Article: If you still have the name and contact information for the doctor or clinic that gave you immunizations, they typically have those records on file. In most cases, this is the fastest way to get your immunization record. To protect patient privacy, you may have to go to the office in person and show a government-issued photo ID before your records will be released to you. If a doctor has retired, or a clinic has changed ownership, medical records typically are sent to a medical record storage company. You can still get your immunization records through the company, but you may have to pay a small fee for retrieval and copying. Many schools require immunization records from attending students. It may be easier to get your immunization records from your school than from your healthcare provider, particularly if you moved around a lot or saw several different doctors. This option typically is only available if you recently graduated. To protect students' privacy, schools usually don't keep these records for more than a year or two after graduation. You may have filed your immunization records along with other important papers and later forgotten about them. If you're looking for childhood immunization documents, check in baby books and other records your parents may have kept. Old papers from your childhood also might show the name of your pediatrician or other healthcare provider, who you could then contact for help locating your immunization records. In many countries, including the United States, there isn't a national immunization registry. However, all states and many cities have voluntary registries where you might find information about vaccinations you've received. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a list of contact information for immunization registries available at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/iis/contacts-locate-records.html. You can also contact your local health department. Check the date the registry began to make sure it even existed when you would have gotten your immunizations. If you order your immunization record from a state or local registry, expect to pay a small fee (generally under $20). It may take a couple of weeks for you to receive your record in the mail.

What is a summary?
Call your healthcare provider. Contact schools where you submitted immunization records. Look through old papers in your home. Check with your local immunization registry.