NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS · NMDP
Become a bone marrow donor in the Northern Mariana Islands
For people who live in the Northern Mariana Islands. Live somewhere else? Find your place.
People who live in the Northern Mariana Islands join NMDP, a registry based in the United States, from age 18 to 35. Under the Covenant, a federal law passed in 1975, the Northern Mariana Islands became a U.S. territory, the Office of Insular Affairs says, so CNMI residents come under NMDP’s rule for U.S. territories. 2 8 Checked .
| Region | Micronesia, Oceania 9 |
|---|---|
| Population | About 45,100 (2023) 10 |
| Registry | NMDP (National Marrow Donor Program) 1 11 |
| Who can join | Ages 18 to 35, listed until your 61st birthdayNMDP’s rules mention neither citizenship nor immigration, so people living in the CNMI, which came under federal immigration law in 2008 according to the Office of Insular Affairs, can sign up at 18 to 35 provided they meet NMDP’s health guidelines and haven’t already joined through a different U.S. organization. 2 8 |
| How you sign up | Joining from the CNMI works online: NMDP asks a few questions, then mails a free swab kit that it says usually arrives in 3 to 7 days, without saying whether that holds for addresses in the Commonwealth. 2 |
| Cost | NMDP’s kit costs nothing for people in the CNMI, and registrants stay listed until 61 unless they ask to be removed. 2 |
| Public cord blood bank | NMDP’s network has no cord blood donation hospital in the Northern Mariana Islands: its list, read on Oct 16, 2026, had 108 hospitals, all in 19 states. 4 |
| Transplants | The CNMI’s Medical Referral Services sends residents of the Northern Mariana Islands off-island for care not available in the Commonwealth, with offices in Guam and Hawaii and contracted facilities in the continental U.S., the Philippines, Korea and Taiwan, its October 2021 report says. 7 |
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Bone marrow registries are also called stem cell registries.
Which registry do people in the Northern Mariana Islands join?
NMDP signs up people who live in the Northern Mariana Islands. It is run by National Marrow Donor Program, a nonprofit organization.
Service members, dependents, reservists and DoD civilian staff in the Northern Mariana Islands can register through Salute to Life by requesting a kit; on Oct 16, 2026, the program’s walk-in registration list had no site in the CNMI, though it listed one at U.S. Naval Hospital Guam. 5 6
NMDP’s residence rule covers the CNMI, a U.S. territory under a 1975 Covenant. 2 8
How do I join in the Northern Mariana Islands?
NMDP
Run by National Marrow Donor Program, a nonprofit organization.
18–35years old to join
- Who it’s for
- People who live in the Northern Mariana Islands, aged 18 to 35.
- Languages
- English and Spanish
Why this one first The U.S. national coordinating registry, open to people living in the U.S., its territories and freely associated states, online with a free swab kit (18–35).
Who can join in the Northern Mariana Islands?
Are stem cell transplants done in the Northern Mariana Islands?
The CNMI’s Medical Referral Program dates from an August 1994 executive order and has been under the Office of the Governor since May 2013. A committee of six physicians appointed by the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation reviews every referral request on Wednesdays, the program’s October 2021 report says. 7
Medical Referral Services holds weekly video conferences with Sharp Memorial Hospital and Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego to follow CNMI patients’ treatment, its October 2021 report says. 7
Questions about joining in the Northern Mariana Islands
Do I have to be a citizen to join if I live in the Northern Mariana Islands?
NMDP’s rules mention neither citizenship nor immigration, so people living in the CNMI, which came under federal immigration law in 2008 according to the Office of Insular Affairs, can sign up at 18 to 35 provided they meet NMDP’s health guidelines and haven’t already joined through a different U.S. organization. 2 8
How do I sign up in the Northern Mariana Islands: online, by kit or in person?
Joining from the CNMI works online: NMDP asks a few questions, then mails a free swab kit that it says usually arrives in 3 to 7 days, without saying whether that holds for addresses in the Commonwealth. 2
Does it cost anything to join in the Northern Mariana Islands?
NMDP’s kit costs nothing for people in the CNMI, and registrants stay listed until 61 unless they ask to be removed. 2
How old do you have to be to join NMDP?
NMDP signs up people aged 18 to 35. It keeps you listed until your 61st birthday. 2
Is NMDP part of the international donor search?
Yes. NMDP is a member of the World Marrow Donor Association.
Can I donate cord blood in the Northern Mariana Islands?
NMDP’s network has no cord blood donation hospital in the Northern Mariana Islands: its list, read on Oct 16, 2026, had 108 hospitals, all in 19 states. 4
About donating: Does it hurt?, How donation works and Recovery.
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Registries
- NMDP. Join the donor registry | NMDP (my.nmdp.org registration app).
- NMDP. Join the donor registry | NMDP.
- NMDP. Join the donor registry | NMDP.
- NMDP. Find Cord Blood Banks & Donation Hospitals Near You | NMDP.
- C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor Program (Salute to Life). Walk In Registration. Checked
- NMDP. U.S. military members as donors.
Official bodies
- CNMI Medical Referral Services (Office of the Governor). Citizen-Centric Reporting FY 2021. October 2021. Checked
- U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 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
- ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (mirror of IRS data). National Marrow Donor Program, EIN 84-0865803.