW is valid 3 years. If your certificate doesn't specify the vaccine type, Saudi MOH treats it as valid for 3 years only, regardless of which one you actually got.

Conclusion

The one non-negotiable for Hajj or Umrah is the meningococcal ACYW vaccine, given at least 10 days before you land in Saudi Arabia, with a certificate that clearly names the vaccine type. Everything else — polio, yellow fever, COVID-19 — depends on your specific travel history and risk category rather than being a blanket rule for Filipino travelers in 2026. If you're on the official NCMF Hajj delegation, the NCMF-BOQ drive is your free, coordinated path; if you're a private Umrah traveler, start with a call to BOQ and have a private clinic as backup. For related travel-health paperwork, see our guides on the eTravel health declaration and yellow fever vaccine and yellow card, and check our vaccine cost guide for how travel vaccine pricing compares across providers. Need a clinic to get vaccinated? Use ClinicFinderPH search to find one near you.