How Do I Use Vaccine Records From Another Country for My Immigration Medical Exam?
Quick Answer
Foreign vaccine records are generally accepted for immigration purposes if they document the vaccine name, dates administered, and number of doses. Translation may be required for records not in English. Titer testing is an alternative if records are incomplete or unavailable.
Foreign Vaccine Records Are Generally Accepted
USCIS and civil surgeons accept vaccination records from other countries. You do not need to repeat vaccines that you have already received, even if they were administered outside the United States. The key is that the records must be legible, credible, and contain sufficient information for the civil surgeon to verify that the vaccines were administered appropriately.
What Information Must Be on the Records
To be accepted, foreign vaccine records should include: the name of the vaccine (or the disease it protects against), the date(s) each dose was administered, the number of doses received, and ideally the name of the healthcare provider or facility that administered the vaccines. Records that contain only a list of vaccines without dates are generally not sufficient. If your records are incomplete, the civil surgeon may require titer testing or additional vaccination.
Translation Requirements
If your vaccination records are not in English, they should be translated. A certified translation is ideal, but in many cases the civil surgeon can work with a patient-provided translation or use the vaccine names (which are often similar across languages) to identify what was received. Bring both the original records and any translations to your appointment. Do not discard original records — they may be needed for verification.
Vaccines That May Not Match U.S. Standards
Some vaccines used in other countries may differ from U.S. vaccines in formulation, schedule, or brand name. The civil surgeon will assess whether foreign vaccines are equivalent to U.S. ACIP-recommended vaccines. For example, oral polio vaccine (OPV) used in many countries is treated differently from the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) used in the United States. In some cases, additional doses of a U.S.-approved vaccine may be required.
Titer Testing as an Alternative
If your foreign vaccine records are incomplete, unavailable, or cannot be verified, titer testing is an excellent alternative for many vaccines. A positive titer demonstrates immunity regardless of how or where you were vaccinated. Titer testing is available for MMR components (measles, mumps, rubella), varicella, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B. If your titer is positive, you do not need to receive the vaccine again.
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