Organ Donation in Nevada

The Nevada donor registry is run by Donate Life Nevada.

More than a million tissue and cornea transplants are performed in the U.S. every year. These transplants help people recover from vision loss, burns, spinal cord injuries, and bone damage. More than 900,000 people in Nevada are enrolled in the state's donor registry; that is about 41% of Nevada's adult population. There are over 500 people in Nevada waiting for organ transplants.

Joining the organ donor registry is free. You also don't need to worry that organ donation will cost your family; the state's organ procurement organization takes care of all donation costs.

Register as an Organ Donor in Nevada

Anyone can register as an organ donor in Nevada. There are no upper age limits; the oldest organ donor to date was 92 years old. Doctors are more interested in your general health than your age.

You can sign up to become an organ donor in Nevada either online, by mail, or in person at your local NV DMV office.

You don't need a driver's license or ID card to register as an organ donor in Nevada. When signing up online, you'll need to input the last 4 digits of your Social Security number to verify your identification.

Online

If you do not have a NV driver's license or state ID card, or would prefer to register online, you can sign up at the donor registry website.

You can also add your name to the ORGANIZE.org central registry database, and your information will follow you from state to state should you ever leave Nevada.

By Mail

To register by mail, simply download the Donor Registration Form and submit it to the address listed on the form.

In Person

When you apply for or renew a driver's license or ID card at a Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) branch, you can declare you'd like to become an organ and tissue donor. Simply answer "yes" to add yourself to the list. Your decision will be signified on your driver's license or ID card.

There is a paper brochure with a tear-off form that you can find on the Nevada DMV website. Fill out the form and mail it to the address provided.

Update Your NV Organ Donation Status

If you ever need to make changes on your organ donor profile, such as an updated married name or an address, you can make them online at the donor registry website. You can also update through ORGANIZE.org.

How You Can Help With Organ Donation

There are a lot of ways to support organ donation in Nevada besides registering as a donor.

When you sign up as a donor at the DMV, you will also have the opportunity to donate $1 or more to Nevada's Anatomical Gift Account Fund. This fund educates people about organ donation facts and can also be used for financial assistance to people who need transplants. You can also show your support and contribute funds by getting the organ donor specialty license plate.
Become a volunteer, or have a Donate Life Nevada speaker come talk to your office, community group, or religious organization. You can also become a speaker yourself and help people learn more about the benefits of organ donation.
Living donors are people who choose to give an organ or a part of an organ during their lives. Liver transplants and lung transplants can be done using just a lobe of the organ. You can also choose to give a single kidney to save another person's life.

Once you register as an organ donor, be sure to tell your family of your decision. It can also help to let them know that being an organ donor doesn't mean you get a lesser standard of care at the hospital and it does not interfere with after-death plans like open casket funerals. While no one likes to talk about death, knowing in advance about your choices can help ease the burden of making choices at this difficult time.

Organ Donation Facts

Currently, tens of thousands of people are waiting for an organ transplant, and many of them will die without receiving an organ donation. Every few minutes, another name is added to the transplant list, and every day, people die because they didn't receive a transplant in time.

The need for organ and tissue donors is enormous. One donor can positively affect dozens of lives.

Becoming an organ donor bears no cost to you or your loved ones, and there are no age limits or health requirements to worry about. You can even specify which organs you wish to have considered for donation in the event of your death.

For more information, please read our page about Organ Donation Facts.

Who to Contact

To learn more about becoming an organ donor, contact:

You can help spread the word on the importance of organ donation by downloading and printing the Nevada DMV's organ and tissue donation brochure.