What Type of Immunization Exemptions are Available in South Carolina?
Medical and religious exemptions are the only available immunization exemptions in South Carolina.
How Can I Obtain a South Carolina Certificate of Religious Exemption?
A religious exemption is granted to a childcare or K-12 student whose parent(s), guardian(s), or person in loco parentis signs and has notarized the South Carolina Certificate of Religious Exemption form. The form may only be obtained at the in person or online health department.
Obtain form online:
According to state law, a religious exemption only applies to vaccines included in the South Carolina Immunization Requirements for Childcare and K-12 Schools. COVID-19 vaccines are optional, so a religious exemption is not needed for these vaccines. Religious exemptions are not used by employers or higher education.
Can My Child Attend Daycare or School with a South Carolina Certificate of Religious Exemption or a Medical Exemption?
Yes, religious and medical exemptions are available in South Carolina. However, if there is an outbreak of a vaccine preventable disease in your child's daycare or school, and your child has not been vaccinated against that disease, your child may have to be excluded from school for their protection until it is determined that it is safe for your child to return.
Does the South Carolina Certificate of Religious Exemption Form Extend to College-Age Students?
No. State immunization regulation on immunization exemptions extends from day care through 12th grade. Each college and university establish their own policy for immunization requirements.
Is There a Personal Exemption Clause?
No. Medical and religious exemptions are the only available immunization exemptions in South Carolina.
What is a Medical Exemption?
South Carolina state law recognizes exemptions to immunization for medical contraindications as determined by a licensed health care provider. Only an individual licensed to practice medicine, surgery, or osteopathy or his/her representative may issue a certificate of medical exemption to immunization. There is one DPH form, the South Carolina Certificate of Immunization, that meets both the certification and the medical exemption regulations (SC Regulation 60-8).
What is a Special Exemption?
A special exemption, signed by the school principal or his/her authorized representative, may be issued to transfer students while awaiting arrival of medical records from their former area of residence or to other students who have been unable to secure immunizations or documentation of immunizations already received. A South Carolina Certificate of Special Exemption may be issued only once and is valid for only thirty (30) days. At the expiration of this special exemption, the student must present a valid South Carolina Certificate of Immunization or a valid South Carolina Certificate of Religious Exemption.