TÜRKIYE · TÜRK KIZILAY
Become a bone marrow donor in Türkiye
For people who live in Türkiye. Live somewhere else? Find your country.
If you live in Türkiye, you can join Türk Kızılay from age 18 to 35. Türkiye’s national registry, TÜRKÖK, belongs to the Ministry of Health, and you join it at a Türk Kızılay (Turkish Red Crescent) blood donation point by giving 3 tubes of blood. 2 7 Checked .
Browsing from another country? See how joining works where you live.
| Place | Türkiye |
|---|---|
| Region | Western Asia, Asia 8 |
| Population | About 87.3 million (2023) 9 |
| Registry | Türk Kızılay (Türkiye Kızılay Derneği) 2 3 4 10 |
| Who can join | Ages 18 to 35, listed until your 55th birthdayTürk Kızılay says joining TÜRKÖK requires a Turkish (T.C.) identity number and a population and address record in Türkiye, so registration has to be done in Türkiye; it doesn’t say whether foreign residents can join. 1 5 6 |
| How you sign up | At a Türk Kızılay donation point, you fill in the informed consent form for stem cell donor candidates and see a doctor, then give 3 tubes of blood; one tube goes to TÜRKÖK’s tissue typing lab and your results enter the TÜRKÖK database. Kızılay’s donation-point finder can filter for points that take stem cell samples. 2 4 |
| Checked | |
| Next check |
A bone marrow donor registry is also called a stem cell or blood stem cell donor registry.
Who runs the bone marrow donor registry in Türkiye?
How do I join in Türkiye?
One service signs up people who live in Türkiye: Türk Kızılay.
Türk Kızılay
Run by Türkiye Kızılay Derneği, a blood service.
18–35years old to join
- Who it’s for
- People who live in Türkiye, aged 18 to 35.
- Language
- Turkish
Why this one first Joining in Türkiye happens at Türk Kızılay blood donation points (18–35); TÜRKÖK, the national registry, takes no registrations itself.
Link checked Read the registry’s rules (opens in a new tab)
Who can join in Türkiye?
TÜRKÖK lowered its joining age to 18 to 35 on Oct 7, 2024, so older statements that people up to 50 can join are out of date; registered candidates stay in the database until age 55. 1 5
- Your health
- Most healthy adults can join. Some conditions rule it out. Read the registry’s health rules (opens in a new tab)
Türkiye and the world’s donor search
Türk Kızılay said in June 2026, as reported by Memurlar.net, that TÜRKÖK had 1,231,392 active stem cell donor candidates, and that since 2014 there had been 36,905 patient-donor matches and stem cells collected from 8,500 people. 10
TÜRKÖK’s FAQ says its national registry completed World Marrow Donor Association membership on Apr 5, 2016, so patients abroad can be matched with donors in Türkiye; donors give in Türkiye and the cells are sent to the patient’s country. 5
What happens after I join?
Your tissue type is recorded, so searches for patients can find you. If you match a patient, Türk Kızılay contacts you, checks you’re still willing and well, and arranges more tests.
TÜRKÖK advises Turkish citizens who live abroad to join the registry in the country where they live, because registries search each other and a match can still be found. 5 6
Questions about joining in Türkiye
Can I join if I’m not a citizen of Türkiye?
Türk Kızılay says joining TÜRKÖK requires a Turkish (T.C.) identity number and a population and address record in Türkiye, so registration has to be done in Türkiye; it doesn’t say whether foreign residents can join. 5 6
How do I sign up in Türkiye: online, by kit or in person?
At a Türk Kızılay donation point, you fill in the informed consent form for stem cell donor candidates and see a doctor, then give 3 tubes of blood; one tube goes to TÜRKÖK’s tissue typing lab and your results enter the TÜRKÖK database. Kızılay’s donation-point finder can filter for points that take stem cell samples. 2 4
How old do you have to be to join Türk Kızılay?
Türk Kızılay signs up people aged 18 to 35. It keeps you listed until your 55th birthday. 1
Questions about donating itself have their own pages: Does it hurt?, How donation works and Recovery.
The registries’ own pages
- T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı / TÜRKÖK. Gönüllü Akraba Dışı Bağışçı Adayı Kazanımı Hakkında (announcement).
- Türk Kızılay. Bağışçı Adayı Olma Süreci Nasıl İlerler?
- Türk Kızılay. Türkiye Kızılay Derneği Tüzüğü (statute).
- Türk Kızılay. Kan Hizmetleri - Bağış Noktaları.
- T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı / TÜRKÖK. Sıkça Sorulan Sorular (FAQ).
- Türk Kızılay. Kan Hizmetleri - Sıkça Sorulan Sorular.
Government and official registers
- T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı (Ministry of Health), Sağlık Hizmetleri Genel Müdürlüğü. Türkiye Kök Hücre Koordinasyon Merkezi (TÜRKÖK) home page.
The World Marrow Donor Association and other figures
- 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).
Research and other sources
- Memurlar.net (reporting a Türk Kızılay statement). Türk Kızılay'a yılın ilk 5 ayında 1 milyon 246 bin ünite kan bağışlandı. Updated Jun 14, 2026.
- Jada Bascom Foundation. About us: Jada’s story.Checked