Donor Information in California

Donate Life and Done Vida California

The donation of organs and tissue is the ultimate gift. Nearly 20,000 Californians are on the transplant list awaiting their second chance at life. According to statistics, nearly one-third of those people will die waiting for a transplant.

To better match needy recipients with donors, the State of California has partnered with the Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry to enable anyone interested in donating organs to do so. There's a Spanish version of the registry's website, too―Done Vida California.

DMV

Signing up to give the gift of life is easy in California, thanks to the California Department of Motor Vehicles. By offering a simple check-box on your driver's license application, the DMV helps make sure that your donation wishes are carried out in the event of your death.

How It Works

Upon your death, your gift of healthy organs can help save the lives of eight people. With a tissue donation, as many as 50 people heal their burns, see, or help amputations. More than 200,000 of your fellow Californians have already made the pledge to donate tissue and organs.

How to Register as a Donor

A simple online registration at the Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry or at any DMV location will save the lives of others once you are gone. Also, when you have to go into the DMV to renew or get a new driver's license, you can register to become a donor. Your driver's license will be marked with a pink donor sticker; however, that alone is not legally enough to declare your intentions.

To supplement the sticker, you will be given a donor card that you should carry with your license. You have the opportunity (and obligation) to specify which types of organs and tissue you want to donate, and if you want your body to be used for medical research, transplants, or both.

In addition to your signature on the donor card, you'll need the signature of a witness. You must be at least 18 years old to sign.

There are absolutely no fees involved. Many family say it also helps their grieving process to know that their loved one lives on, helping someone else.

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