All information about the vaccination record
Reading the vaccination record correctly: recognizing protection and refreshing it when needed
Ideally, your vaccination record will last a lifetime. It documents all your vaccinations and lets you know when it’s time for a booster shot. How do you read the yellow booklet? What should you do if you lose your vaccination record or if it’s no longer up to date? We’ve summarized the most important information for you.
Information on the Electronic Vaccination Record
Currently, you must manually transfer your vaccination records to the electronic vaccination record (as part of the SBK Electronic Patient Record). Starting in late 2027, doctors’ offices are expected to automatically save new vaccinations there.
Where do I get my vaccination record?
Your vaccination record is issued by your doctor’s office with your first vaccination shortly after birth. Ideally, it should be kept throughout your life so that all doctors can see which vaccinations you have received.
Most people have the yellow vaccination booklet, which is issued according to the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). Some older white fold-out vaccination booklets still exist in Germany, and they are structured similarly. The WHO vaccination record is an international document and contains all information in German, English and French. For this reason, it is also an important travel document, especially when visiting countries with vaccination requirements.
Vaccination record lost: step-by-step to a new vaccination record
Are not all vaccinations fully documented? Or has the vaccination record been lost? If so, first contact your pediatrician’s or family doctor’s office. All vaccinations should be documented in your medical record at your family doctor’s office, so that the entries can be retroactively added to the vaccination record by a doctor. If previous vaccinations can no longer be verified, you are considered “unvaccinated.” In this case, doctors’ offices recommend catching up on all undocumented and necessary vaccinations. Consult with your doctor’s office for personalized advice on which vaccinations apply to you.
If your old vaccination record has been lost or you’ve never had one, the vaccinations will be entered into a new vaccination record. You can obtain this from your doctor’s office. It is not possible to order or apply for a vaccination record.
Only under certain conditions, for example, for people with immunodeficiency, may a doctor recommend titer tests, which can then be billed through the health insurance card.
Tip: Make a copy of your vaccination record after each new vaccination. This way, you’ll have the information on hand even if the vaccination record is lost. The vaccinations you’ve received can be transferred to a new vaccination record.
Page by page: understanding your vaccination record
A closer look inside the vaccination record
After the cover page, you will find the entries for yellow fever vaccinations. Some countries require proof of yellow fever vaccination upon entry. Only officially authorized yellow fever vaccination centers may administer and record this vaccination.
Following these pages, you will find entries for standard vaccinations administered from infancy to adulthood. In Germany, these include vaccinations against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), and measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR).
Most vaccination records have a dedicated section for influenza vaccinations. This is where the annual flu vaccination is documented.
The vaccination record also lists special vaccinations needed for work, travel, or specific risk groups. These may include vaccinations against rabies, hepatitis A, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), or HPV (cervical cancer).
STIKO has not recommended vaccination against tuberculosis (BCG) in Germany since 1998. Nevertheless, it may sometimes be relevant to determine whether you have had tuberculosis or another mycobacterial infection in the past, or whether you were vaccinated. This can be determined through a skin test. The result of this tuberculin test is recorded in the vaccination booklet.
COVID-19 vaccinations can also be recorded in the new vaccination cards. Previous COVID-19 infections can also be noted, as these may be considered equivalent to vaccination protection under certain circumstances.
In certain cases, a blood test for antibodies can determine whether you are sufficiently protected against specific diseases, such as rubella, through vaccination or having previously had the disease. This is relevant, for example, for women planning to have children. These results are also recorded in the vaccination record, usually on one of the back pages.
If you ever undergo another antibody test, those results can also be noted in your immunization record. A blood test, known as a titer test, can detect antibodies against certain diseases. This helps determine whether you already have immunity. However, these tests are not always recommended because the test results are not always entirely reliable. In most cases, these tests must be paid for out of pocket.
In emergency situations, such as when you have an injury and your vaccination protection is insufficient for example, you may receive passive immunization — for example, against tetanus. The administration of antibodies is documented in the corresponding section of the vaccination record.
Finally, important medical data for emergencies can be recorded in the vaccination record, such as blood type, allergies, or chronic conditions.
Here you will find common abbreviations that you may be used in your vaccination record:
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
| aP | Pertussis (whooping cough) |
| D or d | Diphtheria |
| DT or Td | Diphtheria/tetanus combination vaccine |
| DTaP or Tdap | Diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis combination vaccine |
| TBE | Tick-borne encephalitis |
| HA | Hepatitis A |
| HB | Hepatitis B |
| Hib | Haemophilus influenzae type b |
| HPV | Human papillomavirus |
| IfSG (German) | German Infection Protection Act |
| IPV | Inactivated polio vaccine (vaccine against polio) |
| MMR | Measles/mumps/rubella combination vaccine |
| MMR-V | Measles/mumps/rubella/varicella combination vaccine |
| T | Tetanus |
| Tbc | Tuberculosis |
| V | Varicella |
When is which vaccination recommended?
On the last page of your vaccination record, you will find a vaccination schedule that shows at which point in time each standard vaccination is recommended. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) provides the most up-to-date recommendations of the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) on its website.
In addition, STIKO issues further vaccination recommendations for specific groups of people. These indication-based vaccinations apply to individuals with underlying health conditions or immune deficiencies, or to people who are exposed to particular risks due to their profession. Additional vaccinations may also be recommended for international travel.
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