Registration is a personal decision. Understand the organs and tissues involved, how wishes are recorded and the family's role, then use your own accurate information and discuss the choice with those close to you.
What to have ready
Before you start
DH's Centralised Organ Donation Register records wishes concerning donation after death and can be accessed by HA organ-donation coordinators. Official guidance says the family still provides written consent for the specific organs or tissues, making a family conversation important. Registration does not guarantee medical suitability for donation and is not an arrangement to buy, sell or broker organs. The register also means a coordinator does not depend on finding a donation card in your wallet. Check your recorded wishes before assuming an old card or a recollection of an earlier application is complete.
What to do, step by step
- Enter CODR from DH's organ-donation website and read the procedure and common myths. Avoid an unsolicited registration link that asks you to send identity details to an intermediary.
- If unsure whether you registered previously, use the official enquiry service. iAM Smart users can check through the linked registration-status service rather than repeatedly submitting new applications.
- Choose organs or tissues according to your own wishes, review identity and contact particulars, and preserve the confirmation. Read any further verification instruction so submission is not mistaken for completed registration.
- Tell the relevant family members what you have chosen and where the record is kept. If your wishes change, follow the official update or withdrawal process and retain the latest confirmation.
Costs, timing, and things to check
Online registration is available without iAM Smart as well, with identity-verification details depending on the route. Use the current official form rather than copying an old screenshot's fields.
Do not register, alter or cancel another adult's wishes without authority. Ask the register or a healthcare professional about an age, identity or medical question that the general guidance does not resolve.
A practical example
Someone remembers signing a card years ago but is unsure about the central record. Check the official registration status and register if needed, then explain the decision and update process to family members. Do not conclude that registration removes the need for them to know your wishes. After moving, check contact particulars so a completed past application is not confused with a current accurate record.
Record your own wishes officially and communicate them to your family.
Official information and enquiries
These are the reference and service entry points for this guide. Check current fees, eligibility, and schedules with the authority. The preparation date is not each source's official update date.