OBJECTIVES: Vaccination constitutes a standard element of public health preventative programmes worldwide; however, majority tend to concentrate on early stages of life, limiting opportunity for other population groups (adolescents, adults and elderly) to fully benefit. The goal of this study was to uncover barriers underpinning limited and inconsistent utilisation of vaccination at all stages of life (lifespan immunisation). METHODS: Current access to vaccination was evaluated using publically available government websites in five market archetypes based on purchase and delivery mechanisms. A web-based survey and subsequent in-depth interviews were conducted with 22 country- and European-level vaccine stakeholders to identify perceived barriers. RESULTS: Key barriers: constrained finance and competing healthcare priorities; policy decisions undertaken at disease level; national immunisation programme (NIP) recommendations based on age and risk; poor influence on policy by public health practitioners and lack of vaccination advocacy groups;  constrained finances to implement effective immunisation programmes at local level; inadequate data collection and follow-up process at later stages of life; poor awareness of immunisation schedule by healthcare practitioners (HCPs); lack of  structural and operational policies to promote and deliver vaccination at later stages of life; infrequent interactions with the healthcare system during adult-hood; limited and inconsistent information dissemination by HCPs and government; negative messages on vaccination through media; complacent public attitude towards the risk posed by vaccine preventable diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Three main domains of barriers exist: low institutional facilitation to recommend lifespan immunisation as part of NIP; inadequate mechanisms at regional and local level to facilitate citizen access to immunisation / vaccination; low patient demand for immunisation at older stages of life. To overcome these barriers a broad-ranging approach based on awareness is required, which includes providing comprehensive pharmacoeconomic evidence to policy-makers and payers, developing information tracking systems that enable follow up, and HCP education to facilitate information dissemination.