Evidence of vaccinations

Vaccination records, also known as immunization records, document the vaccinations you or your child have received.  

Vaccination record keeping

Vaccination History: Where to Look and What to Do

A B Health Center C Public Health (public health nurses) is responsible for maintaining an electronic registry of childhood vaccinations. Your child's vaccination record may not be in the Public Health registry if it was kept by a doctor's office, a pharmacy, or a First Nations community.

Some potential resources for tracking down your child's immunization history are:

• Look around the house for the immunization record of your child. You could look through old baby books or other records. In B C The Child Health Passport is the standard method for documenting vaccinations given to a child.
• If you have any concerns, you should contact your local health department. If your kid got vaccinated at the school or health center, they're probably safe.
• If you are unsure whether or not your child was vaccinated, please contact your child's doctor.
• Your local pharmacist is the best person to ask about your child's vaccination status.
• If you live in a First Nations community and you want to know if your child was vaccinated, you can ask the community health nurse.
• Health Gateway is a centralized online portal where residents of British Columbia (BC) can access their complete health record. Anyone over the age of 12 with a BC Services Card can use it.

In the absence of vaccination records (or other evidence of immunity), children are presumed to be unvaccinated and thus vulnerable to disease. Vaccination (or revaccination, if necessary) is recommended for these children. Booster doses of vaccines can be safely administered. To test for immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases, blood tests are not always recommended or readily available. Ultimately, your child's health care provider should be your guide.

Is it necessary to access the vaccine history for COVID-19? Please visit the Health Hub. Keep a hard copy of your COVID-19 vaccination record in a secure location after receiving the vaccine. In order to enroll in B C your COVID-19 vaccination history can be viewed in digital form via the Health Gateway.

The following are some potential resources for locating a copy of your immunization history:

• Vaccination records should be kept in a safe place at home; please double-check Browse through old photo albums, baby books, and other mementos from your youth.
• First, you should find out if your parents or other caretakers have a record of your immunizations.
• See if your current and former primary care physicians can provide any information Remember that doctors' offices only keep records of immunizations for a specific amount of time.
• Inquire at the neighborhood health center. If you received your vaccinations through your school or community health center,
• If you were immunized, you should ask your pharmacist about it.
• If you were vaccinated while living in a First Nations community, you should contact your community health nurse.
• Health Gateway is the central repository for medical records for British Columbians. Anyone over the age of 12 with a BC Services Card can use it.

A person is not considered vaccinated or protected against a disease unless they have a vaccination record (or other evidence of immunity). Vaccinating (or revaccinating) them is the best way to safeguard against disease. Vaccines can be administered multiple times without harm. Vaccine-preventable diseases often have no reliable blood tests for determining immunity. Getting advice from your doctor is essential.

Report cards

If you or your child does not have an immunization record card, you may obtain one by printing the one provided here.  

It's also possible to use a free app on your mobile device to keep track of your vaccination history. The website CANImmunize.ca has more information about the app.