Organ and body donation

Organ donation is when you give healthy organs and tissue from your body for transplantation into another person’s body, to replace their organs that are not healthy or not working.

Most organs are only transplanted after you die.

Some organs, such as a kidney, can be donated by someone who is alive if they can live a healthy life without the organ. Read more about how to become a living donor.

Changes to organ donation

Since 17 June 2025, there are changes to how you consent to donate your liver, lungs, pancreas, heart and kidneys. Read about how to donate these organs or opt-out of organ donation below.

Your family members will be consulted before any of these organs are removed.

These changes were introduced under the Human Tissue (Transplantation, Post-Mortem, Anatomical Examination and Public Display) Act 2024.

After your death, your consent will be assumed for the donation of your liver, lungs, pancreas, heart or kidneys, if you meet all the following criteria:

• You have not registered to opt-out of organ donation
• You are aged over 18
• You were living in Ireland for at least 12 months before your death
• You had decision-making capacity for a significant period before your death
• You have a contactable Designated Family member (see below)

Your family will always be consulted before any of these organs are removed.

Tell your family about your organ donation wishes

You should let your family know of your decision. You can choose to donate all or some of your organs by telling your family.

Your family will always be consulted before any organs are removed. Medical professionals will always ask them about your consent to donating your organs or to confirm that you had no objection to donating them.

The donation will not proceed if your designated family member objects to the organ donation.

Who is my designated family member?

Firstly, your designated family member is the person that the medical professionals have had real and substantial contact with about your care and treatment before your death. A designated family member is sometimes called your next-of-kin.

If there is no such person, your designated family member, in order of priority, if they are available, will be your:

• Spouse or civil partner
• Cohabitant
• Children
• Parent or a previous guardian
• Brother or sister or step-brother or step-sister
• Grandparent
• Grandchild
• Uncle or aunt
• Niece or nephew
• Close friend who can correctly communicate your wishes

If you do not want to donate your liver, lungs, pancreas, heart or kidneys you can:

• Record your details on the opt-out register online
• Phone HSE Live on 1800 700 700 to opt out

If you are registered as opting out, your wishes should be respected and your family should not be asked about organ donation after you die.

You should also talk to your family to let them know of your decision to opt-out of organ donation.

Read more about the organ donation opt-out register.

If you change your mind and want to be an organ donor, you can remove yourself from the opt-out register.

If you have decided to donate your organs when you die, they will only be removed when 2 doctors, working independently, have certified that you are dead following strict tests and conditions.

When can organ donation happen?

Not many people die in a way that makes it possible to donate their organs. There are medical criteria and other conditions that must be met. For example, your death must take place in a hospital for a safe transplantation to go ahead. Your body will be maintained on a life support machine (ventilator). Your organs can be donated after:

• Brain stem death or
• Cardiac death

If you have a medical condition this does not necessarily prevent you from becoming a donor. This will be checked by a healthcare professional and discussed with your designated family member at the time of your death.

You can read more about the organ donation process.

Funeral arrangements and organ donation

Donating your organs does not change how your body looks or delay your funeral arrangements. There will be no visible signs of organ donation if you want to have an open casket (coffin) funeral.

Post-mortems and organ donation

If your death is reported to the Coroner, the Coroner must give their permission before organ donation can take place, as well as the written consent of your next-of-kin. Read more about the role of the Coroner and post-mortems.

If you donate your organs for transplantation, this will happen in an operating theatre, as this is not a post-mortem practice.

If you donate your organs for research, this will happen in a mortuary as it is a post-mortem procedure.

Changes to post mortems

When fully commenced, the Human Tissue Act 2024 will make certain changes to current post-mortem practice and procedure. It will require additional communication and information sharing with families when a post-mortem by a coroner is needed.

It will also introduce a consent framework for how consent should be obtained from families for post-mortems that are not carried out by the coroner.

Some organs, such as a kidney, can be donated by someone who is alive if they can live a healthy lifestyle without the organ. To become a living donor, you must give informed consent.

The Human Tissue Act 2024 allows for a living person to donate a kidney to someone they don’t personally know. This is also known as non-directed altruistic donation. This process takes longer than if you want to donate a kidney to a relative or close friend. An independent panel is being set up to consider non-directed altruistic donation.

For more information, contact the National Kidney Transplant Service in Beaumont Hospital. Phone: 01 809 3119 or 01 809 2298.

Read more about how to become a living donor.

You can donate your whole body for medical research to help health workers to learn more about anatomy, research and treating illness.

If you want to donate your body for medical research, you should contact one of the medical research schools located in the colleges listed below. Each medical school has its own procedures for entering into an agreement with you:

• University College Dublin
• Trinity College Dublin
• The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
• University College Cork
• National University of Ireland, Galway

You should also make sure that your next-of-kin know that you want to donate your whole body to medical research by:

• Telling them and/or
• Stating that you wish to donate your body for medical research in your will.

Currently, the law is unclear on this but your next-of-kin, or whoever is responsible for the cremation or interment of your body, are not necessarily obliged to go along with your wishes.

When the Human Tissue Act 2024 is fully commenced, it will put in place new arrangements for donating your body to an anatomy school, and set standards to be met in the practice of anatomy.

Read more information, watch videos and find leaflets in different languages about organ donation on the HSE website.

Read more about organ donation and the opt-out register.

Organ donor card and driving license

Having an organ donation card or noting your consent on your driving licence will not ensure that your organs are donated after you die, but you can use the card to start the conversation with your family.

You can get an organ donor card from:

• The Irish Kidney Association website
• Doctors' surgeries and pharmacies
• The Irish Donor Network (see below)

The Irish Donor Network

The Irish Donor Network is a group of individuals and patient associations directly concerned with organ transplantation, donor families and medical professionals involved in organ and tissue transplantation. You can contact any member of the Irish Donor Network for further information or for organ donor cards. Those involved in the Network are:

• Donor families
• The Irish Kidney Association
• The Irish Heart and Lung Transplant Association
• The Cystic Fibrosis Association
• The Irish Lung Fibrosis Association
• Alpha One (Anti-Trypsin) Foundation
• Liver Transplant Unit in St.Vincent's Hospital
• Hospital Transplant Co-ordinators
• Children’s Liver Disease Ireland
• Heart Children Ireland
• The Eye and Bone Banks