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CANADA · CANADIAN BLOOD SERVICES

Become a stem cell donor in Canada

For people who live in Canada. Live somewhere else? Find your country.

In Canada, outside Québec, Canadian Blood Services signs up donors aged 17 to 35. In Québec, Héma-Québec signs up donors aged 18 to 35. In Canada, the province decides the registry: Canadian Blood Services signs up people everywhere except Québec, and says Québec residents must register with Héma-Québec. 1 3 Checked .

You can join hereHow we check
Choose where you live, The ways to join, on this pageWhat happens after you join, From your sample to a possible call
Canada at a glance
RegionNorthern America, Americas 12
PopulationAbout 39.3 million (2023) 13
RegistriesCanadian Blood ServicesHéma-Québec 2 3 8 11
Who can joinCanadian Blood Services: ages 17 to 35, listed until your 60th birthdayHéma-Québec: ages 18 to 35, listed until your 60th birthdayIn Canada the rule is about which province you live in, not citizenship: Canadian Blood Services signs up people outside Québec, Québec residents join Héma-Québec, and neither names a citizenship rule. 1 7 9
How you sign upCanadian Blood Services’ sign-up starts with an online questionnaire and an account, and a cheek-swab kit arrives in 1 to 3 weeks with a prepaid return envelope. Héma-Québec uses an online form, then mails a swab kit. 1 2 6
Public cord blood bankCanadian Blood Services’ public cord blood bank takes donations from parents who deliver after 34 weeks at one of its four participating hospitals. In Québec, Héma-Québec’s public bank takes donations from parents who fill out its online form and give birth at one of the hospitals it works with. 5 10
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Stem cell registries are also called bone marrow registries.

Which registry should I join in Canada?

The registries that sign up people who live in Canada
RegistryAges to joinWho it’s for
Canadian Blood Services17 to 35People who live in Canada, outside Québec
Héma-Québec18 to 35People who live in Québec

Canadian Blood Services, an independent registered charity founded in 1998, runs stem cell registry services for every province and territory except Québec. Héma-Québec’s registry brings together everyone in Québec who wants to donate stem cells. 3 9

Québec residents join Héma-Québec; the rest of Canada joins Canadian Blood Services. 1

How do I join in Canada?

Canadian Blood Services publishes information for registrants in English and French, and also in Farsi, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Spanish and Vietnamese. 1

Who can join in Canada?

Canadian Blood Services takes people from 17 to 35 and keeps them on its registry until their 60th birthday. Héma-Québec takes people from 18 to 35, who can donate up to age 60. 1 4 7

If you live anywhere else in Canada
Canadian Blood Services: ages 17 to 35 to join. Read the registry’s health rules (opens in a new tab)
If you live in Québec
Héma-Québec: ages 18 to 35 to join. Read Héma-Québec’s health rules (opens in a new tab)

Can I donate?Age limits by country

Ages to join, by where you live

What happens after I join?

Canadian Blood Services says a stem cell donor’s lost wages may be covered. 4

What donating is like

Questions about joining in Canada

Can I join if I’m not a citizen of Canada?

In Canada the rule is about which province you live in, not citizenship: Canadian Blood Services signs up people outside Québec, Québec residents join Héma-Québec, and neither names a citizenship rule. 1 9

How do I sign up in Canada: online, by kit or in person?

Canadian Blood Services’ sign-up starts with an online questionnaire and an account, and a cheek-swab kit arrives in 1 to 3 weeks with a prepaid return envelope. Héma-Québec uses an online form, then mails a swab kit. 1 2 6

How old do you have to be to join Canadian Blood Services?

Canadian Blood Services signs up people aged 17 to 35 who live in Canada, outside Québec. It keeps you listed until your 60th birthday. 1

Is Canadian Blood Services part of the international donor search?

Yes. Canadian Blood Services is a member of the World Marrow Donor Association.

Can I donate cord blood in Canada?

Canadian Blood Services’ public cord blood bank takes donations from parents who deliver after 34 weeks at one of its four participating hospitals. In Québec, Héma-Québec’s public bank takes donations from parents who fill out its online form and give birth at one of the hospitals it works with. 5 10

About donating: Does it hurt?, How donation works and Recovery.

Live somewhere else?

Find another country or territory

BE SOMEONE’S TORSTEN

The same search found Jada’s donor in Germany.

Read Jada’s story

See the ways to join, On this page
Download the card

Sources

How we check

Checked , unless a source says otherwise.

Registries

  1. Canadian Blood Services. Stem cell donation eligibility and registration | Blood.ca.
  2. Canadian Blood Services. Join our stem cell registry | Canadian Blood Services.
  3. Canadian Blood Services. About us at Canadian Blood Services.
  4. Canadian Blood Services. Stem cell donor and patient FAQs.
  5. Canadian Blood Services. Cord blood donation journey | Canadian Blood Services.
  6. Héma-Québec. Stem cell donation | Héma-Québec.
  7. Héma-Québec. Who can donate stem cells? | Héma-Québec.
  8. Héma-Québec. Registration for the Stem Cell Donor Registry | Héma-Québec.
  9. Héma-Québec. What is the Stem Cell Donor Registry? | Héma-Québec.
  10. Héma-Québec. Cord blood donation | Héma-Québec (and Who can donate cord blood).

Official bodies

  1. Gouvernement du Québec (LégisQuébec). Act respecting Héma-Québec and the biovigilance committee (CQLR c H-1.1).

Figures and lists

  1. United Nations Statistics Division. Standard country or area codes for statistical use (M49): Overview (English table).
  2. UN DESA Population Division. World Population Prospects 2024: Total population by sex (CSV).