How to Get Your Vaccine Records From a Pharmacy

How do I request my vaccine records from a pharmacy?

In person: Visit the pharmacy counter, show a valid photo ID, and ask for a copy of your immunization history. Most pharmacies can print a summary on the spot — the record typically includes the vaccine name, date given, lot number, and administering pharmacist 1Ref 1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024).Vaccination Records.Providers (including pharmacies) must document date, manufacturer, lot number, and administering provider for each vaccine administered.

Through the pharmacy app or patient portal: CVS, Walgreens, and several other chains allow you to view and download your vaccine history through their app or website after logging in. This is often the fastest route.

By phone: Call the pharmacy's main line and ask the pharmacist to mail or fax your immunization record. You may need to verify your identity.

What to specify: Ask for your "immunization history" or "vaccine record" — not your prescription history. These may be in different parts of the system.

What does the pharmacy record include?

When a pharmacy administers a vaccine, they document it in their dispensing system — just as they do for prescriptions. The record typically includes the vaccine name, date given, lot number, and the name of the pharmacist or immunizer who administered it 1Ref 1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024).Vaccination Records.Providers (including pharmacies) must document date, manufacturer, lot number, and administering provider for each vaccine administered.

Many major pharmacy chains also report to your state's Immunization Information System (IIS) — a confidential, population-based computerized database that consolidates vaccination data from multiple providers within a geographic area 2Ref 2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024).Immunization Information Systems (IIS).IIS are confidential population-based computerized databases consolidating vaccination data from multiple healthcare providers; pharmacy reporting to IIS occurs under state law. This means the record may exist in two places. Reporting practices vary by state law and by chain, so it is not guaranteed, but the trend toward IIS reporting has grown significantly as states have strengthened their requirements.

What if the pharmacy cannot find my record?

A few things may have happened:

• You may have visited a different location or chain than you remember.
• The record may be in the state IIS even if the pharmacy's own system no longer shows it.
• For very old records — childhood vaccines from before roughly 2000 to 2005 — many pharmacies either did not administer vaccines or did not keep digital records from that era.

If the pharmacy has nothing, try your state's IIS next. The CDC maintains a directory of all state and territory IIS contacts at cdc.gov/iis/contacts-locate-records 3Ref 3Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024).Contacts for IIS Immunization Records.State-by-state directory for patients to request immunization records from their jurisdiction's IIS; CDC does not hold individual vaccination records. You can also search "[your state] immunization registry" or contact your state health department.

How do I build a complete vaccine history?

A pharmacy record is one piece of your full vaccine history. To build a complete picture — needed for college enrollment, employment, travel, or a new clinician — gather records from multiple sources:

1. Major pharmacies you have used — each chain has its own independent database; CVS and Walgreens do not share records with each other. 2. Your primary care provider or pediatrician — especially for childhood vaccines. 3. Your state immunization registry (IIS) — the best single source if providers in your state consistently report to it 2Ref 2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024).Immunization Information Systems (IIS).IIS are confidential population-based computerized databases consolidating vaccination data from multiple healthcare providers; pharmacy reporting to IIS occurs under state law3Ref 3Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024).Contacts for IIS Immunization Records.State-by-state directory for patients to request immunization records from their jurisdiction's IIS; CDC does not hold individual vaccination records. 4. Your K–12 school records — schools required vaccine documentation at enrollment.

Once gathered, keep a consolidated personal copy — a PDF in secure cloud storage or a paper copy in a home file.