Immunization records by state: how to request a copy (50 states + DC)

Immunization registry and records request page, by state

CDC defines an immunization information system on its IIS overview page as a “confidential, population-based, computerized database” that records “all immunization doses administered by participating providers to persons residing within a given geopolitical area.” Each row below names that system for one state, links the official page where a family asks for a copy, and says whether the state describes a self-service portal. The registry name and phone number for every jurisdiction also sit on CDC’s contacts page for locating vaccination records.

Legend: “Yes” links the portal named on the state’s official page. “No” means that page sends families to the provider, a release form or a phone line. A dash means the state site could not be read on September 18, 2026 (most of those hosts refuse requests from outside the United States), so only the registry name, link and phone number from CDC’s directory are used and nothing is guessed. New York’s row covers NYSIIS outside New York City; the city’s Citywide Immunization Registry has its own My Vaccine Record portal. Pennsylvania’s page notes that Philadelphia providers report to PhilaVax instead of PIERS, and CDC lists San Antonio (Bexar County) as a separate ImmTrac contact within Texas.

How to request your records

1. Ask the clinic first. The practice or pharmacy that gave the most recent doses holds a chart written at the time, and several state pages (Alabama, North Carolina, New York) name the provider as the first place to ask. California’s parent FAQ puts it plainly: if the yellow card is lost, “the doctor’s office can quickly print out another copy.” The full order of calls is in how to rebuild lost immunization records.
2. Find the state’s row and open the official page. Use the state where the doses were given, not where you live now. If the portal column says “Yes”, the portal is usually the fastest route; if it says “No”, look for the release form on that page.
3. Prepare what the form asks for. Full legal name including former names, date of birth, current address, and a copy of a photo ID where required: Kansas, Ohio, Utah, Vermont and the District of Columbia all ask for one on their official pages. Ohio also requires an original signature by mail and states that “the paperwork cannot be emailed or faxed.”
4. Submit and allow the stated time. Official pages quote processing times from “three business days” (Montana) and “within five business days” (Washington, by mail) to “within 14 business days” (Minnesota’s public inquiry form) and a “minimum of 10 business days” (Pennsylvania’s release form). Portals answer immediately once identity is verified.
5. Check the copy against your own list. Compare it with the dates you wrote down and with any school or camp form already on file. Report a missing dose to the provider who gave it: only a provider can enter shots, and California’s CAIR page says its help desk staff “are not authorized to enter shots into CAIR.”

What a state record can and cannot do for you

It can serve as the official copy for enrollment. New York’s NYSIIS page lists exactly that among its benefits: “Provide a correct, official copy of your child’s immunization history for day care, school or camp entry requirements.” It can also combine doses from several providers into one record, follow a child who changes doctors within the state, and, in the states with a portal, print an official report at home.

It cannot be assumed complete. CDC’s definition turns on the word “participating”: a registry holds what reporting providers sent. California’s parent FAQ says the registry “did not begin to receive information until the very late 90s/early 2000s and that not all health care providers in California participate”; Oregon’s page dates adult data to 2008; Connecticut’s system expanded to all ages only in 2022; and in New York a person must sign a consent form at 19 for doses to keep being entered.

It is not national. Each system covers one jurisdiction, which is why a move usually means requesting a copy from the old state and having the new provider enter it, as explained in moving states with your vaccine records. It is not a family view either: a registry record is organized around one person in one jurisdiction, not around a household. The longer explanation of what these systems do and do not hold is in how state immunization information systems work.

It does not decide what is due. A printout shows reported doses. Whether a dose was missed, whether it needs to be repeated, and what the schedule says for a given age are questions for a clinician, who reads the record against the CDC and ACIP schedule.

Keeping your own family copy

Once the copy arrives, keep your own version the same day, before it becomes the next lost card. Many families keep a paper folder; the guide to exporting vaccine records covers the digital version. Vaxnext, the app behind this site, holds one profile per family member on an iPhone or Android phone, with no account: the vaccine entries stay on the device and are not shared with advertisers, the app is free and shows non-personalized ads, and a JSON export takes the household list anywhere. It is a household copy, not the official one: the registry or clinic printout is still what a school office will ask to see.

Deeper guides for California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, Washington, Michigan, New Jersey and Virginia are scheduled on the blog between late October and the end of December. Until each one is live, the table row above is the reference for that state.

Frequently asked questions

General information — not medical advice. This page describes how to obtain a copy of an immunization record from a state program. It does not say which vaccines any person needs, and a registry printout is not a clinical assessment; that reading belongs to a clinician. Links and processing times were read on the official pages on September 18, 2026 and can change; the state page is always the authority.