BELGIUM · MARROW DONOR PROGRAM BELGIUM
Become a bone marrow donor in Belgium
For people who live in Belgium. Live somewhere else? Find your country.
If you live in Belgium, you can join Marrow Donor Program Belgium from age 18 to 40. Belgium’s registry types new donors only from a blood sample taken at a donor center, not a cheek swab, because the Belgian Red Cross says blood typing is more accurate. 2 Checked .
| Place | Belgium (België, Belgique, Belgien) 9 |
|---|---|
| Region | Western Europe, Europe 7 |
| Population | About 11.7 million (2023) 8 |
| Registry | Marrow Donor Program Belgium (Belgian Red Cross (Belgische Rode Kruis / Croix-Rouge de Belgique)) 1 3 4 |
| Who can join | Ages 18 to 40, listed until your 60th birthdayThe Belgian Red Cross asks donors who move abroad for good to deregister and, if their new country has a registry, to send their donor file there; a temporary move doesn’t need either. 2 |
| How you sign up | In Belgium you start with the registry’s online test and form, then see a doctor at a donor center, where your details are checked and a blood sample is taken for tissue typing. 2 |
| Transplants | In Antwerp, the ZAS hospital network’s Clinic for Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunotherapy treats mostly malignant blood diseases and does both allogeneic transplants, with a donor’s cells, and autologous ones, with the patient’s own. 11 |
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Bone marrow registries are also called stem cell registries.
Who runs the bone marrow donor registry in Belgium?
How do I join in Belgium?
Marrow Donor Program Belgium doesn’t register anyone for one specific patient or family member: donors join for all patients, in Belgium and abroad. 2
Marrow Donor Program Belgium
Run by Belgian Red Cross (Belgische Rode Kruis / Croix-Rouge de Belgique), a blood service.
18–40years old to join
- Who it’s for
- People who live in Belgium, aged 18 to 40.
- Languages
- English, Dutch, French and German
Why this one first Belgium’s registry, run by the Belgian Red Cross: an online test, then a consultation and blood sample at a donor centre (register before 41).
Link checked Read the registry’s rules (opens in a new tab)
Who can join in Belgium?
Belgium and the world’s donor search
The Belgian registry, part of the Belgian Red Cross, says it holds some 82,000 donors and around 21,400 cord blood units and belongs to the international network of donor banks. 4 5
The Belgian Red Cross says it is mainly looking for donors with African, Turkish or mixed roots, because patients with those roots find a matching donor less often. 2
VRT reported in December 2025 that nearly 3,000 more people signed up with the Belgian Red Cross within a week of a public appeal for a young patient, 1,664 of them with Moroccan or North African roots. 10
What happens after I join?
Belgian donors are removed from the registry as soon as they turn 60. 2
Questions about joining in Belgium
Can I join if I’m not a citizen of Belgium?
The Belgian Red Cross asks donors who move abroad for good to deregister and, if their new country has a registry, to send their donor file there; a temporary move doesn’t need either. 2
How do I sign up in Belgium: online, by kit or in person?
In Belgium you start with the registry’s online test and form, then see a doctor at a donor center, where your details are checked and a blood sample is taken for tissue typing. 2
How old do you have to be to join Marrow Donor Program Belgium?
Marrow Donor Program Belgium signs up people aged 18 to 40. It keeps you listed until your 60th birthday. 2
Is Marrow Donor Program Belgium part of the international donor search?
Yes. Marrow Donor Program Belgium is a member of the World Marrow Donor Association.
About donating: Does it hurt?, How donation works and Recovery.
Registries
- Belgian Red Cross (Marrow Donor Program Belgium - Registry). Become a stem cell donor: start here.
- Belgian Red Cross. Frequently Asked Questions.
- Belgian Red Cross. Registration (donor test, first question).
- Belgian Red Cross. Privacy policy.
- Belgian Red Cross. Your data in the Belgian registry.
- Marrow Donor Program Belgium. MDPB STD009 information letter — blood sampling and stem cell donation (Dutch, v3). Checked
Figures and lists
- United Nations Statistics Division. Standard country or area codes for statistical use (M49): Overview (English table).
- UN DESA Population Division. World Population Prospects 2024: Total population by sex (CSV).
Other sources
- Unicode CLDR. By-Type Chart: Locale Display Names:Territories (Europe). Checked
- VRT NWS. Meer dan 1.600 mensen van Noord-Afrikaanse afkomst aangemeld als stamceldonor sinds oproep. Updated Dec 24, 2025. Checked
- ZAS (Ziekenhuis aan de Stroom), Antwerp. Kliniek voor stamceltransplantatie en immunotherapie. Updated Sep 7, 2026. Checked