Catch-up immunisation

Catch-up immunisation aims to provide optimal protection against disease as quickly as possible by completing a person’s recommended immunisation schedule in the shortest but most effective time frame.

Key messages

The National Immunisation Program (NIP) provides free essential vaccines to protect eligible people against a range of diseases.
Assess immunisation status based on the NIP schedule.
Consider vaccine recommendations according to previous immunisation history, age, and risk factors.
Follow the clinical guidance contained within the Australian Immunisation Handbook (Handbook)
The National Immunisation Catch-up Calculator (NICC) will help you plan appropriate catch-up schedules for people up to 20 years of age.

Follow the three steps below to develop a catch-up immunisation plan.

Step 1. Check immunisation history

Access and review the person’s immunisation history to determine whether they are up to date. Refer to:

the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)
hard copy immunisation records
Departure Health Check or Australian immigration detention health records or
contact their previous immunisation provider.

For migrants, refugees and other humanitarian entrants, check if overseas immunisation records (written) are available. Vaccines provided overseas may have a different name.

Encourage clients to provide a translated immunisation history if the original record is not in English. Eligible people may be referred to Free Translating Service to have their immunisation records translated by an accredited translator free of charge.

Refer to the Australian Immunisation Handbook guide - Foreign language terms, for a list of foreign vaccines by trade names.

Step 2. Start catch-up immunisation

If you cannot confirm previous immunisation, assume the person has not received that vaccine.

Refer to Catch-up vaccination for further details.

People without documentation of immunisation

Start a catch-up schedule, according to age. Consider:

additional vaccines for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Other risk factors:

People with documentation of immunisation

Plan a catch-up schedule. Consider:

any previous doses the person received
that some previous doses may be invalid – for example, if the interval between doses was too short
age
additional vaccines for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Other risk factors:

Key considerations

Consider laboratory testing to guide catch-up immunisation for hepatitis B, MMR and varicella. Laboratory testing for any other diseases in children <10 years is not recommended.

Offer serological testing for newly arrived migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum who are:

from hepatitis B–endemic countries to detect current or past infection
women of child-bearing age to identify those who are seronegative for rubella and need immunisation.

Build a catch-up immunisation plan based on the previous documented doses the person has received. In almost all cases, do not start the schedule again, regardless of the interval since the last dose.

Multiple vaccines can be given on the same day.

Multiple live (parental) vaccines can be given at the same time or at least 4 weeks apart.

Refer to Catch-up vaccination for further details.

Catch-up vaccines are free under the NIP for eligible people up to 20 years of age, except for the HPV vaccine which is available free up to 26 years, and people of all ages with specified medical risk conditions.
Refugees and humanitarian entrants of any age are eligible for free NIP catch-up vaccines.
Additional vaccines are free under the Victorian immunisation schedule for eligible people aged ≥20 years.
The interactive NICC will help health professionals plan appropriate catch-up schedules for people <20 years of age who have missed any NIP vaccine doses or had any doses delayed.
To use the NICC calculator, enter the client’s personal details and immunisation history (if available). A catch-up schedule will be generated using the National Immunisation Program schedule and the principles outlined in the Australian Immunisation Handbook. This plan can be exported as a document for use.
Use a catch-up worksheet to record vaccines:
- due for age
- overdue and
- timing of future doses.
People aged <10 years
To use the Handbook’s catch-up worksheet, refer to the step-by-step process – Catch-up worksheet for children aged <10 years to calculate and record which vaccines are due for age, which are outstanding and timing of future doses.
Ensure the catch-up plan meets the minimum age and minimum intervals between doses for children <10 years.
People aged ≥10 years
Refer to Planning catch-up vaccines for people aged ≥10 years to calculate and record which vaccines are due for age, which are outstanding and timing of future doses.
Download the Victorian catch up guidelines for 10 years and older to develop a catch-up plan for people aged 10 years and over with no immunisation history.
Ensure the catch-up plan meets the minimum intervals between vaccine doses for people ≥10 years.

Victorian catch-up guidelines for 10 years and older
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Refer to the following guidance to build the catch-up plan
Certain childhood combination vaccines are not registered for use in children aged ≥10 years, adolescents or adults. The exception is MMR vaccine, which is available for use at all ages. MMRV vaccine is only recommended for use up to 14 years of age.
Refer to the disease chapters in the Handbook for age recommendations of each vaccine in the NIP.
Always ensure the catch-up plan meets the minimum age for first dose of scheduled vaccine (where applicable) and the minimum intervals between doses for all people.

Step 3. Record and report immunisations

It is mandatory to record all NIP immunisations given on the AIR.

Enter the individual’s immunisation history (including all overseas vaccines) onto AIR (all ages)
Record the planned catch-up schedule on the AIR for people <20 years. This is required to support eligibility for enrolment in early childhood education and care services and family assistance payments
Enter vaccines administered into AIR (all ages)
Use correct vaccine brand name, dose number and batch number
Notify the AIR using the Immunisation medical exemption form (IM011) form to contraindication

Further information can be found in Using the Australian Immunisation Register.

Provide a copy of the catch-up plan to the client/parent or medical decision maker.

Resources

Updated 2 December 2025