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GERMANY · DKMS

Become a bone marrow donor in Germany

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

In Germany you can join DKMS (ages 17 to 55) or Stefan-Morsch-Stiftung (ages from 16). You only need to join one. Germany’s 26 donor files all feed one national register, ZKRD, so DKMS says anyone already on a German donor file doesn’t need to register again. 1 4 Checked .

You can join hereHow we check
Join through DKMS, Opens DKMS’s own site in a new tab
What happens after you join, From your sample to a possible call
Germany at a glance
PlaceGermany (Deutschland) 13
RegionWestern Europe, Europe 11
PopulationAbout 84.5 million (2023) 12
RegistriesDKMS (DKMS Donor Center gGmbH), once known as DKMS Deutsche KnochenmarkspenderdateiStefan-Morsch-StiftungZKRD (ZKRD Zentrales Knochenmarkspender-Register für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland gemeinnützige GmbH) 1–9
Who can joinDKMS: ages 17 to 55, listed until your 61st birthdayStefan-Morsch-Stiftung: ages from 16, listed until your 61st birthdayDKMS’s first question is whether your permanent home is in Germany, while the Stefan-Morsch-Stiftung registers people who live in Germany or Luxembourg or hold either country’s citizenship. 1 2 7
How you sign upDKMS posts a registration kit for a cheek swab that you send back, and the Stefan-Morsch-Stiftung sends a saliva kit with free return postage or registers people at events such as festivals. 1 7
CostThe Stefan-Morsch-Stiftung requires people over 40, and women who have had more than two pregnancies, to pay the €40 cost of their typing themselves. 7
World donor searchOrganizations based in Germany list 10,655,818 adult donor records in WMDA’s Search & Match (). Separately, they list 37,330 cord blood units (). 10
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Bone marrow registries are also called stem cell registries.

Which registry should I join in Germany?

The registries that sign up people who live in Germany
RegistryAges to join
DKMS17 to 55
Stefan-Morsch-StiftungOn its own pages

DKMS registers healthy people aged 17 to 55 whose permanent home is in Germany; 17-year-olds become searchable automatically on their 18th birthday. 1 2

The Stefan-Morsch-Stiftung allows typing from age 16 with a parent’s or guardian’s consent. Typing is free for eligible people aged 16 to 40, except that women who have had more than two pregnancies must pay the €40 typing cost themselves. People over 40 must also pay that cost. 7

All 26 German donor files feed one national register, ZKRD. 4

How do I join in Germany?

Who can join in Germany?

Can I donate?Age limits by country

DKMS’s ages

Germany and the world’s donor search

ZKRD says volunteers from Germany are involved in almost 40% of unrelated blood stem cell transplants worldwide. 4

ZKRD is Germany’s central coordinating office for donor searches under section 65f of the Fifth Book of the Social Code, and it answers search requests for patients abroad. 4

What happens after I join?

German donor files and ZKRD delete a donor’s data after their 61st birthday. 5

What donating is like

Questions about joining in Germany

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

DKMS’s first question is whether your permanent home is in Germany, while the Stefan-Morsch-Stiftung registers people who live in Germany or Luxembourg or hold either country’s citizenship. 2 7

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

DKMS posts a registration kit for a cheek swab that you send back, and the Stefan-Morsch-Stiftung sends a saliva kit with free return postage or registers people at events such as festivals. 1 7

Does it cost anything to join in Germany?

The Stefan-Morsch-Stiftung requires people over 40, and women who have had more than two pregnancies, to pay the €40 cost of their typing themselves. 7

How old do you have to be to join DKMS?

DKMS signs up people aged 17 to 55. It keeps you listed until your 61st birthday. 1

Is DKMS part of the international donor search?

Yes. DKMS is a member of the World Marrow Donor Association.

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

Join through DKMS, Opens DKMS’s own site in a new tab
Download the card

Sources

How we check

Checked , unless a source says otherwise.

Registries

  1. DKMS (DKMS Donor Center gGmbH). Deine Stammzellspende hilft.
  2. DKMS (DKMS Donor Center gGmbH). Stammzellspende: Registriere dich hier!
  3. DKMS Donor Center gGmbH. Impressum der DKMS Donor Center gGmbH.
  4. ZKRD. Zentrales Knochenmarkspender-Register Deutschland (homepage). Updated Dec 15, 2025.
  5. ZKRD. Registrierung und Spende. Updated Jul 2, 2026.
  6. ZKRD. Impressum.
  7. Stefan-Morsch-Stiftung. Typisierung: Das musst du wissen! Checked
  8. Stefan-Morsch-Stiftung. Impressum.
  9. Stefan-Morsch-Stiftung. Grenzüberschreitende Partnerschaft: Association Don de Moelle du Luxembourg und Stefan-Morsch-Stiftung. Updated Feb 18, 2025.

Figures and lists

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

Other sources

  1. Unicode CLDR. By-Type Chart: Locale Display Names:Territories (Europe). Checked