Applying for a US Green Card means that you have to complete a medical exam along with the required vaccinations. The US government has specific guidelines for which vaccines are required for Green Card applications and who can administer the vaccines.
Find the details regarding the vaccination requirements for a Green Card detailed below.
You have to get the following vaccines for your Green Card application:
Before 2009, you were also required to get a vaccine for HPV (human papillomavirus) and zoster vaccines, but these are no longer needed.
To consider your vaccination valid and complete, you have to follow these guidelines as stated by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP):
Considering that some vaccines are administered in series and months/years apart from each other, you’re not required to complete all doses of vaccinations at once during the medical exam (except for Covid). However, you should be mindful to complete the series of vaccinations later on.
These are the age-appropriate vaccines as stated by the CDC and the USCIS:
| Vaccine Type According to the Disease | Requirement According to the Age Group |
| Tetanus and diphtheria Pertussis | 2-11 months (DTP/DTaP/DT) 7-10 years- sometimes (Td/Tdap) 11-65 years (Td/Tdap) |
| Polio | 2-11 months |
| Measles, Mumps, and Rubella | 12 months to 64 years (if born in 1957 or later) |
| Rotavirus | 6 weeks to 8 months old |
| Hib | 2 months to 59 months |
| Hepatitis A | 12 months to 23 months |
| Hepatitis B | From birth to 18 years old |
| Meningococcal | 11 years to 18 years |
| Varicella | Over 1 year |
| Pneumococcal | 2 months to 59 months (PVC) Over 65 (PVS or PPSV) |
| Influenza | Over 6 months |
You can receive your vaccines at one of the selected doctors by the US government. Depending on whether you are out of the US or not, you can use one of the following options:
If you apply for a Green Card in your home country, you must get the necessary vaccines from a panel physician. Panel physicians are a number of licensed and trained doctors appointed by a US embassy or consulate to conduct medical examinations and vaccine administrations for immigration purposes.
During your visit with a panel physician, you have to provide your medical and vaccination history. Afterwards, the doctor will determine whether the administration of all the required vaccinations is necessary or not.
Your physician will provide you with a copy of your DS-3025 (Department of State Vaccination Documentation Worksheet), which is a record of all your vaccinations. You need a copy of this form to present it to healthcare providers, schools and institutions after you enter the US.
If you are in the United States, you have to get your vaccinations administered by a civil surgeon when you apply for your Green Card. During your appointment, your civil surgeon will look at your medical history and see which vaccinations are required for immigration purposes.
Once the vaccines are administered, your civil surgeon will provide you with a completed Form I-693 in a sealed envelope, after which you will present it to USCIS.
Important: You must sign the form in your civil surgeon’s presence.
If you are up-to-date with the required vaccinations, then you don’t need to receive extra vaccines. Instead, your appointed doctor will record your vaccinations and put them in your form (I-193 or DS-3025). You may also opt to get the vaccines by your regular physician, but your civil surgeon is in charge of completing the vaccination assessment Form I-693.
You can prove that you have received all the required vaccinations by submitting your medical records or an international vaccination chart. However, the US government won’t accept oral reports without being supported or confirmed by a doctor or other medical professionals with written records.
Yes, all children who are moving to the US must be vaccinated. The only exception is cases where a vaccine may be a medical risk to the child, or the child has already been vaccinated.
Yes, you are in charge of paying for any vaccinations if required. Usually, the price per vaccine is $20, but this may vary depending on which country you are in and, in the US, which state you are in.
In the following cases, you may be exempt from receiving all the required vaccinations for your Green Card:
You may be medically exempt from vaccination requirements only in the following cases:
You are exempt from receiving your vaccinations if any of the following applies to you:
You can also refuse to get vaccinated, but your vaccination card will be marked as incomplete, and you will be denied entry into the United States.
Usually, adopted children from outside of the US are required to get all their vaccines. However, a child under ten years of age can be exempted from vaccination if:
Please note that if you adopt the child from the Philippines or China, they may still be required to complete their vaccinations.