Can I get a vaccination at home in Berlin?

Which vaccinations we deliver at home

Vaccination at home is medically safe and is a real relief for mobility-impaired patients, shift workers, business travellers or families with small children. On a private house call we counsel on effect, risks and side effects (legally required), check vaccination status from your booklet or e-health record, ask about allergies and acute illness and then give the vaccine according to STIKO recommendation or travel-medicine indication. We then stay 15 minutes for tolerance observation — anaphylaxis risk is statistically low but time-critical.

Routine portfolio: tetanus / diphtheria / pertussis boosters (Td-IPV or Tdap-IPV every 10 years), influenza in autumn, pneumococcus (from 60 or for risk groups), TBE (relevant for Brandenburg), hepatitis A and B (for travellers and exposure risk), typhoid, rabies pre-exposure, COVID boosters and, depending on season, shingles (Shingrix, from 60 or for the immunocompromised). We bring the vaccine — either from our own stock or via private prescription from a Berlin pharmacy after pre-order. For rarer travel vaccines (yellow fever, cholera, Japanese encephalitis) we refer to specialised tropical-medicine centres — yellow fever in Germany may only be given at authorised centres.

On cost: for privately insured and self-pay patients we bill via GOÄ — typically 40 to 90 euros for the medical service plus the vaccine. Travel vaccines are reimbursable depending on tariff — check with your PKV in advance. Statutorily insured patients pay themselves on a private visit — standard vaccinations are free of charge for them via the regular GP or public health office. For pure standard vaccinations the regular practice route is economically more sensible. The added value of a house call lies in time-pressure, mobility limits, pre-flight business travellers or several family members in one go.

Example: business traveller before flight to Asia

A traveller in Mitte has a trip to India in two weeks; vaccination booklet shows old tetanus and hepatitis A entries. He calls on Thursday; we come to his office on Friday morning. History: no chronic disease, no vaccine allergies. We refresh tetanus-diphtheria-polio, give hepatitis B (first dose, booster after 4 weeks back in Berlin planned) and typhoid. Rabies is not advised for his profile. Counselling, booklet entry, 15 minutes observation, tolerance good. Invoice via the Privatärztliche Verrechnungsstelle, reimbursement via the PKV travel-vaccination clause.

What to consider for a vaccination house call

• At least 24 hours lead time for vaccine procurement — cold-chain requirements apply.
• Have the vaccination booklet ready — we review status, add the new entry and stamp it formally.
• With an acute febrile infection standard vaccinations are postponed until fever has cleared.
• Allergy history: previous severe reactions to vaccine components must be mentioned beforehand — we then decide together how to proceed.
• Pregnancy: influenza and pertussis are explicitly recommended; live vaccines are contraindicated.
• Infants and toddlers: STIKO standard vaccinations are possible at home, but a parallel paediatric link is still recommended.
• Plan for 15 minutes of post-vaccine observation — please factor this into our visit time.
• Plan travel vaccines early — pre-exposure rabies needs two to three appointments over 3 to 4 weeks.