Immunisation Requirements for Childcare in NSW
The immunisation requirements childcare NSW families must meet are set by the NSW Public Health Act. To enrol, you need an approved form showing your child is fully immunised for their age, on a recognised catch-up schedule, or medically exempt. This guide explains each form, where to get it, and how it links to Child Care Subsidy.
Paperwork for the immunisation requirements childcare NSW services must check is one of the few enrolment steps with no flexibility, because the law puts the responsibility on the centre. Knowing which document to bring saves a lot of back and forth. For illness, allergies and medication, see our guides to childcare health and safety.
What NSW law requires for enrolment
Since 2018, the NSW Public Health Act has barred childcare centres from enrolling any child without approved paperwork. That paperwork must prove one of three things: every vaccine due at the child's age has been given, the child is working through an approved catch-up plan, or a doctor has recorded a medical reason for not vaccinating. Conscientious objection does not qualify.
The rule applies at enrolment, which means accepting a guaranteed place for the first time. Joining a waitlist is not enrolment.
Centres that enrol a child without the right documents face a penalty of 50 penalty units, and forging a vaccination record is also an offence.
Vaccination itself is still a family choice. The law affects where unvaccinated children can attend, not whether families vaccinate.
Some groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and children in out-of-home care, can be enrolled and given up to 12 weeks to provide the forms.
To enrol, a child must be
- Fully immunised for age
- On a catch-up schedule
- Medically exempt
No exceptionsThe Immunisation History Statement and where to get it
Most families use the AIR Immunisation History Statement, a record from the Australian Immunisation Register showing every vaccine your child has had and whether they are up to date. You can download it any time from your Medicare online account through myGov or the Express Plus Medicare app, or request it by calling 1800 653 809.
AIR Immunisation History Statement
Shows your child is up to date for their age. Download it free, any time.
AIR Immunisation History Form
Signed by your immunisation provider to show a recognised catch-up schedule. Valid for 6 months.
AIR Immunisation Medical Exemption Form
Certified by a GP when a child has a medical reason not to receive a vaccine.
No other document is accepted. The NSW Blue Book is a valuable health record, but it cannot be used as proof for childcare enrolment.
If your child was vaccinated overseas, an Australian immunisation provider needs to add those vaccines to the register first. Overseas records cannot be accepted directly.
Catch-up schedules
If your child has missed vaccines, perhaps after illness, a move or time overseas, they can still enrol once they are on a recognised catch-up schedule. Your GP or immunisation provider plans the remaining vaccines and certifies an AIR Immunisation History Form, which is accepted for up to 6 months while your child catches up.
- Step 1
Book a GP visit
Bring any records you have. The GP checks the register for what is missing.
- Step 2
Plan the catch-up
The provider sets out a recognised schedule for the remaining vaccines.
- Step 3
Get the form certified
The provider completes the AIR Immunisation History Form for enrolment.
- Within 6 months
Provide an updated statement
Once your child is up to date, download the new statement for the centre.
Medical exemptions
A small number of children cannot receive certain vaccines for medical reasons, such as a serious reaction to a previous dose or a condition that affects the immune system. In these cases, a GP certifies an AIR Immunisation Medical Exemption Form, and the child can be enrolled. Exemptions follow the Australian Immunisation Handbook.
Babies under two months, who are too young for their first vaccines, can also be enrolled.
Conscientious or philosophical objection is not a medical exemption in NSW.
Children with a medical exemption may be asked to stay home during an outbreak of a disease they are not protected against, for their own safety.
How immunisation links to CCS
Immunisation affects fees as well as enrolment. To receive Child Care Subsidy, your child must meet the national immunisation requirements, under the policy often called No Jab No Pay. NSW's enrolment rules line up with it, so a child who can enrol in NSW childcare will usually also meet the CCS requirement.
Services Australia checks immunisation status using the Australian Immunisation Register.
If the register shows your child is behind, CCS may stop until they are back on track or on a catch-up schedule.
The meningococcal B vaccine and the annual flu vaccine are not part of these requirements.
Read our guide to Child Care Subsidy for how the subsidy works.
Not required for CCS
- Meningococcal B
- Annual flu vaccine
Fees and formsWhat happens during an outbreak
If a vaccine-preventable disease such as measles or whooping cough is found at a centre, the local public health unit steps in. Centres must report nine of these diseases to the public health unit, which checks the immunisation register and can direct that unvaccinated children stay home to protect them and stop the spread.
The nine diseases centres must notify are diphtheria, Hib, measles, meningococcal C, mumps, whooping cough, polio, rubella and tetanus.
For measles, unimmunised contacts are excluded for at least two weeks after exposure.
This is why centres keep an immunisation register for every child and hold the documents for three years.
Keeping your statement current
Your child's immunisation needs change as they grow, with scheduled vaccines through the early years, including at 12 and 18 months and 4 years. Keep up with the NSW schedule, and give the centre an updated statement after each milestone so the register stays accurate. Your statement is mailed to you once the full childhood schedule is complete, sometime after age four.
Set a reminder for each scheduled vaccine. Your GP or the Blue Book can tell you what is due.
Upload or email the new statement to us after each vaccine visit. We will ask if we notice one is due.
The NSW Health childcare vaccination questions and answers page has the full rules. Questions? Call (02) 7238 8668.
Immunisation, answered
Can unvaccinated children enrol in NSW?+
Only in limited cases. Children on a recognised catch-up schedule, children with a medical exemption, and babies under two months can enrol with the right documents. Children who are unvaccinated because of a parent's conscientious objection cannot be enrolled in NSW childcare under the Public Health Act.
Where do I get the statement?+
Download the AIR Immunisation History Statement from your Medicare online account through myGov, or from the Express Plus Medicare app. You can also call the Australian Immunisation Register on 1800 653 809. It is free, and you can get a copy any time until your child turns 14.
What if we are behind schedule?+
Book a visit with your GP or immunisation provider. They can set up a recognised catch-up schedule and certify an AIR Immunisation History Form, which is accepted for enrolment for up to six months. Once your child is up to date, provide a new statement.
Enrolling soon? Our team at our St Ives centre can check your documents with you.
Ready to enrol?
Book a tour and bring your questions about paperwork.