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INDIA · DKMS FOUNDATION INDIA

Become a bone marrow donor in India

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

Three registries sign up people who live in India. You only need to join one. DKMS Foundation India and DATRI both sign people up online from anywhere in India and send a cheek-swab kit to the home address you give. 1 5 Checked .

You can join hereHow we check
Join through DKMS Foundation India, Opens DKMS Foundation India’s own site in a new tab
What happens after you join, From your sample to a possible call
India at a glance
PlaceIndia (भारत, ভারত, భారతదేశం) 15
RegionSouthern Asia, Asia 13
PopulationAbout 1.4 billion (2023) 14
RegistriesDKMS Foundation India (DKMS Foundation)DATRI (DATRI Blood Stem Cell Donors Registry)The Arjan Vir FoundationGeneBandhuJeevan Stem Cell Foundation 3 7–10 12
Who can joinDKMS Foundation India: ages 18 to 55, listed until your 61st birthdayDATRI: ages 18 to 50, listed until your 50th birthdayThe Arjan Vir Foundation: ages 18 to 45DKMS Foundation India says registration is only possible for permanent residents of India and states no citizenship rule. DATRI’s sign-up form asks, “Do you live in India?” 1 2 5 6 8
How you sign upDKMS Foundation India’s sign-up has three steps: fill in a short online form, swab your cheeks with the kit sent to your home, then return it, with a free pickup you can book. DATRI’s form checks age, residence and health before it sends forms and swabs. 1 5
CostDKMS Foundation India says, “We do not ask our potential donors for money.” DATRI’s FAQ says typing a new donor costs it INR 1,800 and asks joiners to pay for it, while its homepage puts the cost at INR 2,500, so check DATRI’s current terms. 2 4 6
World donor searchOrganizations based in India list 1,049,845 adult donor records in WMDA’s Search & Match (). 12
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Bone marrow registries are also called stem cell registries.

Which registry should I join in India?

The registries that sign up people who live in India
RegistryAges to joinWho it’s for
DKMS Foundation India18 to 55People who live in India
DATRI18 to 50People who live in India
The Arjan Vir Foundation18 to 45People who live in north India

Join one Indian registry, not both. DKMS Foundation India’s FAQ says anyone already on a blood stem cell registry doesn’t need to sign up again, because registering twice causes duplication, and DATRI’s form asks whether you’ve registered elsewhere. 2 5

India’s smaller registries describe signing up in person: Marrow Donor Registry (India)’s undated website lists Mumbai hospital blood banks for ages 18 to 50, and GeneBandhu points to donor drive camps. Jeevan Stem Cell Foundation’s registry says it isn’t recruiting donors right now. 10

India has two nationwide registries with home swab kits: DKMS Foundation India and DATRI. 1 5

How do I join in India?

Who can join in India?

Can I donate?Age limits by country

DKMS Foundation India’s ages

India and the world’s donor search

India’s national transplant guidelines (ICMR, 2021) say Indian registries hold more than 500,000 volunteer donors and that unrelated-donor grafts for Indian patients also come from DKMS, NMDP and Anthony Nolan. 11

What happens after I join?

DKMS Foundation India sends the swabs it receives to the DKMS Life Science Lab in Dresden, Germany, for tissue typing, and keeps donors available for searches until their 61st birthday. 2

What donating is like

Questions about joining in India

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

DKMS Foundation India says registration is only possible for permanent residents of India and states no citizenship rule. DATRI’s sign-up form asks, “Do you live in India?” 1 5

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

DKMS Foundation India’s sign-up has three steps: fill in a short online form, swab your cheeks with the kit sent to your home, then return it, with a free pickup you can book. DATRI’s form checks age, residence and health before it sends forms and swabs. 1 5

Does it cost anything to join in India?

DKMS Foundation India says, “We do not ask our potential donors for money.” DATRI’s FAQ says typing a new donor costs it INR 1,800 and asks joiners to pay for it, while its homepage puts the cost at INR 2,500, so check DATRI’s current terms. 2 4 6

How old do you have to be to join DKMS Foundation India?

DKMS Foundation India signs up people aged 18 to 55. It keeps you listed until your 61st birthday. 2

Is DKMS Foundation India part of the international donor search?

Yes. DKMS Foundation India 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 Foundation India, Opens DKMS Foundation India’s own site in a new tab
Download the card

Sources

How we check

Checked , unless a source says otherwise.

Registries

  1. DKMS Foundation India. Register as a potential donor.
  2. DKMS Foundation India. Frequently asked questions.
  3. DKMS Foundation India. Compliance & Financials.
  4. DATRI Blood Stem Cell Donors Registry. Home - DATRI - India's Largest Blood Stem Cell Donors Registry.
  5. DATRI Blood Stem Cell Donors Registry. Register now.
  6. DATRI Blood Stem Cell Donors Registry. FAQ's & Myths.
  7. DATRI Blood Stem Cell Donors Registry. Know more about DATRI.
  8. The Arjan Vir Foundation. Home | TAVF.
  9. Jeevan Stem Cell Foundation. Our Standards (public cord blood bank).
  10. Jeevan Stem Cell Foundation. Be the Cure - The Stem Cell Registry.

Official bodies

  1. Indian Council of Medical Research. National Guidelines for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation 2021.

Figures and lists

  1. World Marrow Donor Association (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 (Asia). Checked