CROATIA · CROATIAN BONE MARROW DONOR REGISTRY
Become a bone marrow donor in Croatia
For people who live in Croatia. Live somewhere else? Find your country.
If you live in Croatia, you can join Croatian Bone Marrow Donor Registry from age 18 to 40. Croatia’s national registry, run by the KBC Zagreb hospital, signs up healthy adults who are Croatian citizens, aged 18 to 40, in person at a drive or a transfusion center. 1 Checked .
Browsing from another country? See how joining works where you live.
| Place | Croatia (Hrvatska, Croazia, Croasia) |
|---|---|
| Region | Southern Europe, Europe 5 |
| Population | About 3.9 million (2023) 6 |
| Registry | Croatian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (Klinički bolnički centar Zagreb) 1 2 |
| Who can join | Ages 18 to 40KBC Zagreb’s rules name Croatian citizenship as a condition for joining, so residents who aren’t Croatian citizens may not be able to sign up. 1 |
| How you sign up | You join at an Ana Rukavina Foundation drive or at a transfusion center in one of eight Croatian cities, giving your personal details, a medical questionnaire and one tube of blood for HLA typing. 1 |
| Public cord blood bank | Croatian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (Klinički bolnički centar Zagreb)In Croatia, donated umbilical cord blood goes to the public Ana Rukavina cord blood bank at KBC Zagreb, which works with all of Zagreb’s maternity hospitals. 4 |
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A bone marrow donor registry is also called a stem cell or blood stem cell donor registry.
Who runs the bone marrow donor registry in Croatia?
Croatian Bone Marrow Donor Registry signs up people who live in Croatia. It is run by Klinički bolnički centar Zagreb, a public hospital or university service.
Croatia’s registry takes Croatian citizens aged 18 to 40, in person. 1
How do I join in Croatia?
In Zagreb you can also join on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at KBC Zagreb’s tissue typing department on Kišpatićeva street, giving a blood sample for HLA typing after a short health questionnaire. 3
Croatian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
Run by Klinički bolnički centar Zagreb, a public hospital or university service.
18–40years old to join
- Who it’s for
- People who live in Croatia, aged 18 to 40.
- Language
- Croatian
Why this one first Croatia’s national registry: join in person at a drive or a transfusion centre in one of eight cities (18–40).
Link checked Read the registry’s rules (opens in a new tab)
Who can join in Croatia?
Croatian Bone Marrow Donor Registry signs up people who live in Croatia. Its own pages have the full rules, and the registry decides.
- Your health
- Most healthy adults can join. Some conditions rule it out. Read the registry’s health rules (opens in a new tab)
Croatia and the world’s donor search
KBC Zagreb’s registry was founded in 1996 and began operating in July 2009, mainly through the efforts of the Ana Rukavina Foundation. 1
KBC Zagreb’s counter shows 178 donations from unrelated volunteer donors on its registry: 135 for patients in Croatia and 43 for patients abroad. 1
The Ana Rukavina Foundation reported that 13 people joined Croatia’s registry through the eight transfusion centers in September 2026, and 17 more at a drive in Sinj on Oct 3, 2026. 2
What happens after I join?
Your tissue type is recorded, so searches for patients can find you. If you match a patient, Croatian Bone Marrow Donor Registry contacts you, checks you’re still willing and well, and arranges more tests.
The Ana Rukavina Foundation says anyone who joins Croatia’s registry before their 40th birthday can donate bone marrow or blood stem cells until age 60. 3
Questions about joining in Croatia
Can I join if I’m not a citizen of Croatia?
KBC Zagreb’s rules name Croatian citizenship as a condition for joining, so residents who aren’t Croatian citizens may not be able to sign up. 1
How do I sign up in Croatia: online, by kit or in person?
You join at an Ana Rukavina Foundation drive or at a transfusion center in one of eight Croatian cities, giving your personal details, a medical questionnaire and one tube of blood for HLA typing. 1
How old do you have to be to join Croatian Bone Marrow Donor Registry?
Croatian Bone Marrow Donor Registry signs up people aged 18 to 40. 1
Is Croatian Bone Marrow Donor Registry part of the international donor search?
Yes. Croatian Bone Marrow Donor Registry is a member of the World Marrow Donor Association.
Can I donate cord blood in Croatia?
In Croatia, donated umbilical cord blood goes to the public Ana Rukavina cord blood bank at KBC Zagreb, which works with all of Zagreb’s maternity hospitals. 4
Questions about donating itself have their own pages: Does it hurt?, How donation works and Recovery.
The registries’ own pages
- Klinički bolnički centar Zagreb (KBC Zagreb). Hrvatski registar dobrovoljnih darivatelja krvotvornih matičnih stanica.
- Zaklada Ana Rukavina (Ana Rukavina Foundation). Zaklada Ana Rukavina - Želim život!
- Zaklada Ana Rukavina (Ana Rukavina Foundation). Kako postati darivatelj.Checked
- Zaklada Ana Rukavina (Ana Rukavina Foundation). Informacije o darivanju krvi iz pupkovine.Checked
The World Marrow Donor Association and other figures
- 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).
Research and other sources
- Jada Bascom Foundation. About us: Jada’s story.Checked