ITALY · IBMDR
Become a bone marrow donor in Italy
For people who live in Italy. Live somewhere else? Find your country.
If you live in Italy, you can join IBMDR from age 18 to 35. Italy’s registry, IBMDR, asks people who join to stay in Italy for at least six months, and the forms at its donor centers are in Italian. 1 Checked .
| Place | Italy (Italia, Italie) 10 |
|---|---|
| Region | Southern Europe, Europe 8 |
| Population | About 59.5 million (2023) 9 |
| Registry | IBMDR (Ente Ospedaliero Ospedali Galliera) 1 3 |
| Who can join | Ages 18 to 35, listed until your 55th birthdayIBMDR’s rules ask for a stay in Italy of at least six months rather than Italian citizenship, and point people who live in another country to the registry where they live. 1 |
| How you sign up | To join IBMDR you start with an online pre-registration or go to a recruitment center or donor center; Tuscany’s health service says the sample is saliva or blood, taken at a transfusion service. 1 6 |
| Public cord blood bank | In Italy, cord blood given for any patient’s transplant goes to the 18 banks of the Italian Cord Blood Network, ITCBN, set up by a decree of Nov 18, 2009; each bank works with maternity wards where mothers can donate, and IBMDR lists them by region. 5 |
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Bone marrow registries are also called stem cell registries.
Who runs the bone marrow donor registry in Italy?
IBMDR signs up people who live in Italy. It is run by Ente Ospedaliero Ospedali Galliera, a public hospital or university service.
IBMDR works through 17 regional registries set up under Law 52 of 2001: Valle d’Aosta is joined with Piedmont, Molise with Abruzzo, and the provinces of Trento and Bolzano with Veneto, and each regional typing lab must be accredited by ASHI or EFI. 4
Italy’s registry takes people under 36 who stay in Italy at least six months. 1
How do I join in Italy?
Match it now, Italy’s national awareness week for blood stem cell donation, ran from Sep 21 to 27, 2026: health workers and volunteers from ADMO, ADOCES and ADISCO informed and signed up young people in squares, schools and hospitals across Italy, the National Transplant Center said. 7
IBMDR
Run by Ente Ospedaliero Ospedali Galliera, a public hospital or university service.
18–35years old to join
- Who it’s for
- People who live in Italy, aged 18 to 35.
- Languages
- Italian and English
Why this one first Italy’s national registry: pre-register online, then give a sample at a local recruitment centre (18–35).
Link checked Read the registry’s rules (opens in a new tab)
Who can join in Italy?
To join IBMDR you must be 18 to 35, weigh more than 50 kg and be in good health, Italy’s National Transplant Center said in September 2026. 7
Italy and the world’s donor search
IBMDR was set up in 1989 at the Galliera hospital in Genoa and is recognized by Law 52 of March 6, 2001, as Italy’s national registry. 3
IBMDR asks everyone who joins in Italy to be willing to donate to any patient, whether in Italy or abroad. 1
Italy’s National Transplant Center said 24,002 people aged 18 to 35 joined IBMDR in the first eight months of 2026, almost 4,000 more than a year earlier, and that IBMDR had 525,682 active members on Dec 31, 2025. 7
In 2025 IBMDR started 2,440 searches for patients treated in Italy and recorded 490 donations, a record, and 1,161 bone marrow transplants in Italy used a volunteer donor, the most ever recorded, according to Italy’s National Transplant Center. 7
What happens after I join?
Tuscany’s health service says volunteers stay on the Italian registry until they turn 55. 6
Questions about joining in Italy
Can I join if I’m not a citizen of Italy?
IBMDR’s rules ask for a stay in Italy of at least six months rather than Italian citizenship, and point people who live in another country to the registry where they live. 1
How do I sign up in Italy: online, by kit or in person?
To join IBMDR you start with an online pre-registration or go to a recruitment center or donor center; Tuscany’s health service says the sample is saliva or blood, taken at a transfusion service. 1 6
How old do you have to be to join IBMDR?
IBMDR signs up people aged 18 to 35. It keeps you listed until your 55th birthday. 1
Is IBMDR part of the international donor search?
Yes. IBMDR is a member of the World Marrow Donor Association.
Can I donate cord blood in Italy?
In Italy, cord blood given for any patient’s transplant goes to the 18 banks of the Italian Cord Blood Network, ITCBN, set up by a decree of Nov 18, 2009; each bank works with maternity wards where mothers can donate, and IBMDR lists them by region. 5
About donating: Does it hurt?, How donation works and Recovery.
Registries
- IBMDR - E.O. Ospedali Galliera. Iscrizione al Registro Nazionale Italiano Donatori di Midollo Osseo.
- E.O. Ospedali Galliera (IBMDR). Pre-iscrizione IBMDR.
- IBMDR. Chi siamo e cosa facciamo.
- IBMDR. Registri Regionali IBMDR.
- IBMDR - E.O. Ospedali Galliera. Banche di Sangue Cordonale. Updated Oct 20, 2025. Checked
Official bodies
- Regione Toscana. Donazione di midollo osseo.
- Centro Nazionale Trapianti (Ministero della Salute). Midollo osseo, 24mila giovani iscritti al Registro donatori nei primi otto mesi del 2026. Al via Match it now. Updated Sep 21, 2026. 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