SWITZERLAND · BLOOD STEM CELLS SWITZERLAND
Become a stem cell donor in Switzerland
For people who live in Switzerland. Live somewhere else? Find your country.
If you live in Switzerland, you can join Blood Stem Cells Switzerland from age 18 to 40. To join Switzerland’s registry you must have health insurance in Switzerland or Liechtenstein; Blutspende SRK Schweiz runs the registry on behalf of the Federal Office of Public Health. 2 4 Checked .
| Place | Switzerland (Schweiz, Schwiiz, Suisse, Svizzera) 9 |
|---|---|
| Region | Western Europe, Europe 7 |
| Population | About 8.9 million (2023) 8 |
| Registry | Blood Stem Cells Switzerland (Blutspende SRK Schweiz AG), once known as Swiss Blood Stem Cells (SBSC) 1–4 |
| Who can join | Ages 18 to 40, listed until your 60th birthdaySwitzerland’s registry asks about health insurance, not nationality, and points people who live in another country to that country’s registry. 1 2 |
| How you sign up | After an online quick check and medical questionnaire, Blutspende SRK Schweiz posts a test kit within one to two weeks for a cheek swab you take at home. 1 |
| Cost | Donating costs you nothing in Switzerland: the patient’s health insurance pays for the medical tests and the hospital stay, and Blutspende SRK Schweiz repays costs such as lost wages, travel and childcare. 6 |
| Public cord blood bank | Switzerland’s two public cord blood banks are at the university hospitals of Basel and Geneva, and donating to them costs parents nothing. Only adults may donate blood stem cells in Switzerland, and that rule applies to expectant mothers donating cord blood too. 5 |
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Stem cell registries are also called bone marrow registries.
Who runs the stem cell donor registry in Switzerland?
Blood Stem Cells Switzerland signs up people who live in Switzerland. It is run by Blutspende SRK Schweiz AG, a blood service.
Switzerland’s registry takes people aged 18 to 40 insured in Switzerland or Liechtenstein. 1
How do I join in Switzerland?
Switzerland’s registry registers people only until their 40th birthday, and those under 18 can ask for an email and text reminder on their 18th birthday. 2
Blutspende SRK Schweiz says typing your cheek swab usually takes two to three months; if you later match a patient, a blood sample at a blood donation center near you confirms the result. 1
Blood Stem Cells Switzerland
Run by Blutspende SRK Schweiz AG, a blood service.
18–40years old to join
- Who it’s for
- People who live in Switzerland, aged 18 to 40.
- Languages
- German, French and Italian
Why this one first Switzerland’s national registry, for anyone health-insured in Switzerland or Liechtenstein: a quick online check, then a cheek-swab kit by post (18–40).
Link checked Read the registry’s rules (opens in a new tab)
Who can join in Switzerland?
Switzerland and the world’s donor search
On Oct 15, 2026, Blutspende SRK Schweiz’s counters showed 207,066 donors on the Swiss registry, 189 new registrations in the past week and 102 people who donated in 2025. 4
Blutspende SRK Schweiz, a nonprofit company based in Liebefeld, says about 80 to 90 people on the Swiss registry are called to donate each year. 1 3
Blutspende SRK Schweiz has worked for patients with life-threatening blood diseases for more than 30 years and says that one in four people with leukemia or another severe blood disease finds no matching donor. 4
Questions about joining in Switzerland
Can I join if I’m not a citizen of Switzerland?
Switzerland’s registry asks about health insurance, not nationality, and points people who live in another country to that country’s registry. 2
How do I sign up in Switzerland: online, by kit or in person?
After an online quick check and medical questionnaire, Blutspende SRK Schweiz posts a test kit within one to two weeks for a cheek swab you take at home. 1
Does it cost anything to join in Switzerland?
Donating costs you nothing in Switzerland: the patient’s health insurance pays for the medical tests and the hospital stay, and Blutspende SRK Schweiz repays costs such as lost wages, travel and childcare. 6
How old do you have to be to join Blood Stem Cells Switzerland?
Blood Stem Cells Switzerland signs up people aged 18 to 40. It keeps you listed until your 60th birthday. 1
Is Blood Stem Cells Switzerland part of the international donor search?
Yes. Blood Stem Cells Switzerland is a member of the World Marrow Donor Association.
Can I donate cord blood in Switzerland?
Switzerland’s two public cord blood banks are at the university hospitals of Basel and Geneva, and donating to them costs parents nothing. Only adults may donate blood stem cells in Switzerland, and that rule applies to expectant mothers donating cord blood too. 5
About donating: Does it hurt?, How donation works and Recovery.
Registries
- Blutspende SRK Schweiz AG. Schenken Sie Erkrankten Hoffnung auf Heilung. Checked
- Blutspende SRK Schweiz AG. Online Registrierung Blutstammzellenspende. Checked
- Blutspende SRK Schweiz AG. Impressum.
- Blutspende SRK Schweiz AG. Lebensrettende Blutstammzellspende (homepage).
- Blutspende SRK Schweiz AG. Nabelschnurblutspende. Checked
- Blutspende SRK Schweiz AG. Fragen und Antworten zur Blutstammzellspende. 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