UNITED KINGDOM · DKMS UK
Joining a stem cell donor registry from the United Kingdom
For people who live in the United Kingdom. Live somewhere else? Find your country.
4 registries sign up people who live in the United Kingdom. You only need to join one. Here’s who can join, how it works and what happens after.
You can join here, through DKMS UK.
Browsing from another country? See how joining works where you live.
Ways to join
4 services sign up people who live in the United Kingdom. You only need to join one.
DKMS UK
Run by DKMS Foundation, a nonprofit organization.
16–55years old to join
- Who it’s for
- People who live in the United Kingdom, aged 16 to 55.
- Language
- English
Why this one first Open to everyone living in the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man from 16 to 55, online with a home swab kit.
Anthony Nolan
Anthony Nolan is a nonprofit organization.
16–30years old to join
- Who it’s for
- People who live in the United Kingdom, aged 16 to 30.
- Language
- English
Link checked Read the registry’s rules (opens in a new tab)
NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry
Run by NHS Blood and Transplant, a public body.
17–40years old to join
- Who it’s for
- People who live in England, aged 17 to 40.
- Language
- English
Who this suits People who already give blood in England, at a donation appointment.
Read NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry’s own page (opens in a new tab)
Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry
Run by Velindre University NHS Trust, a public body.
16–30years old to join
- Who it’s for
- People who live in the United Kingdom, aged 16 to 30.
- Languages
- English and Welsh
Link checked Read the registry’s rules (opens in a new tab)
Who can join
These are DKMS UK’s rules, in short. Its own pages have the full list, and the registry decides.
- Where you live
- The United Kingdom.
- Age to join
- 16 to 55
- Your health
- Most healthy adults can join. Some conditions rule it out. Read the registry’s health rules (opens in a new tab)
What happens after you join
From your sample to a possible call. Each registry runs its own process; these are the steps they share.
Check you can join.
DKMS UK sets its own age range and health rules. Its own pages have them.
Give a sample.
The registry takes a sample to record your tissue type. Its own pages say how.
You’re on the registry.
Your tissue type is recorded, so searches for patients can find you.
If you match a patient.
The registry contacts you, checks you’re still willing and well, and arranges more tests.
Donation.
If you go ahead, you’ll donate blood stem cells or bone marrow. The registry explains what’s involved and supports you through it.
Keep your contact details up to date so the registry can reach you. What donating is like
Questions
Can I join if I’m not a citizen?
Registries usually decide by where you live, not by nationality. DKMS UK’s own rules say who can join.
I’m already on another country’s registry. Do I join again?
Registries share their lists with searches around the world, so ask your registry before you join a second one.
Is giving blood the same as joining?
Giving blood helps patients who need transfusions. It doesn’t put you on a stem cell donor registry unless that registry says it does.
Who is the Jada Bascom Foundation?
We’re a US charity. We don’t run a registry, and we aren’t part of DKMS UK. We help people find the official registry where they live.
Live somewhere else?
Registries usually sign up people by where they live, not by nationality.
- Anguilla
- Bermuda
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
- All countries and territories
Learn more
BE SOMEONE’S TORSTEN
The same search found Jada’s donor in Germany.
Jada was a baby in Spokane, Washington, when doctors found she had acute myeloid leukemia. Her match was a stranger five thousand miles away: Torsten, who had joined the DKMS registry at a donor drive in Germany the year before she was born. If you live in the United Kingdom, your place in that search starts with DKMS UK.
CHECKED BEFORE IT WAS PUBLISHED
Sources
The registries’ own pages
- DKMS UK (DKMS Foundation). Register as a potential donor (step 1 of 12, read only) (opens in a new tab). Undated.Checked
- DKMS UK. Eligibility to register to donate your blood stem cells (opens in a new tab). Undated.Checked
- DKMS UK. Legal Notice (opens in a new tab). Undated.Checked
Government and official registers
- Companies House (UK). DKMS FOUNDATION overview (opens in a new tab). Undated.Checked
- OSCR. Charity Details: DKMS Foundation SC046917 (opens in a new tab). Undated.Checked
- Jada Bascom Foundation. About us: Jada’s story. Undated.Checked
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Data version hub-2026.10.15-1+68cdf352
