PVAC-3 in Puerto Rico: the vaccination certificate, who issues it and how to get it

The Department of Health’s Regulation 9458 defines the "vaccination certificate" or P-VAC-3 as the Department’s form, signed by the doctor, the certified authorized pharmacist or the health professional who gives the vaccine, certifying that a person was vaccinated against specific diseases.

It can be on paper or electronic, through the Department of Health portal and the Puerto Rico Immunization Registry (PREIS). The regulation says it cannot be filled in by hand and must carry the signature and seal of the certifying entity, so a handwritten sheet may not be accepted.

Law 25 of 1983 (the Compulsory Immunization Act) says no student or preschool child may be admitted or enrolled in a school, daycare center or social treatment center without an immunization certificate. Handing it in is the responsibility of the student or their parents or guardians.

The law covers public and private schools from kindergarten, authorized colleges and universities, and daycares caring for more than 6 children. Under the law, a "student" is anyone under 21 who enrolls. The required vaccines are published each year by the Secretary of Health.

The quickest route is whoever already has your child’s vaccines in the Registry:

If your child was vaccinated outside Puerto Rico, bring their vaccination record to the provider who will vaccinate or see them here, so it can be reviewed and entered in the Registry. The regulation says that if the Registry has an error, the parent or guardian visits the provider with the vaccination record to have it corrected.

Under Law 25, a student may enroll provisionally after receiving at least one dose of each required vaccine, with a written certification from whoever gave the doses and a plan to complete them. The school or daycare reviews that record every 60 days, and a student who doesn’t complete the doses on time may be excluded until they do.

Anyone may inspect and request a copy of their own Registry information and that of their minor children or people under their guardianship.

Law 25 provides two exemptions. A medical exemption requires a certification signed by a Puerto Rico-licensed doctor stating that one or more vaccines could harm the student, with the specific reason and how long the contraindication may last. That decision belongs to the doctor who knows your child’s vaccination history.

A religious exemption requires a sworn statement that the student or their parents belong to a religious organization whose doctrine conflicts with immunization, or hold sincere religious beliefs in conflict with it. The law also exempts a student from the vaccine for a disease they already had, with a medical certificate or sworn statement.

We do not issue the PVAC-3 and do not give vaccines. The PVAC-3 is generated by whoever vaccinates or by an office with Registry access, and vaccines are given in person.

What we do for school: in a School and work forms visit (US$35), the doctor evaluates your child by video and completes the medical form the school, daycare or university asks for, when the evaluation supports it. See work and school medical certificate, and every school requirement in Puerto Rico school health requirements. If your child is sick, we also see them in an online doctor visit for kids.