Complete China's free national vaccine schedule; missed doses usually require catch-up, not restarting
Childcare centers and schools check vaccination records and arrange catch-up for missing national-program doses. Complete only unfinished doses rather than starting again; changing manufacturer can be allowed for the same vaccine. Stable eczema, hives, allergic rhinitis or asthma, and physiological/breast-milk jaundice, generally do not require postponement under the cited Chinese guidance.
What it takes
National-program vaccines and administration are legally free in China. Attend the age-scheduled visits and keep the vaccination booklet.
What you may gain
Chinese childcare institutions and schools must inspect vaccination records, report incomplete national-program vaccination to providers and help prompt guardians to complete it. The cited 2026 schedule includes HPV vaccination. The first DTaP dose moved from 3 months to 2 months, with five doses at 2, 4, 6 and 18 months and 6 years. From March 2026, eligible children in Tibet, Qinghai, Xinjiang and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps also routinely receive Japanese encephalitis vaccine. National-program vaccines may be coadministered according to the schedule/catch-up principles. Injected vaccines use different sites and must never be mixed in one syringe. If not given the same day, injected live attenuated vaccines need at least 28 days between them. No such spacing restriction applies between inactivated, oral live and other vaccines. Under-18 catch-up should be prompt, completing only missing doses without restarting; the same vaccine can be continued with another manufacturer under the cited rules.
Context & considerations
“A weak constitution” is a common reason for unnecessary delay. The cited guidance says an allergic tendency, family allergy history and previous food/drug allergy alone are not contraindications. Stable atopic dermatitis, urticaria, rhinitis or asthma, antihistamine use, inhaled steroids, physiological jaundice and breast-milk jaundice generally permit routine vaccination. It identifies previous acute severe allergy to the same vaccine or a known component as contraindications. Immunodeficiency, chemotherapy/radiotherapy and immunosuppression require individual assessment at the clinic. See the birth hepatitis B dose. Optional nonprogram vaccines and administration can be charged separately; they are outside this free entitlement.
Research & references
NPC Standing Committee (2019). Vaccine Administration Law, Articles 48 and 49. http://ynswsjkw.yn.gov.cn/html/2019/faguiguizhangxin_0731/6509.html (Yunnan Health Commission reprint); National Disease Control and Prevention Administration and National Health Commission of China (2026). Questions and Answers on the National Immunization Program Childhood Schedule, 2026 edition. https://www.ndcpa.gov.cn/jbkzzx/c100013/common/content/content_2073002930292035584.html