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My mother arrived today in WA, U.S. from Uzbekistan on an immigrant visa. She already had had 3 doses of Covid-19 vaccine (manufactured in China) in Uzbekistan before she got her U.S. visa. She had her Form I-693 completed (as a prerequisite for her immigrant visa interview at the U.S. Embassy). Also, she has foreign paperwork issued in Uzbekistan documenting her vaccination status. Here in King County, WA, many businesses require a person to present a CDC vaccination card to enter. How can she get a vaccination card or an equivalent acceptable in WA?

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There is presently no state-wide vaccine requirement for public spaces that I can find in Washington, but King County (which includes Seattle) does have a requirement to show proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, bars, and certain indoor or large outdoor recreational events.

The page above talks about proof from "another county", but this is a typo, which is fixed on the kcvaxverified website, and the implementation guidance for businesses linked there explicitly states (in large type on the bottom of page 8)

Note: Proof of vaccination from another country is also valid.

The official order from King County states that (emphasis added):

Verification of vaccination may be established by any of the following methods of documentation:

  • CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Record Card, or photo of CDC Vaccine Record Card
  • QR Code, digital or printed certificate from MyIRmobile.com (WA Department of Health partner website, My Immunization Records)
  • Vaccine administration record from a vaccine provider, including an individual’s doctor, pharmacy, or other official immunization record from within or outside the U.S., including a photo or photocopy
  • Specific mobile applications that verify vaccination status will be allowed if approved by the WA Department of Health or Public Health – Seattle & King County

It goes on to say that (emphasis in original)

Employers, their employees, and volunteers, must implement this ORDER equitably and may not:

  • Scrutinize proof of vaccination more closely based on an individual’s race, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, or
  • Refuse to accept valid proof of vaccination that is authorized by this ORDER, such as WHO approved vaccination from countries outside of the U.S. or photographs of CDC vaccination cards.

Your mother is not eligible for a CDC card because (you say) she was not vaccinated in the US, so she should be prepared to show her Uzbek proof of vaccination, probably accompanied by an English translation if the proof she has does not already include English.

It is likely that many businesses will not have seen an Uzbek proof of vaccination before, but most businesses will want you as a customer, so be prepared to be patient and polite, and you should usually be successful.

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    Maybe a worthy addition given wording in the question that only certain vaccines are accepted by King County (and most other governments that require “proof of vaccination) for King County its listed at kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/current-guidance/verify/… and includes “Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson&Johnson/Jannsen, AstraZenica, Sinopharm-BBIBP, Sinovac, and Novavax” - I assume one of these may be the one OP’s mother received but worthwhile to note that not all the vaccines out there will be accepted
    – John-M
    Commented Dec 26, 2021 at 22:02
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    @John-M The legal text of the order that i linked above says it requires "a FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine…or a WHO-authorized COVID-19 vaccine series", which is (sensibly) the same requirement that the CDC applies to fly to the US anyway. Frankly, and somewhat unusually, the order itself is much better written than a lot of the King County website that purports to explain it.
    – mlc
    Commented Dec 27, 2021 at 0:31
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    I live in Seattle and can confirm most businesses barely look at your card when you enter the premises. They usually care about satisfying the law, not about your actual antibodies.
    – JonathanReez ♦
    Commented Dec 27, 2021 at 0:45

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