Virginia Form CRE-1 is a one-page notarized affidavit that exempts a student from every state-required school or daycare immunization on religious grounds. You download it from the Virginia Department of Health, fill in the student’s information, sign the religious declaration in front of a notary, and hand the notarized original to the school’s admitting official. The whole process takes about as long as a trip to a notary. Skipping the notarization or leaving a field blank will get the form rejected.
Where To Get the Form
The Virginia Department of Health hosts CRE-1 on its Division of Immunization site at vdh.virginia.gov/immunization/requirements. The regulation governing the exemption points to that page as the official source.1Virginia Code Commission. 12VAC5-110-80 – Exemptions From Immunization Requirements You can also ask for a blank copy at your child’s school front office or at the local health department. Print it and fill it out before heading to the notary.
How To Fill It Out
The form has three sections: student information at the top, a religious declaration in the middle, and a notary block at the bottom.
At the top, write the student’s full legal name as it appears in school records, their date of birth, and the student ID number assigned by the school or district. If the child has not yet enrolled and does not have an ID, leave that field blank and ask the school how they want it handled when you submit.
Below the student information is the declaration. It states, in essence, that the administration of immunizing agents conflicts with the student’s or parent’s religious tenets or practices. It also includes an acknowledgment that during an outbreak or potential epidemic at the child’s school, the State Health Commissioner may order the child excluded until the danger passes.2Virginia Department of Health. Commonwealth of Virginia Certificate of Religious Exemption Signing affirms both statements. There is no space to describe your specific beliefs or name a religion. The declaration is a standard sentence, not a personal essay.
The parent, legal guardian, or the student (if old enough to sign on their own behalf) signs and dates the form. Do not sign before you are in front of the notary. The notary has to witness the signature.
Getting It Notarized
Virginia law requires CRE-1 to be notarized before submission. An unnotarized form does not satisfy the exemption requirement.3Cornell Law Institute. 12 Va. Admin. Code 5-110-80 – Exemptions From Immunization Requirements The notary will ask for a government-issued photo ID, watch you sign, then apply their official seal and signature to the notary block.
You can find a notary at most banks, UPS stores, law offices, and some public libraries. Many banks notarize for free if you have an account with them. Under Virginia law, a notary may charge up to $10 for notarizing a paper document or up to $25 for an electronic document.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 47.1-19 – Fees Check that the seal impression is legible. A smudged or partial seal can cause the school to reject the form.
Where To Submit the Form
Hand the original notarized form to the admitting official at the school where the student is enrolling.1Virginia Code Commission. 12VAC5-110-80 – Exemptions From Immunization Requirements In practice, that is usually the registrar, front office staff, or principal. The requirement reaches any institution that requires immunization records under Virginia law: public and private elementary, middle, and secondary schools, along with childcare centers, nursery schools, family day care homes, and developmental centers.5Virginia Department of Health. School Requirements
The school files CRE-1 in the student’s health record in place of an immunization certificate. Make a photocopy for yourself before turning it in. If the form is ever lost during a records transfer, you will need to know what was on the original. If the child later transfers schools, the new school will need to see the exemption on file, or you may need to submit a fresh notarized CRE-1 to that school’s admitting official.
What the Exemption Covers
CRE-1 is a blanket exemption. It covers every vaccine on Virginia’s mandatory school-entry schedule rather than listing individual shots, so you do not file separate paperwork for each one. If the Board of Health adds new vaccines in the future, the exemption still applies, because the form’s language covers “immunizing agents” broadly rather than naming specific vaccines.
HPV is worth a separate note: Virginia law lets parents opt out of the HPV vaccine at their sole discretion even without a religious exemption.5Virginia Department of Health. School Requirements
When the Exemption Can Be Suspended
Signing CRE-1 does not guarantee uninterrupted attendance in every situation. If an outbreak or potential epidemic of a vaccine-preventable disease occurs at the child’s school, the State Health Commissioner can order all students with immunization exemptions excluded until the danger passes.6Cornell Law Institute. 12 Va. Admin. Code 5-110-120 The form itself includes this acknowledgment, so by signing you confirm you understand the possibility. The same exclusion authority applies to students with medical exemptions, not just religious ones.7Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 32.1-46 – Immunization of Patients Against Certain Diseases
In practice, this authority is used sparingly. It applies to declared outbreaks at a specific school, not to broad seasonal illness. If it does happen, the child stays home until the Health Commissioner lifts the order.
Religious vs. Medical Exemption
Virginia offers two separate exemption paths with different paperwork. CRE-1 is the religious route: a parent-signed, notarized affidavit with no doctor involvement. A medical exemption requires written certification from a physician, registered nurse, or local health department stating that one or more specific immunizations would be detrimental to the student’s health, identifying which vaccines are contraindicated and how long the condition is expected to last.1Virginia Code Commission. 12VAC5-110-80 – Exemptions From Immunization Requirements A medical exemption can be limited to certain vaccines and may expire. CRE-1 covers all vaccines and has no built-in expiration date.