Vaccination history in Russia

[kefir10 3]

Привет!

I have a quick question: we are preparing all the documentation for the interview (for K1 visa) in Moscow. My fiancée needs to obtain evidence of her vaccination history. She tells me that several of them were given to her at school (in Moscow) and they did not give her any stamps/certificate (whatever you call it) for her own records. Does anyone know how/where to obtain her records? (do they even keep them?)

Спасибо за помощь!

[Amy_and_Victor 159]

Hello, if she doesn't have any records on hands, the only way to obtain a proof I see is to contact her school and ask if they still have records for certain years. They keep them for some time (since graduates might need records for college, etc.), but I really don't know for how long and may be it's even up to school for how long to keep these documents. It's not very well regulated and schools usually don't have a special many years archive for such papers. If school still keeps her records and somebody can find it for your fiancee, she can easily get them on hands, if not, I guess there is no proof left.

- Victor from Russia

[kefir10 3]

Thanks Victor! Probably chances are slim since she graduated from high school 10 years ago... but, you never know!

[obormot 0]

She can contact her "uchastkovyj" doctor (primary care phisitian) at the "poliklinika" she is assigned to. Well, probably rather her pediatritian, as in Russia children use different "polyvclinics" with different doctors.They should have her immunisation recod on file. In fact, now in Russia there exists a special "immuniation booklet", where they usually put down all that.

Some of my Russian acquaintances would just pay an arbitrary doctor to write whatever info on a formal lettrehead with the doctors stamp - this is a type of the information doctors do not look at seriously in Russia, and would easily sign whatever. She can even do it legally - by talking to he phisitian, and s/he could accept to write such a paper using info from her words.

Edited April 28, 2014 by obormot

[CanGirl 95]

Can't she contact her doctor or some other health records facility? She can also try asking her parents for the records.

I am in Canada so I know it is not the same, but I contacted the health records for my area and asked them to send me a copy of my vaccination records.

If she can't get records at all that is not problem. The doctor can do a blood test to see what vaccinations she has and what ones are needed.

[Amy_and_Victor 159]

She can contact her "uchastkovyj" doctor (primary care phisitian) at the "poliklinika" she is assigned to. Well, probably rather her pediatritian, as in Russia children use different "polyvclinics" with different doctors.They should have her immunisation recod on file. In fact, now in Russia there exists a special "immuniation booklet", where they usually put down all that.

Some of my Russian acquaintances would just pay an arbitrary doctor to write whatever info on a formal lettrehead with the doctors stamp - this is a type of the information doctors do not look at seriously in Russia, and would easily sign whatever. She can even do it legally - by talking to he phisitian, and s/he could accept to write such a paper using info from her words.

She can try that but I'm not sure it would work out since she graduated 10 years ago, so her vaccinations belong to period about 10-12 yeards ago. Now it's a little different, but I graduated high school a little over 10 years ago and can tell medical records were a mess back there, at least in my city. Clinic and primary physitian had their own files, school had it's own file, they didn't update each other's files to make them match and din't contact each other unless absolutely necessary, and both "files" were just cardboard binders with handwritten random pieces of paper since IT in Russia back there still was really new thing and government healthcare couldn't afford to use it everywhere.

Can't she contact her doctor or some other health records facility? She can also try asking her parents for the records.

I am in Canada so I know it is not the same, but I contacted the health records for my area and asked them to send me a copy of my vaccination records.

Such services are a little different in Russia. Not mentioning that if you'll call your primary care physician facility and will ask them to mail (or e-mail) records to you, most likely they will ask you "are you darn kidding us? come here and get it youself".

- Victor from Russia

[Hollyday 122]

Another way to do it without having to dig very deep is to get a blood test showing her having immunity to specific diseases. You can either present the actual immunization record or this, i believe.

[Meghan&Andrey 51]

Привет!

I have a quick question: we are preparing all the documentation for the interview (for K1 visa) in Moscow. My fiancée needs to obtain evidence of her vaccination history. She tells me that several of them were given to her at school (in Moscow) and they did not give her any stamps/certificate (whatever you call it) for her own records. Does anyone know how/where to obtain her records? (do they even keep them?)

Спасибо за помощь!

Have you figured out what to do? My fiancé' is Russian & I just brought up the vaccination records to him & he says he has no earthly idea where to even start looking for his records & he doesn't know which vaccines he's had. I found a list of vaccines & he ended up yelling at me because he said there's no way they require all of those in Russia lol

http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/immigrate/vaccinations.html

[Derek & Rita 6]

Well, if you don't have them, no big deal. You just get them again. Go to the doctor and say "hey I have no idea if I had this or not, give it to me" and they will vaccinate you again. It's that simple.

[CanGirl 95]

You can actually do a blood test to see what vaccines you have. Its probably not a good idea to get them again if you already have it lol

[kefir10 3]

Have you figured out what to do? My fiancé' is Russian & I just brought up the vaccination records to him & he says he has no earthly idea where to even start looking for his records & he doesn't know which vaccines he's had. I found a list of vaccines & he ended up yelling at me because he said there's no way they require all of those in Russia lol

So we will see what they have at the hospital on record and see what is missing and how to get the docs from there. Most of them are given early so they should be on record at the hospital. At school I think they only get tetanus booster (not a big deal, plus its probably time for the next one) and hep A+B (this can be tested easily with blood test).

It looks like a lot, but many of them are given in the same shot (like MMR). Unless you didn't get chicken pox as a child you will need a shot for that. I don't know if the Flu shot is required (though listed). -- not a big deal either way.

[Snipe 21]

afaik if your interview is between Sept-April, You need a flu shot. Otherwise no.

it figures since season would be done and a new strain would come out making vacinnation pointless.

Please keep us updated on this. my wife doesnt have one of the vaccinations that is only given to like babies and when she asked vaccination centre to put it they said only babies are suppose to get it so I'm worried medical exam will still ask for it and no one will put it.

[kefir10 3]

As far as I understand, if you are missing a vaccination they will make you get it as long as its safe based on age, etc... Missing one (or a couple) may not affect getting the visa (since its a non-immigrant visa) but you will have to get it sorted out by the time you file for AOS.

[Meghan&Andrey 51]

As far as I understand, if you are missing a vaccination they will make you get it as long as its safe based on age, etc... Missing one (or a couple) may not affect getting the visa (since its a non-immigrant visa) but you will have to get it sorted out by the time you file for AOS.

The thing with this is, you're adding more costs on top of the already $200 exam. He said he had his medical book somewhere & he was going to search for it. He also said that from age 14 on, he was tested regularly to make sure he was up to date incase he went into the military. He didn't. I was completely confused about this & he couldn't tell me what he was tested for. This is the problem we keep having with everything. He doesn't understand that everything that happens there or everything he has (documents, "proof") don't always equal to what the US is asking. He even asked if the marks on his hand (I'm guessing from some kind of vaccine or testing that was done) would count for proof of documentation. I about fell out of my chair at that because he was dead serious! That's just how he thinks about things & its been driving me crazy through this whole process. Anyway, Plan A is to find the medical book. Then if necessary, Plan B is to find out what was tested & what records they have from when he was 14+. I'm not sure what to do for Plan C if we get there

[Amy_and_Victor 159]

The thing with this is, you're adding more costs on top of the already $200 exam.

Yep, this is totally true! They can make some vaccines in medical centre during exam before interview, but it costs quite a bit there. It's much cheaper and often totally free to make the same shots in local clinic before exam.

He even asked if the marks on his hand (I'm guessing from some kind of vaccine or testing that was done) would count for proof of documentation. I about fell out of my chair at that because he was dead serious! That's just how he thinks about things & its been driving me crazy through this whole process.

LOL, that's funny, but actually almost every Russian (with rare exeptions) has easy recognisable mark on the shoulder, it's variola vaccination. I don't know why, but that vaccine they used in USSR and Russia always leaves a scar. I have one too.

- Victor from Russia