The Australian Immunisation Register: How It Works at the Pharmacy

The AIR is administered by Services Australia under federal legislation. It covers everyone in Australia regardless of Medicare status.

What the AIR is

The AIR is a national, opt-out database of vaccinations given in Australia. The Department of Health and Aged Care funds it; Services Australia administers it. It is governed by the Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015.

The register covers:

• Childhood immunisation schedule doses
• National Immunisation Program doses given at any age
• Private vaccines including most travel vaccines
• COVID vaccinations from the start of the rollout
• Most pharmacist-administered vaccines from 2014 onward

You are enrolled automatically when a provider reports your first vaccine. The register holds your name, date of birth, Medicare number where available, and the full vaccine history.

For more detail, see Services Australia AIR and the federal program page at health.gov.au.

How a pharmacist records a vaccination

The pharmacist enters each dose into their dispensing or vaccination software at the time of administration. The software submits the record to the AIR through a secure federal interface, usually within minutes and at most within 24 hours.

The record includes:

• Date and time of vaccination
• Vaccine product name, brand, and batch number
• Dose number in the schedule (where relevant)
• The pharmacist's registration number (the provider identifier)
• The pharmacy's identifier

You can ask the pharmacist to confirm the record has been submitted before you leave. Most software shows confirmation within seconds. If the record is delayed for any reason (a system outage, a missing Medicare number), the pharmacist will follow up to make sure it is uploaded.

How to view your record

Three routes:

Medicare app

The Medicare app is the fastest route. Open the app, sign in, and tap "Immunisation history". You can view the full record and download a PDF statement.

If you don't have the Medicare app, you can install it from the App Store or Google Play. You need a myGov account linked to Medicare to sign in.

myGov

Sign in to myGov, link Medicare if you haven't already, and open the Medicare service. The immunisation history is under the Medicare options. You can download a PDF statement here as well.

A printed statement from your pharmacy or GP

Any pharmacy or GP can print your immunisation history statement at no charge. The pharmacist accesses the AIR through their secure provider portal. Ask the pharmacy when you're next there; it usually takes a minute.

Requesting a printed immunisation history statement

If you need a printed statement for school enrolment, family day care, an employer, an aged care provider, or international travel, the easiest way is to download the PDF from the Medicare app or myGov.

If you cannot access the app or myGov, you can:

• Ask any pharmacy or GP to print it for you, free of charge
• Call Services Australia on 1800 653 809 (the AIR enquiry line)
• Use a Services Australia service centre in person

The printed statement shows your name, date of birth, and the full vaccination history with dates, vaccine names, and brand details. It is suitable for almost all domestic purposes.

The immunisation history statement vs ICVP for travel

The AIR statement is sufficient for most domestic and many international purposes. It is not the same as the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP), which is the WHO-approved certificate required only for yellow fever and a small number of country-specific entry rules.

Document	Covers	Issued by	Required for
AIR statement	Most Australian vaccinations	Services Australia	Domestic use, most travel vaccines
ICVP	Yellow fever (mainly)	WHO-accredited centre	Yellow fever country-entry rules

For yellow fever, you need an ICVP from an accredited centre. The AIR statement does not substitute. See our guide on the yellow fever vaccine in Australia for the accredited-centre rule.

For all other travel vaccines, the AIR statement is the standard document. Save a digital copy on your phone in addition to the PDF on the cloud.

Updating records that are wrong

Errors do occur. Common ones:

• A dose missing from the record (the pharmacy did not submit, or there was a system error)
• A dose recorded under the wrong vaccine or brand
• A dose recorded under a different name (if you have changed name since)
• A dose from overseas not yet entered into the AIR

To correct a missing or wrong dose:

1. Find the original record from the vaccinator (the pharmacy invoice, the overseas vaccination card, the GP's record)
2. Take it to any pharmacy or GP, who can submit a record correction or addition to the AIR
3. The correction usually appears on your AIR record within a few business days

For an overseas dose, you'll need the original documentation showing the vaccine name, date, batch number where available, and the provider details. Some overseas vaccines may not be recognised under Australian schedules; the pharmacist or GP can advise.

If a name change is the issue, update your name with Services Australia first, then ask a provider to refresh the AIR link.