PUERTO RICO · NMDP
Become a bone marrow donor in Puerto Rico
For people who live in Puerto Rico. Live somewhere else? Find your place.
People who live in Puerto Rico join NMDP, a registry based in the United States, from age 18 to 35. Under Ley 154 of 2000, as amended in 2004, Puerto Rico’s public employees, municipal staff included, can take four paid hours, once, to register as a potential marrow donor, after showing proof of registration. 10 11 Checked .
| Region | Caribbean, Latin America and the Caribbean, Americas 13 |
|---|---|
| Population | About 3.2 million (2023) 14 |
| Registry | NMDP (National Marrow Donor Program) 1 15 |
| Who can join | Ages 18 to 35, listed until your 61st birthdayNMDP’s Spanish join information sets residence in the United States, one of its territories or freely associated states as the condition, not citizenship, so people living in Puerto Rico qualify by residence from 18 to 35 if they can meet NMDP’s health guidelines. 2 5 |
| How you sign up | NMDP’s joining information and online sign-up are both available in Spanish, and the kit usually arrives in 3 to 7 days with a prepaid envelope to send it back. 2 5 6 |
| Cost | Joining NMDP from Puerto Rico is free: the swab kit is free, and NMDP pays all donation and travel costs if you are asked to donate. 2 |
| Public cord blood bank | On Oct 16, 2026, NMDP’s list of hospitals that collect cord blood for its public banks named 108 hospitals in 19 states and none in Puerto Rico. 4 |
| Transplants | Hospital Auxilio Mutuo says its bone marrow transplant and cellular therapy program is the only center for allogeneic transplant candidates in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, with six inpatient rooms for transplant patients and their families and the island’s only two adult transplant specialists. 9 |
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Bone marrow registries are also called stem cell registries.
Which registry do people in Puerto Rico join?
NMDP signs up people who live in Puerto Rico. It is run by National Marrow Donor Program, a nonprofit organization.
Gift of Life, another U.S. registry, listed a registration drive in Carolina, Puerto Rico, on May 23, 2022. NMDP says anyone registered with another U.S. organization is already on the registry it manages, so one registration is enough. 7 8
NMDP signs up Puerto Rico residents online, in English or Spanish, with a free swab kit. 2 5
How do I join in Puerto Rico?
Puerto Rico’s public employees may get more paid time to register: in April 2026, the Office of Management and Budget commented on House Bill 844, which would raise the leave for giving blood or registering as a marrow donor to eight hours a year, with registering still counted once per employee. 12
NMDP
Run by National Marrow Donor Program, a nonprofit organization.
18–35years old to join
- Who it’s for
- People who live in Puerto Rico, 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 Puerto Rico?
Are stem cell transplants done in Puerto Rico?
Metro Puerto Rico reported in December 2018 that Auxilio Mutuo did Puerto Rico’s first allogeneic bone marrow transplant, from a sibling, on Feb 2, 2017, and that transplants from unrelated donors on the U.S. registry were not yet done on the island; the unit aimed to start them in 2019. 16
Questions about joining in Puerto Rico
Do I have to be a citizen to join if I live in Puerto Rico?
NMDP’s Spanish join information sets residence in the United States, one of its territories or freely associated states as the condition, not citizenship, so people living in Puerto Rico qualify by residence from 18 to 35 if they can meet NMDP’s health guidelines. 2 5
How do I sign up in Puerto Rico: online, by kit or in person?
NMDP’s joining information and online sign-up are both available in Spanish, and the kit usually arrives in 3 to 7 days with a prepaid envelope to send it back. 2 5 6
Does it cost anything to join in Puerto Rico?
Joining NMDP from Puerto Rico is free: the swab kit is free, and NMDP pays all donation and travel costs if you are asked to donate. 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 Puerto Rico?
On Oct 16, 2026, NMDP’s list of hospitals that collect cord blood for its public banks named 108 hospitals in 19 states and none in Puerto Rico. 4
I live in Puerto Rico. Do I join through the United States?
NMDP’s written rule covers residents of U.S. territories, and NMDP names Puerto Rico, with Guam, among the places where its team works directly with donors, so people in Puerto Rico join through NMDP in the United States. 2 7
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 (Formerly Be The Match).
- NMDP. Join the donor registry | NMDP.
- NMDP. Find Cord Blood Banks & Donation Hospitals Near You | NMDP.
- NMDP. Únete al Registro | NMDP (Antiguamente Be The Match).
- NMDP. Únete al registro de donantes.
- NMDP. Domestic & International Donor Centers | NMDP.
- Gift of Life Marrow Registry. Drive - Chabad of Puerto Rico Swab 4 Aiden.
- Hospital Auxilio Mutuo. Auxilio Trasplante de Médula Ósea y Terapia Celular. Checked
Official bodies
- Gobierno de Puerto Rico — Oficina de Gerencia y Presupuesto, Biblioteca Virtual (law text). Ley Núm. 153 de 2004 (P. de la C. 1152), enmienda a la Ley Núm. 154 de 11 de agosto de 2000. 2004.
- Oficina de Gerencia y Presupuesto de Puerto Rico. Ley para Conceder una Licencia a los Empleados Públicos para Donar Sangre [Ley 154-2000, según enmendada]. Checked
- Oficina de Gerencia y Presupuesto de Puerto Rico. Memorial explicativo de P. de la C. Núm. 844. Updated Apr 7, 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
- ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (mirror of IRS data). National Marrow Donor Program, EIN 84-0865803.
- Metro Puerto Rico. Persisten los retos para los pacientes de leucemia. Updated Dec 11, 2018. Checked