Keeping Your Vaccine Records Up to Date

"Your vaccination record (sometimes called your immunization record) provides a history of all the vaccines you received as a child and adult. This record may be required for certain jobs, travel abroad, or school registration.

How to Locate Your Vaccination Records

Unfortunately, there is no national organization that maintains vaccination records. The CDC does not have this information. The records that exist are the ones you or your parents were given when the vaccines were administered and the ones in the medical record of the doctor or clinic where the vaccines were given.

If you need official copies of vaccination records, or if you need to update your personal records, there are several places you can look:

• Ask parents or other caregivers if they have records of your childhood immunizations.
• Try looking through baby books or other saved documents from your childhood.
• Check with your high school and/or college health services for dates of any immunizations. Keep in mind that generally records are kept only for 1-2 years after students leave the system.
• Check with previous employers (including the military) that may have required immunizations.
• Check with your doctor or public health clinic. Keep in mind that vaccination records are maintained at doctor’s office for a limited number of years.
• Contact your state’s health department. Some states have registries (Immunization Information Systems) that include adult vaccines..."
  Vaccine records