Proof of vaccination and the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) 011-10070000

The AIR produces 2 types of proof of vaccination:

• Complete immunisation history statements
• COVID-19 and influenza (flu) immunisation history statements

Reporting all vaccines to the AIR is not mandatory for vaccination providers. However, reporting is recommended to make sure customers have a complete record of their immunisations.

It is mandatory for vaccination providers to report the following vaccinations to the AIR:

• National Immunisation Program (NIP) vaccines
• COVID-19 vaccines
• Influenza vaccines
• Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) vaccines

• IHS:
• only show vaccines reported to the AIR by vaccination providers
• show all vaccinations administered since birth for individuals born on or after 1 January 1996. Vaccinations administered before that date cannot be recorded on the AIR
• can help individuals keep track of their own or their child's vaccinations
• The complete immunisation history statement shows all vaccines recorded for an individual on the AIR
• The COVID-19 and influenza (flu) immunisation history statement shows COVID-19 and influenza (flu) vaccines recorded for an individual on the AIR

Customers can get both IHS online through the myGov website or the myGov app, by accessing one of the following:

• Medicare online account
• the Healthcare Identifier Service, or
• My Health Record

Milestone statements are issued when children complete their childhood vaccinations.

Information on the immunisation history statements

For individuals up to 19 years, the IHS will show:

• their name and date of birth
• their current immunisation status, including an immunisation catch-up if they have one recorded
• vaccines recorded on the AIR, under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) schedule or private
• the date the vaccine was administered
• any due or overdue NIP immunisations they may need including their due dates
• any notices

For individuals 20 years and older, the IHS will show:

• their name and date of birth
• vaccines recorded on the AIR
• the date the vaccine was administered
• any due or overdue NIP adult immunisations they may be eligible for including the date they can have them
• any notices

Note: a customer may call the AIR general enquiries line to ask for a copy of their IHS without the smallpox vaccine shown on it. The AIR Program Support team issue these manually. Service Officers must complete the Technical Support Tool (LPS and SSO) - Health online form to request one. AIR LPS will escalate the request to the AIR Program Support team.

The Resources page contains a table that describes the information on AIR IHS.

These IHS are automatically issued to parent(s) or guardian(s) when a child has had all required National Immunisation Program (NIP) childhood schedule vaccines. If a child is linked to more than one Medicare card, statements are issued to the contact person of each card.

Milestone IHS will not be issued when the AIR record in mainframe has:

• a registration end-date in the past
• a Return Mail indicator of 'Y'
• an Opt Out indicator of 'Y'. See Amend individual registration on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)

IHS:

• show vaccinations recorded on the AIR
• are for use in Australia
• can be used for healthcare purposes
• show if immunisations are up to date for education, childcare, employment or travel purposes
• cannot be used for personal identification

Vaccination providers have up to 10 days to report vaccinations to the AIR. Service Officers must check for duplicate records or pended vaccinations on their AIR record if:

• an individual asks about missing vaccination information, and
• it has been more than 10 days since the individual was administered the vaccine

Vaccinations may be recorded against separate identifiers for non-Medicare customers:

• A duplicate Supplementary Identification Number (SIN) record on the AIR
• A SIN record and unmerged Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) record on the AIR, or
• A SIN record and an unmerged Medicare Personal Identification Number (PIN), or
• An IHI record and an unmerged Medicare PIN

The Process page contains more details.

Service Officers must not:

• give any clinical information
• answer questions or give advice/opinions about vaccines, their safety or effectiveness

For clinical information and/or advice, tell:

• health professionals to contact their state or territory health department or specialist immunisation clinics
• individuals to contact a vaccination provider

Enrolled in Medicare

Individuals can get their own or their child's (under 14 years) proof of vaccinations by:

• logging onto their Medicare online account through the myGov website or the myGov app
• signing into their My Health Record through myGov website or the myGov app
• asking a vaccination provider to print a copy for them
• calling the AIR general enquiries phone line and asking for one to be mailed. It can take up to 14 days for it to arrive
• visiting a service centre and asking for a copy to be printed. The Resources page contains a link to the Office Locator

Not enrolled in Medicare

Individuals who are not enrolled in Medicare can:

• create a myGov account using the website or the app, and
• register for an Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) and then link it to their myGov account

Once they have an IHI, they can access their IHS by:

• logging into the Healthcare Identifiers (HI) service
• creating a My Health Record

If the individual does not have access to online services, they can:

• ask a vaccination provider to print a copy for them
• call the AIR general enquiries phone line and ask for one to be mailed. It can take up to 14 days for it to arrive
• visit a service centre and ask for a copy to be printed. The Resources page contains a link to the Office Locator

Note: Service Officers cannot cancel an IHS requested through the AIR Service Officer Portal or Mainframe.

If a Service Officer accesses an individual's information without their consent, they must:

• report it using the Privacy Incident Notification form
• notify AIR Local Peer Support (LPS) for them to escalate to the AIR Program Support team

Proof of vaccination for children under 14 years

Parents and guardians can get a child's immunisation history statement (IHS) if the child is under 14 years.

Proof of vaccination for individuals 14 years and over

Individuals 14 years and over must get their own proof of vaccination.

Note: individuals 14 years and over who have a Medicare online account can see the names of other children (such as siblings) who are under 14 years on the same Medicare card. Viewing another child's information without permission is a breach of privacy.

Before someone aged 14 years or older can view vaccination information online, they must:

• Declare that they are:
• the person to whom this information relates, or
• a parent who has parental responsibility for the child, or
• a legal guardian who has parental responsibility for the child
• Accept that they:
• understand giving false or misleading information is a serious offence

Parent or guardian requests proof of vaccination for someone 14 years or older

Staff must not provide any immunisation information to a parent/guardian for someone who is 14 years or older without their consent.

This includes requests for IHS's to be printed in person or sent by mail.

Individuals 14 years or older can give their consent for their parent or guardian to access their immunisation information:

• in person, or
• verbal consent over the phone

Note: consent is only valid for that visit or phone call.

See Authentication and release of information for Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

Individuals cannot access their Immunisation history statements (IHS) through myGov if they cannot be uniquely identified.

For example, someone on a different Medicare card than the one given or a record with different personal details. In these situations, they can call the AIR general enquiries line to confirm their identity and possibly update their details.

If a customer has safety concerns about accessing their proof of vaccinations, there are a few options to help.

The customer can:

• contact or visit a vaccination provider (for example a GP, pharmacy that administers vaccines) and request they print an IHS for them
• attend a service centre to print an IHS for them
• call the AIR general enquiries line to request an IHS to be sent by mail (possibly to a different address to the one recorded in CDMS) The IHS can take up to 14 days to arrive in the mail. Service Officers may discuss the options available to ease the customers safety concerns. This includes (but not limited to) the possibility of:
• updating their address details (if not on the same card as the alleged abuser), and/or
• organising their own Medicare card (new card)
• let Services Australia know if they have concerns about the security of their online accounts. They should change their passwords to prevent unauthorised access
• add their COVID-19 and influenza (flu) immunisation history statement to a digital wallet. Both Apple Wallet and Google Wallet require a passcode to use. They can add extra security with Face ID, Touch ID or an unlock pattern depending on device used. These can be changed or updated via the settings in the app

See Family and domestic violence for more details, including:

• links to national and state family and domestic violence services, the intranet, and Services Australia website
• guides and scenarios for helping customers affected by family and domestic violence

Customers who are overseas can get proof of their vaccinations online through the myGov website or the myGov app by accessing one of the following:

• Medicare online account
• Healthcare Identifier Service, or
• My Health Record

If this is not possible, they can request proof of vaccination by calling the AIR international phone number and passing authentication.

Service Officers should help customers with online options before actioning requests to email proof of vaccinations.

Service Officers must refer requests for immunisation history statements (IHS) to AIR Local Peer Support (LPS) by completing the Technical Support Tool (LPS and SSO) - Health online form. AIR LPS will escalate the request to the AIR Program Support team.

The Process page contains more details.

Immunisation history statements (IHS) can only be emailed to customers in Australia in exceptional circumstances. This includes (but not limited to) compelling, compassionate reasons or customers affected by a natural disaster or emergency.

Service Officers should encourage customers to get their IHS by:

• logging onto their Medicare online account through myGov
• logging onto the Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) service or My Health Record through myGov
• asking for one to be mailed. This can take up to 14 days to arrive
• visiting their vaccination provider
• visiting a service centre. The Resources page contains a link to Office Locator

Service Officers must refer requests to email IHS's to AIR Local Peer Support (LPS) by completing the Technical Support Tool (LPS and SSO) - Health online form. AIR LPS will escalate the request to the AIR Program Support team. Service Officers and AIR LPS must not email proof of vaccinations externally.

The Process page contains details for requests to email immunisation history statements.

Note: the AIR Program Support team:

• will not action escalated requests to email an IHS instantly. The fastest and easiest way for individuals to get their IHS is:
• online through myGov, or
• by contacting a vaccination provider, or
• attending a service centre
• may not approve a request to email an IHS. Each request is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Encourage customers to use online services

Individuals can:

• access a print-friendly version of their IHS using the myGov website or the myGov app by accessing one of the following:
• Medicare online account
• Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) service
• My Health Record
• ask for an IHS to be printed from:
• a vaccination provider
• by calling the AIR general enquiries line and ask for one to be mailed
• visiting a service centre

Note: the proof of vaccinations that individuals access online is the same as the hardcopy produced by Services Australia. Sending IHS's through the mail can take up to 14 days to arrive.

For IHS's requested through central printing and the individual is:

• under 14 years, the letter is addressed to the parent or guardian and followed by the child's name. For example, PARENT/GUARDIAN OF JOHN CITIZEN
• 14 years or older, the letter is addressed to the individual and sent to the address recorded on their AIR registration

All notice(s) will appear at the bottom of IHS for specific circumstances.

Immunisation medical contraindications and natural immunity

If an individual has current immunisation medical contraindications and natural immunity recorded on the AIR, it will show in the notices section on their IHS.

When there is a:

• permanent medical contraindication recorded; the notice says:
• Medical contraindication to (antigen) recorded on (date)
• temporary medical contraindication recorded; the notice says:
• Medical contraindication to (antigen) recorded on (date) to expire on (date)
• natural immunity recorded; the notice says:
• Natural immunity to (antigen) recorded on (date)

For more details, see Immunisation medical exemptions in Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

School entry

The notice 'This individual has received all vaccinations required by 5 years of age' will show when a child has received all National Immunisation Program (NIP) childhood schedule vaccines. This is to help parents and guardians enrol their children in schools that require proof of immunisation.

This notice will show on the IHS if the individual:

• is under 14 years
• is fully immunised
• has completed the 4 year old NIP schedule

The notice will not show if the individual has an immunisation medical exemption recorded on the AIR, as they have not received all required vaccines.

Vaccine shortage

A notice will show on the IHS if the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DHDA) has certified:

• there is a vaccine shortage, or
• if vaccines are temporarily unavailable

When there is:

• an end date for the vaccine shortage, the notice says:
• Vaccine shortage for <vaccine brand name> recorded on (date) to expire on (date)
• not an end date, the notice says:
• Vaccine shortage for <vaccine brand name> recorded on (date)

Vaccine trial

A vaccine trial notice shows on the IHS if the individual is participating in an approved vaccine trial.

When there is:

• an end date for the trial, the notice says:
• Currently participating in a vaccine trial due to expire on (date)
• not an end date, the notice says:
• Currently participating in a vaccine trial which commenced in (date)

The mainframe YCEN - Mail History Details screen shows a record of IHS's generated by the AIR system. The information on this screen includes:

• date the Service Officer requested the IHS
• date the IHS was dispatched
• type of mail sent, for example, a milestone statement
• status, for example FAILED when evidence will not be produced

AIR Service Officers should print a statement from the AIR Service Officer Portal page if:

• a request has FAILED, and
• the parent, guardian or individual cannot access the IHS:
• online, or
• through their vaccination provider

Service Officers can contact AIR Local Peer Support (LPS) for help.

Defence personnel and veterans may not be enrolled in Medicare or know their Medicare number. These individuals do not need to enrol in Medicare to get:

• vaccines
• proof of vaccinations

Service Officers should encourage Defence personnel and veterans to reconnect through myGov using their Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) number.