AFFIDAVIT REGARDING EXEMPTION FROM VACCINATION FOR RELIGIOUS REASONS (STUDENTS)

The Puerto Rico Department of Health has just revised the affidavit form for exemption from vaccination for religious reasons for students. Good news!

The start of the school year is approaching, and as recently as August 2, 2023, the Secretary of the Department of Health, Carlos Mellado López, announced that the affidavit form for exemption from vaccination for religious reasons has been adjusted to incorporate the jurisprudence of the United States Supreme Court, which establishes that religious convictions are not always tied to a specific religion. Therefore, an individual does not have to belong to a particular religious group.

https://www.salud.pr.gov/CMS/599

Let us explain; COVID brought us many things, including the dilemma of vaccination and the well-known affidavit for requesting an exemption from student vaccination for religious reasons. The dilemma with this affidavit was that it required the signature of a minister of the parents’ and student’s religion. Additionally, according to the notarial regulations of Puerto Rico, the minister’s signature had to be notarized along with the petitioner’s.

I have included a circular letter from the Department of Health.

https://www.salud.pr.gov/menuInst/download/1671

Now, with the change, the presence and signature of a minister are no longer required, making the process easier and more cost-effective. 

For appointments, please contact Attorney Sonia Trujillo at 787-534-7969 for the Ceiba office or Attorney Juan Carlos Manzano Trujillo at (787) 630-6976 for the Hato Rey office. We are located on South Marginal Street, 118 Franklin Delano Roosevelt Ave., San Juan, 00917.