Yellow Fever Vaccine in Colombia: Free El Dorado Shot and the International Certificate

Quick answer: the public yellow fever dose is free in Colombia, and Bogotá's El Dorado airport has a vaccination point in Terminal 1. The catch is timing. The certificate counts from day 10 after the shot, so a dose on the morning you fly does not cover a jungle or park trip that same week. For most people one dose lasts for life.

I would not wait for the airport on the day you leave. The point is genuinely useful, but the rule that trips people up is the calendar, not the location.

Where to go at El Dorado

According to El Dorado's own page (read 10 October 2026), the free point is in Terminal 1, on the second floor beside the DIAN offices. It is run by the Subred Integrada de Servicios de Salud Sur Occidente. The Bogotá health secretariat gives the address as Avenida El Dorado (Calle 26) #103-09, second floor, entrance 5, beside DIAN.

Hours are where sources disagree. The airport operator lists daily 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with turns handed out until 4:00 p.m., and warns the point may close earlier for internal reasons. The district health secretariat and the city portal (page dated 16 April 2025) still show 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Plan around the shorter operator window and arrive well before 4:00 p.m.

The pages I read describe the street address and entrance, not an airside area, and none mentions a boarding pass. Do not assume you need a flight to use it, but check the operator page before you go.

The other Bogotá points that issue the traveler card

The Secretaría Distrital de Salud limits the international traveler card to three points:

• El Dorado airport post: Terminal 1, Avenida El Dorado (Calle 26) #103-09, second floor, entrance 5.
• Terminal de Transporte de Bogotá, sede Salitre: Diagonal 23 #69-11, puerta uno, Módulo 4, Local 416, daily 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Terminal de Transporte, sede Sur: Autopista Sur, Calle 57Q #75F-82, second floor, pedestrian entrance. Its closing time conflicts: 4:00 p.m. on the health secretariat page, 7:00 p.m. on the city portal. Assume 4:00 p.m.

The city portal also lists a Norte terminal and some weekday neighborhood units. They are not on the secretariat's table for the international card, so I would not send you there for the yellow card.

What to bring and how the certificate works

For an in-person certificate in Bogotá you need a current cédula or passport, plus proof of the dose on a physical or digital record. If you have not been vaccinated yet, you get the dose and the certificate at an authorized point. Staff screen you first, so tell them about pregnancy, an infant's age or any immune condition. If you want a clinician's view beforehand, see our list of English-speaking doctors in Colombia.

If you were vaccinated in Colombia earlier, the Ministry of Health's MiVacuna site can generate a digital card. The city portal lists these steps:

1. Accept the data terms.
2. Choose your document type.
3. Enter and confirm the document number.
4. Enter the document issue date.
5. Complete the captcha.
6. Generate and download the carné.

Honest downside: I would not count on a foreign passport returning a record in MiVacuna. The authorized desk is the fallback.

On validity, WHO's rules make the certificate valid for the life of the person vaccinated, starting 10 days after vaccination. Since 11 July 2016 that also covers older cards printed with a 10-year expiry. You do not need a new card just because of that change, and you should not alter the old one.

The 10-day rule, risk maps and parks

Entering Colombia is not the same as entering a risk municipality. For arrivals, the country applies a non-restrictive recommendation; the certificate is not a condition for crossing the border (see also our tourist entry rules guide). Heading on to a very-high or high-risk municipality is different. The Ministry of Health says to be vaccinated 10 days before, and the certificate is shown at sanitary controls when entering or leaving very-high-risk municipalities. The national sanitary emergency was still stated on the Ministry's travelers page on 10 October 2026, and every municipality is classed as very high, high or low risk. Check the live municipal map linked from that page rather than trusting a blog list.

The Ministry says protection is effective from day 10 in 95% of vaccinated people and reaches 99% by day 30. The legal minimum is still 10 days before entry. A same-day domestic flight does not satisfy it.

For one example of a long-standing endemic area, the Ministry's 27 January 2026 bulletin named Amazonas and warned people not to enter endemic zones unvaccinated. If that is your trip, read our Leticia and Amazon guide and check the live map for your exact municipality.

National parks and Tayrona

Resolution 691 of 2025, parágrafo 2, requires the certificate before entering natural parks in very-high and high-risk zones, with the dose at least 10 days before the trip. A Parques Nacionales bulletin of 2 May 2025 used broader wording about protected areas. Do not read that as every park turning visitors away. On 10 October 2026 the park's Tayrona page showed it open and did not list a yellow fever card among entry conditions. Confirm by email at tayrona@parquesnacionales.gov.co, and see our Tayrona guide for the trip itself.

One dose, boosters and who is offered the shot

According to the Ministry of Health, the public dose is offered nationwide from 9 months to 59 years of age, and people over 59 heading to high or very high risk areas have a separate travel note. For most people one dose protects for life. A booster is not proof that your vaccine expired. In 2026 it applies only to defined groups going to or living in listed municipalities, or lab workers handling wild virus whose last dose was over 10 years ago. The Ministry's travelers page and its 27 January 2026 bulletin do not list the same municipalities, so check the travelers page and Circular Externa 001 de 2026 rather than relying on a roster here.

As of that 27 January 2026 bulletin, the Ministry reported 79 confirmed cases and 36 deaths since the emergency began, and more than three thousand free vaccination points. Those are January figures, not current totals.

Dated note: 10 to 12 October 2026 weekend

If you read this over the long holiday weekend, a shot now cannot satisfy a 10-day rule for travel this weekend. Tayrona's own calendar counts Monday-holiday bridges and the school week before the Día de la Raza holiday as high season, then closes the park from 19 October to 2 November. If you plan to go after the reopening, vaccinate now and keep the card.

Finish with the basics: wear long sleeves, use repellent and sleep under nets where advised. There is no specific treatment for yellow fever, only supportive care, and it can be fatal. That is why a free shot ten days early is worth the detour.

Frequently Asked Questions

❓ Is the yellow fever vaccine free at El Dorado?

Yes, the airport operator and the Ministry of Health describe a free public dose, including for people without EPS and regardless of nationality. Hours differ by source: the operator says 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., while the health secretariat lists 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ Where is the El Dorado vaccination point?

It is in Terminal 1, second floor, entrance 5, beside DIAN, at Avenida El Dorado (Calle 26) #103-09. The pages do not call it airside, and the operator warns it may close before the posted hour, so arrive early. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ When can I use the certificate?

It becomes valid 10 days after vaccination, not on the same day. The Ministry cites 95% effectiveness from day 10 and 99% by day 30. Risk municipalities and covered parks also require the dose at least 10 days before entry. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ Does one dose last for life?

For most people, yes, including old cards printed with a 10-year date. A 2026 booster applies only to specific groups and municipalities on the live Ministry pages, and those pages do not match each other, so check both before assuming you need one. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ Do I need the card to enter Colombia or Tayrona?

Entering Colombia carries only a non-restrictive recommendation, while parks in very-high and high-risk zones under Resolution 691 require a certificate at least 10 days old. Tayrona's page read on 10 October 2026 did not list the card, so confirm by email. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ Can a foreigner get the certificate with a passport?

The Bogotá portal says in-person points accept a current cédula or passport plus the vaccination record. MiVacuna may not show a foreign record, so the authorized desk at one of the three traveler points is the fallback. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ What if I am flying toward the Amazon this week?

Vaccinate at least 10 days before entering a high-risk or very-high-risk area; a dose on departure day does not meet that rule. Check the live municipal risk map for your destination, and plan the trip date around day 10. (verify with the official source, as accessed)