You can register as an organ donor at 18 in every state, and in many states you can sign up earlier when you apply for a learner’s permit, driver’s license, or state ID card. The difference matters: at 18 your registration is legally binding and no one can override it after your death, while a minor’s registration records intent but leaves the final decision to a parent.1University of Michigan. Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act
Why 18 Is the Threshold That Matters
Under the 2006 Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, an “adult” is anyone at least 18 years old.1University of Michigan. Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act Once you turn 18, the choice to donate is yours alone. You can register through your state’s donor registry, mark it on your driver’s license, or record it in an advance directive, and that choice carries full legal weight.
The statute is emphatic on one point. After an adult donor dies, no family member or other person can cancel the gift. The law bars anyone other than the donor from amending or revoking the donation, so long as the donor didn’t leave a contrary indication before death.1University of Michigan. Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act The 2006 revision was written specifically to close the earlier gap that let families override a donor’s wishes at the hospital.2Organdonor.gov. Organ Donation and Transplantation Legislation History Forty-eight states have adopted the 2006 version.3Uniform Law Commission. Spotlight ULC
Registering as a Minor
You don’t have to wait until 18 to put your wishes on record. Many states let minors register when they apply for a learner’s permit, driver’s license, or state ID card.4U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Organ Donation and Children The exact age depends on your state and typically falls somewhere between about 13 and 16, tied to when the state first issues a permit or ID.
A minor’s registration is a declaration of intent, not a binding legal commitment. It tells the organ procurement organization and the family what the young person wanted, but it doesn’t carry the same force as an adult’s registration.
What Happens If a Registered Minor Dies
When a donor under 18 dies, a parent who is reasonably available can revoke or amend the minor’s previously registered gift. The 2006 Revised UAGA spells this out for unemancipated minors.5WCMEA. Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act 2006 A teenager’s registration counts as evidence of their wishes, but parental authority still governs the final decision.
Parental authority runs both ways. When a child never expressed any preference, parents can authorize donation themselves; the statute lists parents in the priority order of people who may make an anatomical gift on behalf of a deceased person.5WCMEA. Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act 2006 That authority matters most for infants and young children, where pediatric transplants depend on appropriately sized organs.4U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Organ Donation and Children
Is There an Upper Age Limit
No. There is no maximum age for registering or for donating. Doctors evaluate each potential donor individually based on the condition of the organs at the time of death, not the donor’s birth date. One of the oldest organ donors in the United States was a 95-year-old liver donor named Cecil, who also donated tissue and skin that helped more than 20 other people.6Organdonor.gov. Is There an Age Limit for Organ Donation People in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and beyond donate and receive organs regularly. If you once decided you were too old to sign up, that assumption is worth revisiting.
Living Donation Has Its Own Age Rule
Everything above concerns donation after death. If you want to donate a kidney or a portion of your liver while alive, you must be at least 18.7Organdonor.gov. Living Organ Donation Some transplant hospitals set the bar higher and require living donors to be at least 21.8National Kidney Foundation. Becoming a Living Donor Each transplant center runs its own medical and psychological evaluation, so requirements can differ from one hospital to the next.
How to Sign Up
The most common route is your state’s motor vehicle office. When you apply for or renew a driver’s license or ID card, you’ll be asked whether you want to join the donor registry; if you say yes, a donor symbol appears on your card.9Organdonor.gov. How To Sign Up
You can also register online through your state’s registry. The federal site organdonor.gov links to every state’s registration page.10organdonor.gov. Sign Up To Be An Organ Donor A third option is the Health app on iPhone, which sends your registration to Donate Life America’s national registry.11Apple Support. Register as an Organ Donor in Health on iPhone
You can also record donation wishes in an advance directive or living will. Registering through your state’s registry is the more practical choice, because organ procurement organizations check the registry directly when a potential donor arrives at a hospital. An advance directive in a filing cabinet may not be located in time.
Changing Your Mind
Registering is not a one-way door. You can withdraw at any time, generally through the same channel you used to sign up: your state’s online registry, your local motor vehicle office, or the Health app if that’s where you registered.11Apple Support. Register as an Organ Donor in Health on iPhone Donate Life America also offers a guided way to remove yourself from a state registry.
Under the UAGA, what organ procurement organizations rely on is the valid registration on file at the time of death. Telling your family you changed your mind without actually updating the registry can create a painful conflict at exactly the wrong moment. If your intent has shifted, update the record.