California Immunization Records Online (2026)

What Is CAIR2 & Who Stores Your California Immunization Record

The California Immunization Registry 2 (CAIR2) is the state’s official, confidential, HIPAA-compliant database that holds every vaccine dose reported by participating California providers. It is operated by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and has stored records continuously since 1997.

As of January 1, 2023, AB 1797 (Weber) legally requires every California vaccine provider — doctors, pharmacies (CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Costco, Safeway, Kaiser, Sutter), schools, clinics, and health departments — to submit administered immunizations to CAIR2. This closed the historical reporting gap: pre-2023, adult shots were reported voluntarily.

CAIR2 operates three public-facing tools

Digital Vaccine Record: Get Your COVID-19 QR Code in 2 Minutes

The Digital Vaccine Record (DVR) — sometimes called the “Digital COVID-19 Vaccine Record” — is the fastest way for any Californian to prove COVID-19 vaccination. The CDPH portal returns a SMART Health Card QR code that works at airports, international borders, cruise lines, workplaces, and inside Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.

1. Open the official CDPH portal Go to myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov (or the shorter mydvr.cdph.ca.gov). Bookmark the exact URL — phishing clones exist.
2. Enter your identifying details Legal first name, last name, date of birth, and the mobile phone number OR email on file with the provider that administered your shot. Wrong contact info is the #1 reason the portal returns “no record found.”
3. Create a 4-digit PIN Choose any four digits you’ll remember. You’ll use this PIN to unlock the QR code link once it arrives by text or email.
4. Check your text or email within 60 seconds A secure link arrives from no-reply@cdph.ca.gov. Tap it, enter your PIN, and your QR code displays on screen along with vaccine dates, lot numbers, and manufacturer.
5. Save, print, or add to digital wallet Screenshot the QR, tap “Add to Apple Wallet” on iPhone, tap “Save to Google Wallet” on Android, or print as a PDF. The SMART Health Card standard is accepted worldwide.

What the DVR portal does NOT include

• Flu shots, Tdap, MMR, HPV, shingles, and other routine vaccines (use the release form instead)
• COVID-19 shots given outside California
• Shots given before your provider enrolled in CAIR2
• Shots given by federal providers (VA, Indian Health Services, Department of Defense)

Full Immunization Record Request — 5 Official Routes

For all non-COVID shots — MMR, Tdap, varicella, flu, Hep A/B, HPV, shingles, polio, and every other vaccine — California does not currently offer a consumer self-service portal like some states. You use one of five official channels. Pick the fastest one that applies to your situation.

Route 1 · Your Current Doctor (Fastest — Usually Same Day)

Every California primary care provider enrolled in CAIR2 can pull your complete record on request. Call your primary care office and say: “Please print my CAIR2 immunization history.” Most clinics will hand it over the same day at no cost. The printout is titled “Yellow Card Report” and carries a CAIR2 timestamp — schools and employers accept it as official proof.

Route 2 · Authorization to Release Form at cairweb.org

If you don’t have a current doctor, complete the Authorization to Release Immunization Records form at cairweb.org. You’ll need a scan or photo of a current government-issued photo ID. CDPH waits at least 2–3 weeks after your most recent shot before accepting requests. Expected turnaround: 3–4 weeks by mail.

Route 3 · Local County Public Health Department

All 58 California county health departments can access CAIR2 on behalf of residents. You’ll fill out a county-specific authorization form, show photo ID, and pay a small fee in some counties (typically $0 to $25). Turnaround: 3–10 business days. See our county directory below and the CDPH local health department locator.

Route 4 · Former Provider or Pharmacy

Shots you received at CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Costco, Safeway, Kaiser, or Sutter are all in CAIR2 post-2023, and pharmacy-administered shots since ~2015 are usually there too. Call the specific store’s pharmacy counter and ask for a vaccine administration record printout. Limitation: pharmacies can only print shots they personally administered — they cannot pull your full CAIR2 file.

Route 5 · Previous School or School District

For childhood records, California schools are legally required to maintain immunization files (CDPH 286 Blue Cards) for at least 3 years after a student transfers, and most districts keep them 7+ years. Call the school’s health office or district records department. Even better: ask the school to enter your older record into CAIR2 so future requests can pull it digitally.

Comparison: All 5 routes at a glance

Add Your California Vaccine Record to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet

Once the Digital Vaccine Record portal has returned your SMART Health Card QR code, you can save it as a card that lives permanently in your phone’s wallet. It’s accepted as valid proof by airlines, cruise lines, international customs, employers, and schools. Works offline.

Apple Wallet (iPhone)

1. Open the DVR portal link on iPhoneOn the page showing your QR code, tap Add to Apple Wallet.
2. Confirm the card previewYou’ll see your name, vaccine type, dose dates, and lot numbers. Tap Add in the upper right.
3. Access anytimeOpen Wallet app → tap your COVID-19 vaccine card → display QR to scanner. No internet required.

Google Wallet (Android)

1. Install Google WalletIf not already installed, get it from the Play Store (free, pre-installed on most Android phones since 2022).
2. Open the DVR portal on AndroidOn the QR code screen, tap Save to Google Wallet.
3. Authenticate & confirmUse fingerprint or PIN to confirm. The card is now in Google Wallet under “Passes.”

School & Daycare Records — The CDPH 286 Blue Card

California has some of the strictest school immunization requirements in the country under Senate Bill 277 (2015). Every child entering a public or private school, transitional kindergarten, 7th grade, or licensed daycare must show documented vaccination.

The official school form is the California Pre-Kindergarten and School Immunization Record, officially numbered CDPH 286 (also labeled PM 286 B) — universally called the “Blue Card” because it’s printed on blue-and-white stock.

What shots are required

How to get a Blue Card filled out

1. Download blank CDPH 286 form Get the blank PDF from EZIZ Shots for School or shotsforschool.org.
2. Take it to your pediatrician The pediatrician cross-checks CAIR2 and fills in every dose date. Most do this for free during any well-child visit. They can also print the CAIR2-generated “Yellow Card Report” which schools accept as equivalent.
3. Verify signatures Staff signature, date of transcription, and status box (A = complete, B = conditional, C = exempt) must all be filled. Missing signatures are rejected.
4. Submit to the school Hand-deliver, email, fax, or upload via the district parent portal. Keep a photocopy — the school does not return the original.

The School and Childcare Roster Lookup (SCRL) tool

Since 2024, California school nurses use a state-approved tool called SCRL (School and Childcare Roster Lookup) that automatically checks CAIR2 and generates Blue Cards for enrolled students. If your school hasn’t given you a signed Blue Card yet but your pediatrician has reported all shots, ask the school nurse to “run SCRL for my child.” The Blue Card prints in seconds.

Medical Exemptions via CAIR-ME

How CAIR-ME works

• Only a California-licensed MD or DO can submit a medical exemption.
• The physician must have treated the child and show specific contraindications that align with CDC ACIP guidelines.
• Temporary exemptions expire within 12 months; permanent exemptions remain unless revoked.
• CDPH can revoke exemptions if the issuing physician is under disciplinary investigation.
• Parents access the exemption result but cannot submit directly — the physician logs into cair-me.cdph.ca.gov.

Medical exemptions issued outside California

A medical exemption from a non-California physician is not valid in California schools. Your child will need a California-licensed physician to review the case and issue a CAIR-ME exemption, or receive the required shots.

Adult California Immunization Records & Titer Tests

Adult immunization records in California are often incomplete — because reporting adult vaccines was voluntary until AB 1797 (effective January 2023). If you need proof for:

• Employment (healthcare, teaching, daycare work — Hep B, Tdap, MMR, flu, TB)
• University enrollment (MMR, Meningococcal, Tdap)
• Immigration / green card / naturalization (Tdap, MMR, Varicella, Hep B, flu)
• International travel (Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Japanese Encephalitis — WHO yellow card)

You have two paths:

Path 1: Use your existing CAIR2 record

Request via current doctor or the cairweb.org Authorization to Release form. If CAIR2 has all the shots you need, print that record.

Path 2: Prove immunity with a titer blood test

A titer test measures antibody levels in your blood and proves immunity even when no paper record exists. It’s widely accepted for:

• MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) — most common for healthcare workers
• Varicella (chickenpox)
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis A

Cost: $80–$200 self-pay, or $0–$40 copay if ordered by your doctor for a medical/employment reason. Any Quest, LabCorp, or Sonora Quest lab can draw the blood. Results return in 2–5 business days.

Lost or Missing California Immunization Records — 5 Recovery Methods

If CAIR2 shows no record of a shot you know you received, one of these is almost always the reason:

• The shot was given before 1997 (CAIR2 start date — older records exist only on paper).
• The shot was given outside California and was never transferred in.
• The provider didn’t report it (adult reporting was voluntary until Jan 2023).
• The name, date of birth, or mother’s maiden name doesn’t match exactly across systems.
• The shot was given by a federal provider (VA, DOD, Indian Health Services) — they don’t share with state registries.

Recovery options, in order of effort

1. Call every California provider you’ve used California Medical Board rules require providers to keep records at least 7 years, and many keep them 10+. Call each former pediatrician, urgent care, or clinic.
2. Check your baby book, family Bible, or grandparents’ files Many parents recorded childhood shots on handwritten records before computerized systems existed. These handwritten records are legally acceptable proof if signed by a physician.
3. Call your elementary, middle, and high schools California schools must keep Blue Cards on file for at least 3 years post-graduation; many districts keep them indefinitely. Ask for a photocopy.
4. Request records from your employer or former employer Healthcare workers, teachers, and childcare employees have employer-filed vaccine records (required under Cal/OSHA). HR keeps these for the duration of employment plus 30 years for bloodborne pathogen-related vaccines.
5. Get a titer test to prove immunity If no paper record can be found anywhere, a titer blood test replaces it. See Adults & Titer Tests above for cost details.

Free & Low-Cost Vaccines in California: VFC Program & My Turn

Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program — Free Shots for Kids

The federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program provides no-cost vaccines to children 18 years of age and younger who are:

• Medicaid-eligible
• Uninsured
• American Indian or Alaska Native
• Underinsured (insurance doesn’t cover vaccines — served at Federally Qualified Health Centers)

Find a participating provider via the EZIZ VFC Provider Locator.

My Turn — Book a Free Appointment

California’s My Turn portal lets any California resident book free or low-cost COVID-19, flu, and RSV vaccination appointments at thousands of locations — including pharmacies, clinics, mobile units, and pop-up sites. Walk-ins accepted at many locations.

County Health Department Walk-In Help

If online portals and phone lines haven’t worked, California’s 58 county health departments can pull your CAIR2 record in person. Los Angeles County operates the state’s highest-volume walk-in service — here’s the main immunization office as a reference:

For other counties, use the official CDPH Local Health Services directory to find your county’s immunization program. Bring: government-issued photo ID, proof of address (utility bill or lease), and — for child records — proof of guardianship (birth certificate or court order).

Legal Warning: Fake California Immunization Records

If you cannot find your record, the legal alternatives covered above (titer test, revaccination, request from every past provider) all exist specifically to give Californians a lawful path forward. Never buy, download, or create a falsified record — enforcement actions have resulted in convictions in California federal courts as recently as 2024.

Frequently Asked Questions