Proof of vaccines- moving UK to Australia

[FussyMcBudget]

We are moving shortly from the U.K. to Australia with DCs. DCs are up to date with vaccines as per the U.K. schedule but we will need proof of vaccines to get into childcare / school due to 'no jab no play/pay' rules. Not a debate about the merits of this rule in Australia but seeking advice on proof of vaccines being given. Does anyone know if the red book will suffice as proof of vaccines or do we need to get a letter from our gp before we leave the U.K.? Thanks

Our kinder requires a statement from Medicare, they won’t accept our book that we get stamped when the vaccines are given or a letter from GP anymore.

I believe if your vaccinations occurred overseas you need to provide evidence to a GP who then enters it into our system so you can get a statement

Thanks Not. Good to know that it's the Medicare system that gets checked. I guess my question then becomes will the Australian GP accept the red book (the U.K's child health record) that has the vaccines given, dates, batch numbers etc as proof of vaccination to enter into the system or will I need a letter from my GP in the UK stating the exact same thing as the red book as proof? Any Australian GP's out there who can advise on this one? Thanks!

I used the red book for the US school system. One of the dates had been recorded incorrectly so I had to get a copy of the File at the GP which was very easy. Based on that I’d get a copy of the GP file, and present that with the red book.

Thanks Her.

I used the red book in NZ at our gp when we moved here 6 years ago, and I showed it at kindy and school as well, has always been fine. Not sure if Australia is stricter, but we were always asked for proof, and red book was never refused.

I used the red book and had the practice nurse enter the details on their systems (which Medicare access).

You’ll almost certainly be asked to get the chicken pox vaccination done (varicella) and also Hep B before you can access daycare but the drs provide all catch up vaccinations free of charge.

We moved from the UK to Australia about 6 years ago. I took ds1s red book to the gp and they logged all the immunisations and sent that data to the national immunisation register. Ds was around 2.5 years old at that point. We then did a catch-up for chicken pox and one other that wasn't on the UK vaccine schedule at that stage (the schedules have both changed since then). There is a national immunisation register and you can login via the mygov portal and download the record once it's all input/imported. Every time you enrol in a new daycare or school you just download a copy. Once you are set up on mygov and have the information input it's very easy, just a faff at first.

I have just done this for my children. It was a palaver!!!

Biggest issue is that the varicella vaccine was not on the schedule in the UK when my DC were babies.

Medicare require evidence of having had chickenpox if your child has not been vaccinated. As my children have had chicken pox they had to have blood tests to confirm antibodies before they received the greenlight.

First step - apply for and receive your temporary medicare card.

Next - Make an appointment with a GP who will verify your children's immunizations and upload them onto the necessary medicare portal. If your children are 4 or younger the local community healthcare centre will do this for you.

Next- create a MyGov & Medicare login.

Hope this helps.

I’m pretty sure that your kids can start before their vaccinations are confirmed too although it might depend on the individual childcare/preschool. At ours there is a whole process to go through before you can actually be excluded. I think most would be fairly understanding if it’s a documentation issue as opposed to a refusal to vaccinate

If you have ever had TB, travel vaccinations, flu vaccinations etc, it is worth getting a printout from the GP. Printout should cover everything, red book just covers the standard stuff (or at least ours did).

We brought a letter from an Irish GP, went to a Medicare centre in Australia and they updated accordingly. Any remaining jabs that were needed, they let us know and once you get them Medicare is automatically notified by the nurse/doctor administrating them.

I used the red book. We had chicken pox done before we came out too.

Just be warned, if the imms aren’t precisely on schedule they’ll need to be repeated. Both dc had to have multiple jabs again because they’d had it a week too early according to the Aus schedule

All imms are bulk billed here though (only charged at the exact amount Medicare contributes) so at least you don’t have to pay for them.

That said you’d be well advised to bring electronic copies of all of your records. Practices are obliged to provide this on written request (brief letter to practice manager). Ours charged us £10 per person.

I just ticked the boxes on the school medical information form for the vaccinations my kids had. I didn't have to provide proof. Sydney private school - public school must be tougher.

Thanks to all for your help on this one. I'm getting copies of the DCs medical records, a letter from U.K. GP's (NHS and private where we had vaccines done) outline vaccines and dates. We will also bring our red books. Hopefully this should cover us and allow our Australian GP to enter this into the Medicare system. 😃