Registering Online or at the DMV

Is my information private and secure online?

Yes. The donor registry is maintained in a secure, confidential database protected by current industry-standard security measures. The information you provide is used only by authorized organ, eye, and tissue donation professionals for donation-related purposes and is kept strictly confidential. Your personal information will never be sold or shared with third parties.

How do I make changes to my registration if I sign up online?

If you registered to be a donor here at DonateLifeVirginia.org, you can remove yourself from the Virginia Donor Registry by updating your registration on this website.

If you registered to be a donor at RegisterMe.org, you can remove yourself by updating your registration on Donate Life America’s National Donate Life Registry website (RegisterMe.org).

How do I make changes to my registration if I sign up on my iPhone?

If you registered to be a donor through your iPhone, you can make changes to your registration in the National Donate Life Registry by referring to Apple’s documentation page, “Set up your Medical ID in the Health app on your iPhone,” and following the instructions in the section that says “You can edit your information with Donate Life at any time.”

I made a mistake on my registration, and I am unable to change it when I use “Update your registration.”

To protect your identity, the Virginia Donor Registry will not allow changes to key pieces of personally identifying information, such as your name and date of birth, once you have signed up. You will need to re-register. Having multiple registrations is not a problem. We will simply consider the most recent registration to be the binding one.

I have an advance directive authorizing donation of my organs. Should I also register with the Virginia Donor Registry, or will the advance directive be enough?

In order to ensure that your loved ones are aware of your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor, we suggest that you also designate donation either by signing up through the Virginia DMV or by registering to be a donor on this website.

If I am between the ages of 13 and 18 years old, can I sign up at DonateLifeVirginia.org?

Yes. Anyone between those ages can join DonateLifeVirginia.org. If a child 17 years old or younger dies, a parent or guardian will make the final decision concerning organ, tissue, and eye donation. Federal law prevents anyone under the age of 13 from signing up since it is illegal to ask a child for personal information online.

How do you ensure that someone does not sign up another person without his or her knowledge or consent?

In all the state/district donor registries currently in operation, to date there have been no reported problems with persons registering people other than themselves. The authenticity of the registrant can be determined using the date/time of the registration, and personal information requested during the signup process. Family members are also consulted at the time of donation and will be able to verify the donor’s information.

I don’t want to sign up by using a computer. Is there any other way to register?

In addition to registering online, you may download a registration form to complete and mail, or you may register when you apply for or renew your driver’s license or ID card through the DMV.

If something should happen to me while I am traveling, what role does my donor designation on my driver’s license/ID play?

All matters concerning organ, eye and tissue donation are under the jurisdiction of each state’s or country’s respective laws. While your Donate Life Virginia registration might not serve as legally binding consent for donation outside Virginia, it will serve as a clear indication of your wish to donate and will be shared with your family when they are approached by the local organ recovery agency in the state where you die.

I signed up to be a donor at the DMV, but I did not get a heart on my license/ID — what should I do?

Mistakes sometimes happen. If you do not have a donor heart symbol on your driver’s license/ID you should first check your donor status in the Virginia Donor Registryfrom this website. (It is most likely not going to be listed here as donor registrations from the Virginia DMV are not “linked” with our online database.) You can also update your organ donor status directly with the Virginia DMV which will be securely uploaded into the Virginia Donor Registry.

With either method, you may wish to get a replacement license/ID displaying your donor status (the donor heart symbol), but having the donor heart symbol on your license/ID is not required to be a designated donor. To continue, review Virginia DMV’s online and in-person options for replacing your driver’s license/ID (replacement processing fees apply).

If I sign up as an organ, tissue and eye donor at DonateLifeVirginia.org, will the DMV receive the donor information?

No. Donor designation stays in the Virginia Donor Registry only and is not transferred to the DMV.

If you ever wish to have the donor heart symbol put on your driver’s license/ID, you must request a replacement online or in-person at a DMV location (fees apply), but it is not a requirement for being a designated donor.

Must I register to be a donor again when it is time to renew my driver’s license or ID?

No. Once you register your decision to be a donor, it will remain unless you remove yourself from the registry.

What if I have already said “yes” to donation at the DMV, do I need to register again online?

No. All donor designations from the Virginia DMV are securely uploaded into the Virginia Donor Registry. The only time you need to go to DonateLifeVirginia.org is to make changes in your registration.

Can I specify at the DMV which organs and tissues I have decided to donate?

The Virginia DMV is the main point of registering with the Virginia Donor Registry for most Virginians, and there is only enough time for DMV customers to say “yes” to donation. There is not enough time to make any additional decisions. If you want to specify your donations, go here and enter your log-in information and make the changes you wish.

How do I make changes to my registration if I signed up at the DMV?

At any time, you can update your registration on this website. You access your record with your driver’s license or ID number and birthdate. You will then be able to add a password, change some personal information, specify donations or remove your name from the Virginia Donor Registry.

You can also update your organ donor status directly with the Virginia DMV, which will automatically submit your updated information to the Virginia Donor Registry.

It is, however, always important to share with your family and friends your decision about organ donation. If anything does happen to you, your family members will be told about your decision and will be asked to help answer questions about your medical history.