Frequently asked questions about your choice in the Donor Register
In the Donor Register, you indicate what happens to your organs and tissues after your death. Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions about your choice.
What are the choices in the Donor Register?
When filling in your choice in the Donor Register, you can choose from four options:
- Yes, I want to become a donor.
You want to donate organs and tissues after your death. - No, I do not want to become a donor.
You will not donate organs and tissues after your death. - My partner or family will decide.
Upon your death, your partner or family may make the choice. - A specific person will decide for me.
You want someone else to choose for you after your death. Discuss this with the person who will choose for you. This person can also live abroad.
You can read more about the choices in the Donor Register here.
Do I have to make a choice?
No, but even if you do not fill in your own choice, you are still in the Donor Register. You are then listed as ‘no objection to donation’. This means that your organs and tissues can go to a patient after your death. You can always change your choice at donorregister.nl.
Can I change my choice in the Donor Register?
Yes, you can always change your choice in the Donor Register. You can do this 24 hours a day, as often as you like. You can change your choice at donorregister.nl.
Can I specify what I do and do not want to donate?
Yes. When registering your choice in the Donor Register, you can choose which organs and tissues you do or do not want to donate. Organs you can donate are: pancreas, intestines, heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys. These tissues you can donate: blood vessels, bone tissue, heart valves, cartilage, tendons, skin, and eyes.
Can my family or partner change my choice in the Donor Register?
Once you have filled in 'yes' or 'no' in the Donor Register, your family cannot simply change it. Your choice counts.
If someone is registered as 'no objection' and the family or next of kin believes this was not the wish of the deceased? If they can provide good arguments for this, the person will not become a donor.
How soon after your 18th birthday do you have to register a choice in the Donor Register?
When you turn 18, you will receive a letter from the minister. In that letter, the minister asks if you would like to register a choice in the Donor Register.
If you do not fill anything in after the first letter? Then you will receive a second letter as a reminder. If you still do not fill in a choice after that, you will automatically be registered in the Donor Register as 'no objection to donation'. This means that your organs and tissues can go to a patient after your death. You will receive a confirmation letter of this.
You can always change your choice. Even if you are already registered as 'no objection'.
Are children also in the Donor Register?
Everyone from the age of 18 is automatically in the Donor Register in the Netherlands. You will receive a letter about this when you turn 18.
Children under 12 are not allowed to choose. In the event of death, the doctor will ask the parents or guardian to make a choice. Do the parents disagree? Then the donation will not proceed.
Children aged 12 to 16 are allowed to make their own choice. They can register their choice in the Donor Register. If the child chooses 'yes', the parents or guardian can still override that choice. If the child chooses 'no'? Then the parents or guardian must respect that choice.
Young people aged 16 and older can make their own choice and enter it into the Donor Register. If they do not do so, they will only be entered into the register when they turn 18.
How does the Donor Register work for people who are mentally incompetent?
For organ and tissue donation, a person must understand what the choice means. They must also understand the consequences of this choice. If someone cannot do this, that person is considered mentally incompetent. This means they cannot make the choice themselves.
Someone may have made a choice while they were still mentally competent. However, that person may become mentally incompetent at a later time. This happens, for example, to someone who develops dementia. The previously entered choice remains valid. The doctor at the hospital will inform the family of the choice recorded in the register. If the choice was entered by someone who was already mentally incompetent, or if 'no objection' is listed next to their name, then this registration in the Donor Register is not valid. The doctor will ask the family to make a choice on behalf of the mentally incompetent person.
If someone is mentally incompetent, a legal representative makes the choice. This can be a parent, guardian, or curator. They decide whether or not someone can donate organs and tissues after death. Do you want to know more about mental incompetence? You can read about it here on Donorregister.nl.
Why don't I receive a card for my registration anymore?
In the past, you received a card as proof of your registration in the Donor Register. This changed on October 1, 2019. You now receive a letter stating your choice. You do not need to keep this letter. In the event of death, doctors check the Donor Register directly to see your choice.
Do you have other questions about the choices in the Donor Register?
For questions about organ and tissue donation or your choice in the Donor Register, you can call or email us.
The Donor Information Line is available on working days from 08:30 to 19:00.