Signing Up at 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 Registry from 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.