Making a choice for the first time

No, but even if you do not fill in your own choice, you are still in the Donor Register. You will be listed as having 'no objection to donation'. This means that your organs and tissues can go to a patient after your death. You may change your choice at any time. This is also possible if you have not yet made a choice and are currently listed in the Donor Register as having 'no objection to donation'.

Only when it is clear that someone can no longer recover and it becomes evident that they are going to die, may a doctor check how someone is listed in the Donor Register. A doctor will therefore first do everything possible to save the patient's life. The choice in the Donor Register has no influence on that.

Everyone can register a choice in the Donor Register, even if you have an illness or live an unhealthy lifestyle, for example.Whether someone can donate organs and tissues depends on many different things. For example, your health, age, and how someone died. Doctors can therefore only determine whether you are suitable at the time of death.

In many religions, people have an important question: must my body remain complete after my death, or is charity more important? As a believer, you would like an answer to this question before you fill in a choice in the Donor Register. There are sometimes multiple opinions per religion, which can even differ within branches of a faith. We therefore recommend asking these questions within your own religious community. And talking about it with people who are important to you in your faith.

No, you cannot choose yourself who receives your organs or tissues after your death. That is regulated by law. One reason for this is that everyone in the Netherlands must be able to receive the same healthcare. An organ goes to the patient on the waiting list who needs the organ most urgently and for whom the organ is the best match.