Russian Vaccination Records for Foreign Schools
Your child's Russian vaccination record is written in Russian vaccine abbreviations and dates that a foreign school cannot read directly. A certified translation renders the vaccine names and dates unambiguously so the school can cross-check them against its own immunisation schedule. Here is what the record is, how it travels, and what happens at the school.
When your child enrolls in school abroad, the vaccination record from Russia is often the first document a school nurse asks to see. But that booklet or certificate is in Russian, with Russian vaccine names (АКДС, краснуха, Спутник V) and dates written in a format a foreign school cannot parse directly. Your job is not to interpret the record or map it to the local schedule—the school does that. Your job is to make sure the school can read what the record actually says. That is what a certified translation does: it renders the Russian vaccine names and dates into clear English so a receiving school nurse or health officer can match them against their own immunisation database without confusion. This is how Russian vaccination records work, how they are translated, and what happens when they arrive at your child’s new school.
What the Russian Vaccination Record Is and Who Issues It
A Russian child’s vaccination record is an official medical document. It exists in two shapes. The immunisation card (форма 063/у) is the clinic’s own register of every shot given, and it stays at the clinic. The immunisation certificate (форма 156/у-93) is the small booklet families keep at home, and it is the one usually shown to a school. The record is issued and maintained by the medical organisation that administered the vaccinations—typically the polyclinic (поликлиника) where the child is registered, the hospital where the child was born, or a private medical clinic. The record shows every vaccination the child has received, the date each shot was given, the vaccine name and batch number, and the name of the medical professional who administered it. The school did not issue it. A ministry did not issue it. Only the medical organisation that gave the shots can issue or update it.
Russian Vaccine Names and Why They Cannot Be Read Directly Abroad
Russian vaccines are listed on the record by their Russian abbreviations: АКДС for the combination diphtheria-tetanus-whooping-cough vaccine, ОПВ or ИПВ for polio, КПК for measles-mumps-rubella, полиомиелит for polio, краснуха for rubella, коклюш for pertussis, гепатит В for hepatitis B, and (since the pandemic) Спутник V or Гам-КОВИД-Вак for COVID vaccines. These abbreviations do not appear in international immunisation databases. When a school nurse in Germany, Italy, the United States or any other country looks at a Russian record, they see “АКДС” and cannot determine whether it maps to the local diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis schedule, or whether the dates line up with what their health authority recommends. A certified translation renders the abbreviation as its full name in English—”diphtheria-tetanus-whooping cough vaccine” or the recognised trade name—so the school can cross-reference it immediately.
Dates Rendered So No Ambiguity Remains
Russian medical records use Russian date notation (31.12.2020, meaning 31 December 2020). A foreign school nurse should not have to guess: the date needs to be written unambiguously in the format her country uses or in the ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD, e.g., 2020-12-31) that is universal across medical systems. A certified translation converts the Russian date into this clear format so there is no possibility of confusion about when each vaccination was given. This matters: a dose date determines whether a child is on schedule for the next dose, whether a booster is due, and whether the child is compliant with the local immunisation calendar. A date that cannot be read unambiguously is useless to the school.
What a Certified Translation Does and Does Not Do
A certified translation is one the translator signs and stamps, taking professional responsibility for rendering the record fully and faithfully. Where a Russian notary is involved as well, it is worth knowing exactly what the notary adds: under Russian law the notary certifies the translator’s signature — that this named, qualified translator signed this text — and not the accuracy of the translation or anything about its medical content. It does not say the child is “up to date” or “behind” on any schedule. It does not map the Russian vaccine to a foreign equivalent—a task that requires medical judgment and knowledge of foreign health policy. It does not declare whether the child is “compliant” or whether any doses are missing. Mapping the vaccination record onto the local immunisation schedule is the receiving school’s or health authority’s job, not ours. The certified translation gives the school what it needs to read the record: clear vaccine names in English, unambiguous dates, and the translator’s assurance that the translation is faithful. What the school does with that information belongs entirely to the school.
If the school’s health officer has questions about whether a particular Russian vaccine is accepted locally, whether it is recognised by the health authority, or whether the child needs additional doses to meet local requirements, those are questions for the school’s medical adviser or your local health authority. A translation does not resolve medical questions—it renders a medical document readable.
When to Order and How the Timeline Works
Order your child’s vaccination record translation during the summer, before the school year starts. The process is straightforward: you send us a clear scan or photo of your child’s Russian vaccination booklet or certificate; we translate it into English and certify the translation; the school receives the certified copy and files it in your child’s health record. A notarised translation takes 2 to 3 business days once we have clear scans in hand. An apostille on the original is rarely asked for by schools; when one is genuinely wanted the practical route is an apostille on a notarised copy, and we work that out case by case rather than quoting a standard time for it. International courier delivery to most countries runs 2 to 5 weeks on top of translation time, so if you need a physical copy by mail, start early. Many schools will take the translation by email, but ask yours rather than assuming. What you cannot compress is the post: if the school wants paper, the courier leg is the long pole, so start well before term rather than in the last week of August. Many families also need to order a child’s birth certificate at the same time, so plan to send us both documents together if the school has asked for one.
- Step 1 Send us a clear scan or photo Your child's Russian vaccination booklet (форма 063/у) or certificate (форма 156/у-93). A photo from your phone is fine as long as every page is readable and the text is legible.
- Step 2 We translate and certify Our translators render Russian vaccine names into clear English, convert dates to unambiguous format (ISO 8601 or your country's standard), and sign and stamp the translation as certified.
- Step 3 School receives the certified copy The certified translation arrives by email or by post. The school's health office cross-checks the vaccine names and dates against its own immunisation schedule and health requirements.
- Step 4 School files and decides The school determines whether the record meets its requirements, whether any additional doses are needed locally, and whether the child is cleared for enrolment. That decision is the school's responsibility, not ours.
What to Send Us
- A clear scan or photo of your child's Russian vaccination record—typically the blue-green booklet (форма 063/у) or a medical certificate (форма 156/у-93)
- If you have multiple documents (original booklet plus supplementary immunisation records), send them all so nothing is missed
- Your child's full name and date of birth as shown on the vaccination record, for exact matching in the translation
- The country and school where the child will present the record—so we confirm the translation format is right for that destination
- The school's deadline for document submission—tell us this when you order so we meet it
You May Also Need
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Russian Vaccination Records — Certified Translation
Most schools accept a certified translation of the vaccination record. We translate vaccine names and dates unambiguously so your school can read and cross-check them.
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Birth Certificate Apostille & Translation
Schools often ask for both vaccination records and a birth certificate. We can handle both in parallel so you have everything ready before school starts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my child's Russian vaccination record need an apostille, or is a certified translation enough?
For school forms an apostille is rarely asked for, and a certified translation is usually what is wanted — but that is a pattern we see, not a rule you can rely on, and it is the school's call. Ask your school directly: 'Do you need a certified translation only, or do you also need an apostille on the original?' Get the answer in writing before you order, so you pay for exactly what the school will accept.
What are АКДС, краснуха, and the other abbreviations on the Russian record?
These are Russian vaccine abbreviations: АКДС is diphtheria-tetanus-whooping cough; краснуха is rubella; КПК is measles-mumps-rubella; ИПВ or ОПВ is polio; полиомиелит is poliomyelitis; гепатит В is hepatitis B; and Спутник V is the Russian COVID vaccine. A certified translation renders each abbreviation into the full English vaccine name so the school can recognise it immediately.
How does a foreign school know whether my child is 'up to date' on vaccinations?
The school's health office compares your child's vaccination record (once it is translated) against the local immunisation schedule for your child's age. Whether doses match that schedule is decided by the school, the local health authority, and the child's doctor—not by the translation. A certified translation shows what the child received and when; the school interprets it according to its own rules.
Can I send a photo from my phone, or does it need to be a professional scan?
A clear, readable photo from your phone is absolutely fine. As long as we can read the vaccine names, dates, and your child's name without strain, we can work with it. If any page is blurry or text is hard to see, we will ask you to re-send a clearer version.
My child has two different vaccination records from two different clinics. Do I send both?
Yes, send both. A certified translation should show the complete vaccination history from every medical organisation that kept records. If your child was registered at one clinic and then switched to another, or received some vaccines at a hospital and others at the polyclinic, we translate all the records so the school sees the full picture.
How do I know the translation is correct if I cannot read English?
A certified translation carries the translator's professional signature and stamp, which means the translator is professionally responsible for its accuracy. If a school comes back to us because of a translation error on our part, we correct and re-issue it at no charge — that is our standing guarantee. What the stamp does not do is vouch for the medical content: it says the English says what the Russian says, nothing more.
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Ready to order?
Send us a scan or photo of your child's Russian vaccination record—you will have a fixed price and a delivery date within 2 hours during working hours, and you pay nothing until you approve.
We are not a school, a health authority, or a medical adviser. We translate Russian vaccination records (форма 063/у and форма 156/у-93) into English so foreign schools can read the vaccine names and dates. A certified translation shows what the record says; mapping those vaccines onto a local immunisation schedule is the receiving school's or health authority's responsibility, not ours. We do not assess whether your child is 'up to date', whether any doses are missing, or whether the child meets a particular country's health requirements—those are medical and administrative questions for the school and the child's doctor. Typical turnaround is 2 to 3 business days for a notarised translation once we have clear scans. International courier delivery to the EU or US typically takes 2 to 5 weeks. We give no medical advice and make no representation about vaccine efficacy or safety.
