Intention of donating organs and request of transplants: procedures in Italy.

Donating organs

According to Italian law, all citizens wishing to be an organ donor must declare this preference. It is currently possible to express this intention:

  • by compiling online the declaration of intent and submitting it to the competent ASL unit, which will file the declaration
  • by drafting a written declaration, containing the person’s name, surname, date of birth, declaration of intent (positive or negative), date and signature, which the citizen will carry with his other personal documents
  • by carrying the card of the Italian Organ Donation Association or of one of the other associations in this sector.

When one’s intention is registered with the competent ASL, the data are entered in an archive of the National Transplants Centre which is connected to Interregional centres.

Transplants

Transplants of organs, cells or tissues are free operations for patients registered with the National Health Service. While an organ transplant can be performed solely in transplant centres, cells are transplanted in hospitals’ haematology departments, and tissues can be transplanted in any healthcare structure (both public and private).

To request this type of operation it is always necessary to add one’s name to a waiting list, providing one is registered with the SSN (NHS). Receiving patients over the age of 18 are put on the waiting list of a single transplant centre in their own Region.

To find out more
Search for transplant centre
Donor card
ASL Organ Donor Offices
AIDO (Italian organ, tissue and cell donation association)
Donations and transplants in European Union