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Immunizations for children new to BC

Date last reviewed: 
Friday, Jun 21, 2024
If you've just moved here, it's important to ensure your child has received all the vaccines recommended for children in BC. These vaccines may differ from those recommended in your home country or province.
 

Have your child's record checked

Contact your local public health unit, community health centre, primary care clinic, or nursing station to have your child's record checked. A nurse can:
 
  • Check the record.
  • Help translate the record if needed.
  • Tell you if your child is missing any recommended vaccines.
  • Give missing routine vaccines for free.
A Brown woman smiling while holding a school-aged girl.

Submit your child’s record for the Provincial Immunization Registry

What if I don’t have a record of my child's immunizations?

  • Try contacting your doctor's office or clinic in your home country or province and ask that they send your records to you. 
  • If you don’t have an immunization record, it’s still important to speak with your doctor, nurse practitioner, or a nurse at your local public health unit, community health centre, primary care clinic, or nursing station about what vaccines are recommended.
  • Without an immunization record (or proof of immunity to disease), a person is considered unimmunized and unprotected and should generally be vaccinated again to ensure protection. It is safe to repeat vaccines.
Information

Vaccination Status Reporting Regulation (VSRR)

This regulation was put into place in 2019 and supports the collection of immunization records of school-age children by public health so that all records are stored in the Provincial Immunization Registry. Learn more.

Where your child can get immunized

Is there information on immunization in different languages?

  • The vaccine HealthLinkBC Files are easy-to-understand fact sheets that have been translated into multiple languages. 
  • You can find links to the HealthLink BC Files on the vaccine pages
  • You can also contact HealthLinkBC at 8-1-1 for interpretation services over the phone. Translation services are available in over 130 languages.

Are vaccines free in BC?

Keep a record of all the vaccines your child receives.

  • It’s important to keep your child’s immunization record in a safe place.  
  • The record may be needed for daycare, school, camps, travel, or specific jobs.
  • You can access a record of any vaccine received through public health or a community pharmacy in BC through Health Gateway.

If you plan to travel

  • If you will be traveling anywhere outside of Canada, it’s important to speak to your health care provider or contact a travel health clinic as early as possible, ideally at least 4 to 6 weeks before your travel date.
  • The travel clinic can give you advice on any other vaccines your family may need. 

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