Giving blood in Vaud

Last checked: 10 October 2026. Unofficial student guide, not EPFL or government advice: confirm on the linked official pages before you act. Unfamiliar abbreviation? See the Glossary.

Blood donation in Switzerland is run by the Swiss Red Cross transfusion services. In Vaud, the regional service is Transfusion Interrégionale CRS. This page covers who can give, travel deferrals, where to give near EPFL and what to bring.

Key facts

• Age: 18 to 60 for a first donation; regular donors up to 75.
• Weight: at least 50 kg.
• Travel: if you travelled abroad in the last 6 months, check your destination in the official Travel-Check (risk areas such as malaria or dengue can mean a waiting period).
• ID: bring an identity document (ID card, passport or driving licence) to your first donation.
• Where: the fixed centre for the Lausanne area is in Epalinges (Biopôle, M2 stop Croisettes), plus drives on the EPFL campus twice a year.

1. Who can give blood

Transfusion Interrégionale CRS lists these main criteria:

• aged between 18 and 60 for new donors, up to 75 for regular donors;
• weigh at least 50 kg;
• feel healthy. After a cold or sore throat you can give once symptoms are gone; after fever above 38 °C or flu, two weeks after full recovery;
• blood pressure, pulse and haemoglobin are checked on site before each donation.

Before every donation you fill in a medical questionnaire, then talk it through with medical staff. The full list of criteria is in that questionnaire.

Travel and stays abroad

The service says: for trips in the last 6 months, check your destination in the Travel-Check. In some regions there is a risk of infections such as dengue or malaria; even with good protection, a small residual risk remains, so a waiting period can apply.

• After a trip to a malaria risk area you cannot give blood for six months (Transfusion CRS Suisse, Donating blood after travel abroad). If you have lived in a malaria area, the rule depends on your history (To verify for your case by calling the free number).
• Rules on long past stays in specific countries are in the medical questionnaire (To verify for your case).
• West Nile virus: blood is tested from July to December, so people back from areas with only West Nile virus can give without waiting during that period.

Questions: free number 0800 148 148 or info@jedonnemonsang.ch.

Vaccines given in Switzerland or abroad can also mean a short waiting period. See Vaccinations in Vaud and use the service's vaccination check.

2. Where to give near Lausanne

Centre de prélèvements Lausanne-Epalinges (Transfusion Interrégionale CRS)

• Address: BIOPÔLE, Secteur Croisettes, Bâtiment Metio (SC-B), 1066 Epalinges.
• Access: metro M2 to the terminus Croisettes; the centre is in the metro station building.
• Opening hours: Tuesday and Thursday 11:30 to 19:00, Wednesday and Friday 07:30 to 13:00, Monday closed (apheresis appointments only). Hours can change; check the centre page.
• Book online or by phone (0800 148 148) to avoid waiting.

The centre is on the Biopôle site, not inside the CHUV hospital or Unisanté. Whether CHUV or Unisanté run any public donor sessions of their own is To verify; the official page for Lausanne donors is the Epalinges centre.

On the EPFL campus

EPFL's health prevention page says blood drives run twice a year on campus, with Transfusion Interrégionale CRS, AGEPoly, Civil Protection and EPFL's safety service. The service has an "L'EPFL donne son sang" page. In 2026 the drives were on 24 and 25 March and are planned on 8 and 9 December 2026, 10:00 to 17:00, at the Foyer SG, with online booking (Transfusion Interrégionale CRS, L'EPFL donne son sang). For campus drives the service asks you to bring an ID document.

Plan your time: count about one hour for a first donation, including the interview and a short rest. Drink more than a litre of water in the 2 hours before, and eat a small snack; do not come on an empty stomach.

3. Language and ID

• ID: an identity document (ID card, passport, driving licence) is needed at your first donation for registration.
• Language: the Vaud service's pages and questionnaire are in French and German. The national sample questionnaire is published in German only, and it cannot be filled in online (Transfusion CRS Suisse, Who can donate blood?). Whether the interview can be done in English in Vaud is To verify: ask when you book (0800 148 148). If your French is basic, say so at reception; the questionnaire must be understood correctly for your safety and the patients'.

Organ donation follows different rules: see Organ donation in Switzerland.