To get the Florida religious exemption form (DH 681), visit your county health department in person, ask for the form, and sign it in front of the medical director or their designee, who signs to issue it. You then present the signed form to your child’s school or childcare facility in place of the standard immunization record. There is no approval process, no hearing, and no requirement to document or explain your beliefs.
Where to Get the Form
Form DH 681 is issued only through county health departments. Blank copies circulate online, but a printed-out version isn’t valid on its own. The form requires the signature of the county health department medical director or their designee to be legally effective.1Cornell Law Institute. Fla Admin Code Ann R 64D-3.046 – Immunization Requirements That signature is why an in-person visit is unavoidable.
Every Florida county has at least one health department office that handles these requests. The Florida Department of Health maintains an online directory of locations.2Florida Department of Health. Immunization Exemptions Call the office before you go. Some locations take exemption requests only during specific hours or ask you to make an appointment.
What to Bring and What Happens at the Visit
Bring a photo ID and any existing immunization records for your child. The visit itself is short. Staff hand you the current version of Form DH 681, available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.1Cornell Law Institute. Fla Admin Code Ann R 64D-3.046 – Immunization Requirements The form asks for:
- The child’s full legal name
- Date of birth
- Address and contact information
- Parent or guardian name
Below those fields, the form contains a pre-printed statement affirming that immunization conflicts with your religious beliefs. You sign under that statement, and the medical director or designee signs to issue the document.1Cornell Law Institute. Fla Admin Code Ann R 64D-3.046 – Immunization Requirements You don’t write a separate letter, produce a note from clergy, or say anything about your religion out loud. The administrative code requires the county health department to issue the form on request.
Who Can Request the Form
Any parent or legal guardian whose religious beliefs conflict with immunization can request Form DH 681. Florida law doesn’t limit it to any denomination, and the form itself makes clear that staff processing the request cannot ask for proof of church membership or any documentation of your beliefs.
The Florida Supreme Court reinforced this in Board of Health v. Curry (1998), holding that any attempt to investigate a parent’s religious exemption request exceeds the state’s statutory authority. In practical terms, county health department staff cannot question whether your beliefs are sincere or refuse the form based on their view of your faith. The statute itself is a single sentence: Florida Statutes § 1003.22(5)(a) says the immunization requirements “shall not apply” if a parent objects in writing that vaccination conflicts with their “religious tenets or practices.”3Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 1003.22 – School-Entry Health Examinations; Immunization Against Communicable Diseases; Exemptions; Duties of Department of Health
One limit: the objection must be religious rather than purely political or philosophical. If you are a legal guardian rather than the biological parent, you can still request the form as long as you have legal authority over the child’s care.
Giving the Form to Your Child’s School
Once the form is signed and issued, present it to the administrator of your child’s school or childcare facility before the child’s entry, attendance, or transfer.2Florida Department of Health. Immunization Exemptions It replaces Form DH 680, the standard immunization record schools normally require. The school files the original in your child’s permanent health record.
Make a copy for yourself before you hand it over. Records go missing during administrative transitions, and a personal copy spares you a repeat trip to the health department. The religious exemption has no expiration in the statute and stays effective as your child moves through grade levels.3Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 1003.22 – School-Entry Health Examinations; Immunization Against Communicable Diseases; Exemptions; Duties of Department of Health The exemption covers children in public and private schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade, along with childcare and preschool programs.4Florida Department of Health. Child Immunizations
What the Exemption Doesn’t Cover
Two situations often catch parents off guard.
First, the exemption doesn’t prevent temporary exclusion during a disease outbreak. Under § 1003.22(9), the county health department director or the State Health Officer can declare an emergency when a disease covered by the immunization requirements appears in a school. Unimmunized students, including those with religious exemptions on file, are identified and kept off campus until the director says it’s safe to return.3Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 1003.22 – School-Entry Health Examinations; Immunization Against Communicable Diseases; Exemptions; Duties of Department of Health The statute doesn’t set a fixed number of days; duration depends on the disease and the health department’s assessment.
Second, the K-12 religious exemption doesn’t automatically carry into college. Florida colleges and universities set their own immunization policies. Some accept the K-12 exemption but require additional campus paperwork to transfer it; others run entirely separate exemption processes. If your child is heading to a Florida college, contact the admissions or health compliance office well before enrollment deadlines to find out what that specific institution requires.