How to get a COVID-19 vaccine for children

Parents or legal guardians of children aged 5 to 15 can register their child for a COVID-19 vaccine now.

5 to 11 year olds

Children aged 5 to 11 will get an appointment to get their vaccine at a vaccination centre. Children in this age group cannot get vaccinated at a walk-in vaccination clinic or pharmacy.

5 to 11 year olds will be offered a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine with a smaller dose. The immunity they get will be similar to the higher dose vaccine used in older age groups.

12 to 15 year olds

Parents or legal guardians of children aged 12 to 15 can choose to do one of the below:

register their child's details online to get a vaccine appointment
go to a dose 1 walk-in vaccination clinic
book an appointment at a participating pharmacy

What you need to register

To register your child for a vaccine, we'll need the:

child's name and date of birth
parent's mobile phone number
parent's email address
child’s PPS number
child’s Eircode

If you cannot register online, call the COVID-19 helpline to register by phone instead.

If you register over the phone, a parent or legal guardian will need to be at the appointment to give consent for the vaccine in person.

Giving consent for your child

A parent or legal guardian will need to give consent for their child to get their COVID-19 vaccine.

If you register online, you will be sent a text message with a link to give consent before their appointment. We send this to the number you used to register.

A parent or legal guardian will need go to the vaccination in person to give consent if they:

do not give consent online
register by phone - it is not possible to give consent over the phone

The child getting the vaccine will also be asked if they want to get the vaccine at their appointment.

The vaccinator or your pharmacist will be able to answer questions you might have about the vaccine.

If your 12 to 15 year old child is an international student in Ireland

Children aged 12 to 15 from outside Ireland who are visiting or studying in Ireland can be vaccinated in Ireland.

They can be registered for a vaccination centre appointment or they can attend a GP or pharmacy for their vaccine.

The child’s parent or guardian will need to give their consent for vaccination. If the child has a PPSN, their parent or guardian can register them to get a COVID-19 vaccine and give consent online in advance.

If your child does not have a PPSN and you are not living in Ireland

The child’s school or host family should arrange for the child’s parent or guardian to complete and sign a consent form for vaccination.

Parents should read HSE information about the vaccines before giving their consent.

Find translated COVID-19 vaccine information

When the consent form is signed, the school or host family should contact the HSE to register the student for a vaccination centre appointment. They can also go to a walk-in clinic. The signed consent form must be brought to the vaccination centre.

If your child has a PPSN but you are not living in Ireland

If your child has a PPSN, you can register online for your child to get their vaccine. You can give your consent online and another adult can bring your child to their vaccine appointment.

Adult needed at vaccination

Children will get their vaccine appointment at a vaccination centre near their home.

Where possible, the child’s parent or legal guardian should go with their child.

If the parent or legal guardian has given consent online in advance, it is possible for them to ask another adult to bring their child to the appointment.

If consent has not been given in advance, the child's parent or legal guardian has to be there.

If the appointment time does not suit you, you can change the appointment.

Walk-in clinics

Children aged 12 to 15 can also go to a walk-in vaccination clinic without an appointment.

They will need to bring an adult. Children on their own will not be vaccinated.

What to bring

Bring the appointment information. This will be a text on the mobile phone used to register.

If possible, your child should bring a form of identification with their date of birth on it. This can be their passport or birth certificate.

If these are not available, any identification like a Public Services Card or school ID would be helpful also.

If your child does not have any identification, the adult who brings them to their appointment can confirm their identity and their age.

They should wear something that will make it easy to get the vaccine in their upper arm. Make sure to eat before arriving as there may be a wait at the vaccination centre.

When to delay your child's vaccination

Delay getting your child vaccinated if they:

have symptoms of COVID-19 or a positive antigen test result – they need to isolate and get tested
are restricting their movements

If they had COVID-19, they need to wait:

4 weeks if they are due to get your first round of COVID-19 vaccination
3 months if they are due to get an additional dose (immunocompromised)

That is, after they first developed symptoms or from their positive COVID-19 test.

Second dose

Your child will need to get a second dose of their COVID-19 vaccine as their first round of COVID-19 vaccination.
You will get a text with the details of their second appointment. They will need to bring an adult to the second appointment also.

More than one child

You need to register each child separately. If consent is not given during registration, the child’s parent or legal guardian has to be at the appointment.

If you have more than one child aged 5 to 11 getting vaccinated, you can bring them to the same appointment time. This means that families with children aged 5 to 11 will only have to travel once for each vaccine dose.

Please do not bring children to the appointment unless they are being vaccinated too. Call HSElive on 1800 700 700 to arrange an appointment time when you can attend without children. If you have no childcare options, your child will need to stay with you at all times.

Children with additional needs

Some children getting their vaccine may need:

more time at their appointment
a quieter appointment time with fewer people

If your child has additional needs, call HSELive to arrange one of these options.

Freephone: 1800 700 700

Last updated: 26 January 2022 at 4.15pm