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

The AIR produces 3 types of proof of vaccinations:

• Complete immunisation history statements
• COVID-19 and influenza (flu) immunisation history statements
• International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificates (ICVC)

AIR immunisation history statements help people keep track of their or their child’s vaccinations.

• The complete immunisation history statement shows all vaccines recorded for an individual on the AIR, including COVID-19 and flu vaccines
• The COVID-19 and influenza (flu) immunisation history statement only shows COVID-19 and influenza (flu) vaccines recorded for an individual on the AIR

Both immunisation history statements

• can be accessed online through:
• myGov using Medicare, the Individual Healthcare Identifier Service or My Health Record
• the Express Plus Medicare mobile app
• can be downloaded on mobile devices and saved to use offline from:
• the Express Plus Medicare mobile app
• myGov

The AIR produces ad hoc immunisation history statements when individuals ask for them, and milestone statements when children complete their childhood vaccinations.

Information on the immunisation history statements

Immunisation history statements for children under 10 show:

• their name and date of birth
• their current immunisation status, including an immunisation catch-up if they have one recorded
• any vaccines they have recorded on the AIR, under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) age schedule and in the date order given
• NIP immunisations they still need and their due dates
• any notices

Immunisation history statements for children and individuals 10 to 19 show:

• their name and date of birth
• their current immunisation status, including an immunisation catch-up if they have one recorded
• any vaccines recorded on the AIR, in the date order given
• any NIP immunisations they still need and their due date
• any notices

Immunisation history statements for individuals 20 and older show:

• their name and date of birth
• any vaccines recorded on the AIR in the date order given
• any NIP schedule adult immunisations they are eligible for and the date they can have them
• any notices

Note: customers may call to ask for a copy of their immunisation history statement without the smallpox vaccine shown on it. The AIR helpdesk issue these manually. Service Officers must contact AIR Local Peer Support (LPS) for the request to be sent to the AIR helpdesk for action.

The Resources page has a table that describes the information on AIR immunisation history statements.

These automatically issue to parents and guardians when their child has all their 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.

A milestone immunisation history statement will not issue when the mainframe record 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)

Immunisation history statements:

• show vaccination information an individual has recorded on the AIR
• are for use in Australia
• are to be used for healthcare purposes
• cannot be used for personal identification

International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificates (ICVC) provide a secure record of COVID-19 vaccinations that is recognised internationally.

For more information see International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificates (ICVC).

It can take up to 10 days for new vaccinations to appear on a customer’s immunisation history. If a customer asks about missing vaccination information, check if there are duplicate records on the AIR.

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

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

See Table 8 on the Process page for processing steps.

Service Officers must not answer questions or provide advice about COVID-19 vaccines and their safety, effectiveness or clinical information.

For clinical information and 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 or their under 14 child’s proof of vaccinations by:

• logging onto their Medicare online account through myGov or the Express Plus Medicare mobile app
• signing into their My Health Record through myGov
• asking a vaccination provider to print a copy from the AIR site
• 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. See the Resources page for a link to Office Locator

Not enrolled in Medicare

Individuals who are not enrolled in Medicare can:

• create a myGov account
• use the IHI service to register for an IHI and link the IHI service

Once they have an IHI they can:

• sign in to myGov
• log in to the IHI service to access proof of their vaccinations
• create a My Health Record and access their immunisation history statement
• ask a vaccination provider to print proof of their vaccinations from the AIR site
• call the AIR general enquiries phone line and ask for proof of their vaccinations 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. See the Resources page for a link to Office Locator

Note: a Service Officer cannot cancel an immunisation history statement requested through mainframe.

If a Service Officer has sent a customer’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 helpdesk

See International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificates (ICVC).

Proof of vaccination for children under 14

Parents and guardians can get proof their child's vaccination if their child is under 14.

Vaccination evidence for individuals 14 and over

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

Note: individuals 14 and over using a Medicare Online account can see the names of children (such as siblings) under 14 on the same Medicare card. Viewing a child’s information without permission is a breach of privacy.

Before someone 14 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 or older

Without the individual’s consent, Service Officers and face-to-face staff cannot give out this information. This includes requests to provide proof of vaccination in person or by mail.

Someone 14 or older can give consent in person or over the phone for their parent or guardian to access this information. However, their consent is only valid for that request.

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

Parents and guardians who are 14 or older

Parents and guardians who are 14 or older can get proof of vaccination for children who are:

• under 14 on their Medicare card, and
• for whom they have parental or legal responsibility

Immunisation history statements

Long names or only names may not display correctly on immunisation history statements.

To display the name correctly:

• customers can ask for their name to be changed in CDMS, or
• Service Officers may amend the name on the CDMS record. See Change legal name on Medicare record

If a change of name does not correct the immunisation history statement or digital certificate, a request for manual immunisation history statement may be required.

Note: International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificates (ICVC) cannot be used in Australia as proof of vaccinations, they are for international travel only. Do not tell a customer to request an ICVC if their name does not display correctly on their immunisation history statement.

International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificates (ICVC)

See International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificates (ICVC) for details about long names and only names in ICVCs.

Individuals cannot access proof of their vaccinations through any channel when they cannot be uniquely identified.

For example, someone on a different Medicare card than the one quoted or with a record with different personal details. In these situations, they should call the AIR to confirm their identity and update their details.

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

The customer can:

• contact a healthcare professional or attend a service centre to print their proof of vaccinations for them
• call the Australian Immunisation Register, update their address details and ask for proof to be sent. This can take up to 14 days to arrive in the post
• 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:

• myGov, or
• the Express Plus Medicare mobile app if enrolled in Medicare

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

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

Service Officers can:

• request an International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate (ICVC) and email it to the customer. See the Email an ICVC table
• refer requests for immunisation history statements to AIR Local Peer Support (LPS). AIR LPS will escalate the request to the AIR helpdesk. See Table 7 on the Process page

Proof of vaccination will only be emailed to customers in Australia in exceptional circumstances. This includes compelling, compassionate reasons or customers affected by a natural disaster or emergency.

In the first instance Service Officers should ask customers to try to get their proof by:

• logging onto their Medicare online account through myGov or the Express Plus Medicare mobile app
• signing into the IHI service or My Health Record through myGov
• asking for one to be mailed. It can take up to 14 days for it to arrive
• visiting a service centre. See Resources page for a link to Office Locator

The AIR helpdesk can consider requests to email immunisation history statements for customers in Australia. Service Officers and AIR Local Peer Support (LPS) must not email proof of vaccination to a customer in Australia without the AIR helpdesk approval.

For requests to email:

• immunisation history statements, see Table 7 on the Process page
• International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificates (ICVC), see the Email an ICVC table

Note:

• Do not email proof of vaccinations to AIR LPS without seeking their approval first
• Escalating a request will not receive an instant reply. The fastest and easiest way for customers to request proof is online through myGov or by attending a service centre
• The AIR helpdesk may not approve all requests to email proof of vaccinations. It is determined case by case. Encourage customers to request proof online

Individuals can:

• access a print-friendly version of their proof of vaccinations through myGov in their:
• Medicare online account
• Express Plus Medicare mobile app
• IHI service, or
• My Health Record
• ask for a printed immunisation history statement from:
• a vaccination provider, or
• by contacting Services Australia

Note: proof of vaccinations that customers access online are the same as hardcopies produced by Services Australia. Customers do not need to ask for hardcopies if they can print copies themselves. Printed proof of vaccinations can take 14 days to arrive in the mail.

For proof of vaccinations that are requested through central printing and the individual is:

• under 14, the letter is addressed to the parent or guardian and followed by the child’s name. For example, PARENT/GUARDIAN OF JACK JONES
• 14 or older, the letter is addressed to the person and sent to the address recorded on their AIR registration

One or more notice/s appear at the bottom of immunisation history statements under specific circumstances.

Immunisation medical exemptions

If a child or individual has an immunisation medical exemption recorded on the AIR, it will appear on their immunisation history statement.

When there is a:

• permanent medical exemption recorded, the notice says:
• Medical contraindication to (antigen) recorded on (date)
• temporary medical exemption 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)

Influenza medical contraindication will be reported as ‘influenza’, the Immunisation History Statement will display the medical contraindication ‘influenza vaccine’.

For more information, 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’ shows when a child has received all NIP childhood schedule vaccines. This is to help parents and guardians enrol their children in schools that require proof of immunisation.

The notice shows on an immunisation history statement when:

• the child is under 14
• they are fully immunised
• they have completed the 4year-old NIP schedule

The notice will not show if the individual has an immunisation medical exemption recorded on the AIR and therefore has not received all required vaccines.

Vaccine shortage

This notice shows on immunisation history statements when the Department of Health and Aged Care has certified in writing that the vaccine for that vaccination is, or all of the vaccines for that vaccination 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

The vaccine trial notice appears on immunisation history statements if the person 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 Resources page has examples of how notices appear on immunisation history statements.

The mainframe YCEN - Mail History Details screen shows a record of immunisation history statements generated by the AIR system. The information on this screen includes:

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

If a request has FAILED and the parent, guardian or individual cannot access an immunisation history statement:

• online, or
• their vaccination provider,
• AIR Service Officers should print a statement from the AIR Service Officer Portal page. 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. They do not need to enrol in Medicare to get:

• a COVID-19 vaccine
• proof of vaccinations

Service Officers should encourage Defence personnel and veterans to reconnect or enrol in Medicare if they are eligible.

See the AIR general enquiries line on the Resources page to help Defence personnel and veterans.