You cannot get chlamydia from kissing (even deep/French kissing), based on what’s known about how this STI spreads.

Quick Scoop: Short Answer

  • Chlamydia is passed through sexual contact with infected genital fluids (vaginal, anal, or oral sex), not through saliva.
  • Kissing, sharing drinks, hugging, or sharing towels, toilets, or beds do not spread chlamydia.
  • Even if someone has chlamydia in their throat from oral sex, studies and medical sources say there’s no evidence it spreads just by kissing.

So if your only contact with someone was kissing, chlamydia is not the thing to worry about. Other infections can pass via kissing (like cold sores or mono), but chlamydia isn’t one of them.

How chlamydia actually spreads

Chlamydia is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis , which lives in genital fluids, not in saliva.

You can get chlamydia from:

  • Unprotected vaginal sex with someone who has it.
  • Unprotected anal sex with an infected partner.
  • Oral sex (giving or receiving) with someone who has genital or rectal chlamydia, which can infect the throat or genitals.
  • Sharing sex toys that have infected fluids on them if they’re not washed or covered with a new condom between users.
  • During childbirth, from a pregnant person to their baby.

You cannot get chlamydia from:

  • Kissing (even with tongue).
  • Hugging or cuddling.
  • Sharing drinks, food, cutlery, or lip balm.
  • Toilet seats, towels, bedding, swimming pools, or hot tubs.

The bacteria don’t survive well outside the body and are not carried by casual contact like saliva or skin-to-skin touching.

“What if they had chlamydia in their throat?”

Sometimes chlamydia can infect the throat after oral sex, but even then:

  • Medical sources still state there is no evidence of chlamydia being passed by kissing, even from someone with a throat infection.
  • Research into kissing and STIs has looked more at gonorrhea in the throat, not chlamydia, and even there the concern is specific and still being studied; chlamydia remains primarily a genital-fluid–transmitted infection.

So even in that “worst case” scenario (they have chlamydia in the throat, you kiss them), standard guidance is that your risk of catching chlamydia from that kiss is essentially zero.

But can I catch anything from kissing?

Yes, just not chlamydia. Conditions that can spread via kissing include:

  • Cold sores (oral herpes).
  • “Mono” (Epstein–Barr virus).
  • Some respiratory viruses (like certain colds or flu) and other germs in saliva.

This is why if someone is obviously sick, has visible mouth sores, or has very sore, inflamed gums, it’s smart to hold off on kissing until they’re better.

When should you worry or get tested?

Even though kissing alone isn’t a risk for chlamydia, you should think about testing if:

  1. You’ve had unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex with a new or multiple partners.
  1. You notice any of these symptoms:
    • Burning when you pee.
    • Unusual discharge from penis or vagina.
    • Bleeding between periods.
    • Rectal pain or discharge.
    • Testicular pain or swelling.
  1. A partner tells you they’ve tested positive for chlamydia, even if you don’t have symptoms.

Chlamydia is very common, often has no symptoms , and is usually easy to treat with antibiotics if caught early.

Forum-style takeaway

“We kissed a bunch, now I’m freaking out about chlamydia.” If kissing is literally all that happened, you can cross chlamydia off your worry list and focus on staying informed for any future sexual activity.

  • Kissing = not a chlamydia risk.
  • Unprotected sex = real chlamydia risk.
  • Regular STI testing and condoms/barriers are your best protection going forward.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.