Arkansas Immunization Waiver: Application, Approval, and Renewal

To get an Arkansas immunization exemption for your child, you apply directly to the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) every school year using its current exemption application. No school, doctor, or other agency can grant the waiver in the ADH’s place. Two kinds are available: a medical exemption based on a physician’s determination that a vaccine is contraindicated, and a religious or philosophical exemption based on your beliefs as the parent or legal guardian. Both require a notarized application, and the ADH takes up to ten working days to issue an approval letter once it receives a completed packet.¹

Which Type of Exemption You Need

A medical exemption applies when a licensed physician determines your child has a physical condition that contraindicates a specific vaccine. The exemption covers only that vaccine, and only for as long as the condition persists.²

This is where parents often go wrong: your pediatrician’s letter by itself will not satisfy the school. Under Arkansas rules, the only valid medical exemption is a letter issued by the Medical Director of the ADH Immunization Section. Schools and childcare facilities cannot accept a private physician’s statement on its own.³ The physician’s letter is a required attachment to the ADH application; the ADH then reviews it and issues the letter your school will actually accept.

A religious or philosophical exemption is available whenever immunization conflicts with your religious or philosophical beliefs. You do not need to belong to a particular church or organized religion for this exemption to apply.² The application has more moving parts than the medical version. You submit a notarized statement requesting the exemption, complete an educational activity that consists of reading the CDC Vaccine Information Statements included with the application, sign the ADH’s refusal-to-vaccinate form confirming you understand the risks and still decline, and sign an outbreak acknowledgment agreeing your child can be excluded from school during a disease outbreak.⁴

If any component is missing, the ADH returns the application with a checklist showing what to fix, and your child’s enrollment can be affected while you resubmit.¹

How to Complete and Submit the Application

The ADH hosts the application through its online portal at onlineimmunizationexemption.adh.arkansas.gov. You fill out the form online, but you cannot submit it electronically. You must print it, sign it in front of a notary public, and mail or deliver the notarized packet to the ADH Immunization Section.⁴

A few details that trip families up:

Only the current school year’s form is accepted. Last year’s packet will be rejected.¹
Submit a separate application for each child.
The custodial parent or legal guardian must sign in front of a notary. Banks, UPS stores, and county offices typically offer notary services for a small fee.
For a medical exemption, attach the physician’s letter to the completed form before mailing.
For a religious or philosophical exemption, confirm the educational activity section and the refusal-to-vaccinate form are both signed.

Processing Time and Giving the Letter to the School

The ADH sends you an approval or denial letter within ten working days of receiving a completed application.¹ If your application is incomplete, that clock resets when you resubmit, so getting the packet right the first time matters.

Once the approval arrives, keep the original for your records and give a copy to your child’s school registrar or childcare director for the permanent file. Schools and childcare facilities are only authorized to accept the official ADH letter as proof of exemption, and notifying the school is your responsibility rather than the ADH’s.⁴

Starting School Before Approval Arrives

Arkansas rules allow temporary admission while your application is pending. A school may admit a student for up to thirty calendar days after enrollment as long as the child shows proof of having applied for the exemption. For Tdap and meningococcal vaccines required at ages 11 and 16, the deadline extends to October 1st. If nothing has arrived by the applicable deadline, the school must exclude the child until documentation is provided.⁵

Childcare facilities have a shorter window: fifteen program days after the child’s original admission.⁶ Given the ten-working-day processing time, sending in your application before the first day of attendance is the safest approach.

Renewing Every Year

An Arkansas exemption is not permanent. It covers a single school year, running from the start of fall classes through the following summer sessions, and you have to reapply for every subsequent year using that year’s form.⁴ Plan the notary trip and mailing into your back-to-school routine so a lapse doesn’t keep your child out of class.

When an Exempt Child Can Still Be Kept Out

An approved exemption does not guarantee attendance through every scenario. As part of the application, you sign a statement acknowledging that the ADH can remove any unvaccinated student from school or childcare during an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease, and the child cannot return until the ADH determines the outbreak is resolved and specifically approves re-entry.²

The application warns that exclusion could last 21 days or longer, depending on the disease.¹ Your child misses class entirely during that period unless the school arranges alternative instruction.

College and University Students

The same ADH application process covers college and university students. The ADH publishes a separate college packet each year, and students who are 18 or older sign the application themselves rather than having a parent sign.⁴ For medical exemptions at the college level, a certificate approved by the ADH and signed by a licensed physician can be accepted directly by the institution.⁶ A college student who does not provide immunization records, an exemption, or proof of applying for one can be excluded from the institution until the documentation is provided.

1
Arkansas Department of Health. Arkansas Immunization Exemption Application Packet 2025-2026
2
Justia. Arkansas Code 6-18-702 – Immunization
3
Code of Arkansas Rules. 6 CAR 520-302 – Medical Exemptions
4
Arkansas Department of Health. Arkansas Immunization Exemption Application
5
Arkansas Department of Education. Arkansas Department of Education Rules Governing Immunization
6
Legal Information Institute. Arkansas Code R 007.15.08-003 – Rules Pertaining to Immunization Requirements