Organ and Tissue Donation Program: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Registration legally authorizes the gift of your organs, tissues, and eyes upon your death. This provides legal consent for your donation. Your gift will be used to help others through transplantation, therapy, research, or education.

You can register if you are at least 15 years old and have a Wisconsin driver's license or state ID. For those who are 18 or older, registering provides legal consent to donate For those who are 15–17, registering indicates intent to donate, but until they are 18 years old, a parent or legal guardian makes the final donation decision.

You can register to be an organ, tissue, and eye donor by visiting the Wisconsin Donor Registry and entering your last name and driver's license or State I.D. number. Then select the green "Add my name to the Wisconsin Donor Registry" link. Once you submit an add request, your request will be reviewed within 1–2 business days. To receive confirmation of your addition, please ensure to enter an email address on the form. You will only be contacted via email to confirm your request was completed. Your donor registration is a legally binding and authorizes legal consent for donation at the time of death.

You can also register to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor at your local Wisconsin DMV, by checking the "yes" box on your driver's license or State I.D. application when you obtain a new, or renew, your driver's license or State I.D. Card.

You can also register to be an organ, tissue, and eye donor when applying for a hunting, fishing, and/or trapping license through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Lastly, you can register to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor when you file your income tax form.

To further ensure that your wishes are honored, make sure your wishes are documented through a living will, healthcare power of attorney, and through your family.

If you're over the age of 15 and have a Wisconsin driver's license or state ID, you can register. For those between 15–17, the final donation decision will be made by a parent or legal guardian. Health conditions do not prevent you from registering. A complete medical and social history together with a number of lab tests will determine if donation is possible. Your medical history at the time of death will determine what organs and tissues can be donated. There are donors in their late 70's and beyond.

You are already registered if you have the orange dot on your license on or after March 29, 2010.

You can remove yourself from the Wisconsin Donor Registry at any time by visiting the Wisconsin Donor Registry. You will be asked to enter your last name and Driver's License or State ID number and then you can select the "Remove my name from the Wisconsin Donor Registry" button. Once you submit a removal request, your request will be reviewed within 1–2 business days. To receive confirmation of your removal, please ensure to enter an email address on the form. You will only be contacted via email to confirm your request was completed. To further ensure that your wishes are honored, make sure your wishes are documented through a living will, healthcare power of attorney, and through your family.

Please note that there is a National Registry. Removing yourself from the Wisconsin Donor Registry does not automatically remove you from the National Registry. If you want to remove yourself from the National Registry, then visit Donate Life America's Removing Yourself From a Donor Registry.

If you have removed yourself from the Wisconsin Donor Registry, but your license still says "DONOR", you do not need to obtain a new license. The Wisconsin Donor Registry is the ultimate source of truth for your donor status in Wisconsin. If you are not on the donor registry in Wisconsin, you are not a registered donor in Wisconsin, even if your license has the "DONOR" sticker. You can further indicate your wish to not be a donor on the back of your license, your living will, or your power of attorney. You do not need to visit the DMV and get a new license unless you would like to.

Please note that there is a National Registry. Removing yourself from the Wisconsin Donor Registry does not automatically remove you from the National Registry. If you want to remove yourself from the National Registry, then visit Donate Life America's Removing Yourself From a Donor Registry.

No, you not need your license to indicate that you are a donor, and you do not need your license at the time of death. When someone is a candidate for donation, donation professionals will search the Wisconsin Donor Registry to determine if you have registered your decision to be a donor.

Your life always comes first. Doctors will always work hard to save every patient’s life first. Once a patient is declared clinically and legally dead, only then is donation an option.

It is important to know that the hospital care team does not know the patient’s donor status. The hospital contacts the local organ procurement organization (OPO) once the patient is declared clinically and legally dead. The OPO checks the donor registry and then evaluates the individual’s medical history to determine donation eligibility. If the person is registered, the OPO will inform and support the family. If not, the next of kin or legally authorized representative will be asked if they would like to authorize donation. For all organ, eye and tissue donation, the donor is treated with care and respect, and the donor family is supported throughout the donation process.

Following donation, funeral arrangements will continue as planned.

Nearly 104,000 people in the United States are waiting for organ transplants, including more than than 1,400 people from Wisconsin. Unfortunately, many are never matched with a donor. An average of 17 people die each day waiting for a transplant. Your decision to register as an organ donor could save someone's life. Additionally, tissue donations are used to treat patients who've experienced burns or serious abrasions, or those who need reconstructive surgeries. Donor tendons are used to repair torn ligaments, veins are used in surgeries, and bone is used to help heal fractures or to prevent amputation. Donor corneas can restore sight to people who are blind.

Visit the Organ and Tissue Donation Program and Donate Life Wisconsin to learn about organ and tissue donation in Wisconsin. You can visit The National Donor Registry Program to learn about organ and tissue donation in the United States.