If a school, employer, travel provider or childcare service has asked you for proof of vaccinations, the document they almost always want is an immunisation history statement from the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). This guide explains what that statement shows, the official ways to get one for yourself and for your children, and what to do when a vaccine you believe you received is missing from it.
What an immunisation history statement is
The Australian Immunisation Register is a national register that records vaccines given to people of all ages in Australia, according to the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. An immunisation history statement is a listing of all your vaccinations recorded on that register.
Two things follow from that definition, and they explain most of the problems people run into:
- The statement reflects what has been reported to the register, not what you were actually given.
- Because it is generated from a national register rather than from one clinic's files, it can cover vaccinations given in different states, by different providers and at different times in your life.
A separate document, the COVID-19 and influenza immunisation history statement, is also available for those specific vaccines.
The three official ways to get your statement
Government sources describe three routes: myGov, My Health Record, and the AIR enquiry line by phone.
Through myGov
myGov states that you can get proof of vaccinations for yourself, or for your children under the age of 14, through myGov. Once you are signed in and your Medicare online account is linked, you can view and download your immunisation history statement from there.
Through My Health Record
The Australian Digital Health Agency says you can get proof of vaccinations recorded on the AIR from different government sources, including My Health Record. Vaccination information is available in your record, and you can get your immunisation history statements from your record's homepage or by viewing your immunisation history as you scroll. One setting to look for is the option selected for "All information about immunisations recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register."
By phone
If you cannot access the online options, the Department of Health page directs you to phone the Australian Immunisation Register enquiry line on 1800 653 809.
| Situation | Route described by official sources |
|---|---|
| You want the statement for yourself | myGov (Medicare online account) or My Health Record |
| Your child is under 14 | Through your myGov account |
| Your child is 14 or older | They view their own statement using their Medicare online account through myGov |
| You cannot get online, or a record looks wrong | AIR enquiry line, 1800 653 809 |
Getting statements for your children
The age of the child changes who can access the record.
- Under 14: you can get proof of vaccinations for your children under the age of 14 through myGov.
- 14 or older: Services Australia advises that if your child is aged 14 or older, they can view their own immunisation history statements using their Medicare online account through myGov.
- At age 5: you will automatically receive a history statement from the AIR when your child turns 5 years old. Better Health Victoria also advises checking your child's immunisation history statement carefully.
That automatic statement at age five is worth keeping, because it arrives around the time school enrolment paperwork usually begins.
Why a vaccine might be missing
This is the most common reason people search for how to check their statement, and the answer is straightforward: your vaccination provider must report your vaccination information to the AIR before it will show on your immunisation history statements, as the Department of Health explains.
That means a gap can appear because of an unreported or late-reported dose, a record that was never linked to your Medicare details, or a vaccination given overseas, which sits outside a register of vaccines given in Australia. The HPV vaccination is a useful example of how reporting works: if your immunisation provider reported your HPV vaccination to the register, your statement will list it.
Practical interpretation: treat the statement as a record to be checked, not a verdict. If something is missing, contact the provider who gave the vaccine first, then follow up with the AIR enquiry line if it still does not appear.
Using the statement for school, work or travel
Different organisations set their own document requirements, so the statement itself does not tell you what any particular one will accept.
For childhood immunisation certificates in Victoria, Better Health Victoria states plainly that the only documentation that can be used is a current immunisation history statement from the AIR. That is a good illustration of a wider pattern: many bodies want a current statement, generated recently, rather than one you downloaded years ago.
Questions worth putting to the organisation asking for proof:
- Do they require a statement issued within a certain period?
- Will they accept a statement printed from myGov or My Health Record, or do they need the version issued directly by the register?
- Are they asking for the general statement or the separate COVID-19 and influenza statement?
- For overseas travel, does the destination require a different certificate altogether?
Do not assume an Australian immunisation history statement satisfies an international entry requirement. Check the destination's official requirements separately.
Checklist before you send it off
- Confirm the statement is current, not an old download.
- Check that the name and date of birth match the person the request is about.
- Read each vaccine line and compare it with your own records of what was given and when.
- For a child aged 14 or over, have them access their own statement through their Medicare online account.
- If a dose is missing, ask the provider who administered it to report it to the AIR, then re-download the statement.
- Keep a copy for your own records after you submit it.
Next steps
If you have not looked at your record recently, sign in to myGov and download a current immunisation history statement now, rather than waiting until a school or employer asks for one. Do the same for each child under 14 while you are there. Save the PDF somewhere you can find it again, and re-download it whenever you receive a new vaccination.
If you need a COVID-19 and influenza statement specifically, look for that separate document when you access your records online. If you cannot get online or believe the register is wrong, phone the AIR enquiry line on 1800 653 809 and ask how to have the record corrected.
General information only
This article is general information about accessing government-held vaccination records. It is not legal, medical, migration or employment advice, and it does not guarantee that any school, employer, aged care facility, travel provider or government agency will accept a particular document. Requirements vary by organisation, state and destination, and the information in official sources can change. Confirm current requirements with the body requesting your proof and with Services Australia, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, or the Australian Immunisation Register enquiry line before you rely on any document.
Australian Today is an independent information publisher. It is not a government agency, regulator or healthcare provider, and it does not issue immunisation records.