Travel destination
Hajj and Umrah pilgrims need proof of meningitis ACWY vaccination for the visa. We can give that vaccine here in South London.
Travel to Saudi Arabia for Hajj or Umrah has specific requirements: a meningitis ACWY certificate is mandatory for a pilgrimage visa, and polio and seasonal vaccines may be required depending on where you travel from. Hepatitis A and typhoid come up for most travellers. We confirm the current Saudi requirements for your trip.
Saudi Arabia, especially for Hajj and Umrah, has some of the clearest travel-health requirements of any destination, centred on meningitis ACWY.
Your pharmacist confirms the current Saudi rules and your certificate dates at South London Clinic.
Vaccines
A starting point, not a prescription. What you actually need depends on where exactly you're going, what you'll be doing, how long for and what you've already had — a pharmacist confirms all of it at your appointment.
What to check before you fly
Saudi Arabia may require a yellow fever certificate from travellers arriving from a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission — including some stopovers. There is no yellow fever risk in Saudi Arabia itself. Saudi Arabia requires proof of quadrivalent meningococcal ACWY vaccination for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims and for some visa categories. We can give this vaccine and provide your record of vaccination here in South London. Entry requirements change — we confirm the current rules for your exact itinerary at your appointment.
Bites, risk and tablets
Malaria risk changes by region, altitude and season, and depends on exactly where you are going and when. We check the current TravelHealthPro country advice against your itinerary at your appointment, and talk you through bite avoidance and, where it is needed, antimalarial tablets.
Give yourself enough time
Ideally see us six to eight weeks before you travel, as some vaccines are given as a course over several weeks. A rabies course runs over about three to four weeks, so start that one early. Travelling sooner than that? Book anyway — there is usually still something worth doing.
Pilgrimage travel to Mecca and Medina is the context where travel-health rules matter most, because Saudi Arabia sets mandatory vaccination requirements for a Hajj or Umrah visa. The place to start is your travel dates and where you are travelling from, at your South London Clinic consultation.
A quadrivalent meningitis ACWY certificate is required for a Hajj or Umrah visa, and the NHS confirms ACWY is a Saudi entry requirement for pilgrims. It must usually be given at least ten days before arrival and within a set validity period. Mass gatherings raise meningococcal transmission, which is why this is central. We make sure your certificate is valid for your travel dates.
Saudi Arabia can require proof of polio vaccination from travellers arriving from countries with polio transmission, and updates seasonal requirements (such as for respiratory infections) around pilgrimage. Because these change year to year, we check the current published Saudi requirements rather than relying on last season's, using TravelHealthPro's Saudi Arabia page.
Hepatitis A and typhoid come up for most travellers, with a check of routine tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR cover. Rabies and hepatitis B are considered for longer stays.
Book well ahead, at least a few weeks, so the ACWY certificate is valid in time and any other requirements are met.
Q: Is meningitis ACWY required for Hajj or Umrah?
A: Yes, it is mandatory for a pilgrimage visa, usually given at least ten days before arrival.
Q: Do I need a polio certificate?
A: Possibly, depending on the country you travel from. We check the current Saudi rules.
Q: Which other vaccines for Saudi Arabia?
A: Hepatitis A and typhoid for most, plus a routine vaccine check.
Who you'll see
Superintendent Pharmacist & Independent Prescriber
Rafay has been a pharmacist for more than 12 years and runs the travel clinic at Hills Pharmacy. He'll go through where you're going, what you'll be doing and what you've already had, then explain in plain language what's worth having for your trip and what isn't.
GPhC registration 2240995
Hills Pharmacy, 99 Kennington Lane, Kennington, South London SE11 4HQ — GPhC premises 1093041 (Marlborough UK Limited)
Check on the GPhC registerYes. A quadrivalent ACWY certificate is mandatory for a pilgrimage visa, usually given at least ten days before arrival and within a set validity period. South London Clinic confirms the current rule and your certificate dates.
Possibly, depending on the country you are travelling from. Saudi Arabia can require proof of polio vaccination, and rules update around pilgrimage, so we check the current requirements.
Hepatitis A and typhoid for most travellers, a check of routine UK vaccines, and hepatitis B or rabies for longer stays.
Well ahead, at least a few weeks, so the ACWY certificate is valid in time and any other requirements can be met.
Book a travel appointment and a pharmacist will go through your itinerary with you — where you're going, what you'll be doing and what you've already had — then tell you what's worth having and what isn't.
Vaccines and antimalarial tablets are prescription only medicines. Suitability is assessed at your consultation — nothing is sold or supplied without it.
Book an appointment
Appointments are with a pharmacist at Hills Pharmacy, 99 Kennington Lane — free parking nearby.
What to bring: a list of any medicines you take, and any records that are relevant to what you're coming in for.
Book an appointmentSouth London Clinic at Hills Pharmacy, 99 Kennington Lane, Kennington, South London, Lambeth, SE11 4HQ · Free parking nearby
Bookings for this clinic are taken by phone and email. Give us a call during opening hours and we'll go through the times that are free.
Opening hours
Appointments are subject to availability. If you are travelling, call as early as you can — some travel vaccines need a course started in advance.
Where to find us
The clinic is inside Hills Pharmacy on High Street. Come in through the shop and tell the counter you're here for an appointment.
Address
South London Travel Clinic at Hills Pharmacy99 Kennington LaneOpening hours
Clinic appointments run within these hours. Bank holiday hours can differ — please call before travelling in.
South London Travel Clinic at Hills Pharmacy, 99 Kennington Lane, Kennington, Lambeth, SE11 4HQ