Organ donation in Switzerland
To verify This page has 2 items that could not be confirmed on an official page. Check them yourself before relying on them:
What the current Swiss rules are, what changes with "presumed consent", how to record your decision today and why you should tell your family.
Key facts
- Today: explicit consent. Organs and tissues can only be removed after death if the person (or, if their wish is unknown, their relatives) agreed.
- Coming: presumed consent ("in the broad sense"). Swiss voters accepted it on 15 May 2022 (60.2% yes). The exact start date is not yet known. FOPH expects it probably in the first half of 2028 and will inform the public six months before the change.
- New federal register: FOPH is building an electronic register for your yes or no. It is expected in the second half of 2027. It is not open yet.
- Old Swisstransplant register: closed in 2022 and its data deleted. Do not look for it.
- What to do now: write your decision down (donor card or advance directive) and tell your family.
1. The rules now and after the change
| Now (explicit consent) | Later (presumed consent, broad) | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Removal only if consent was given | Everyone is considered a donor unless they recorded or said "no" |
| Wish unknown | Relatives decide according to what the person would have wanted | Relatives can refuse if they know or assume the person would have refused |
| No relative reachable | No removal | No removal |
Under the new model, FOPH says it applies to every person aged 16 and over who has not documented or communicated an objection.
Foreign residents and international students: FOPH speaks of "toute personne" aged 16 and over and "la population" and does not set a nationality rule. Whether and how the rule applies to foreign residents: To verify with FOPH. FOPH also notes that someone who dies in a country generally falls under that country's law, so people travelling to Switzerland are advised to carry a signed donor card.
2. How to record your decision today
FOPH lists these options:
- Donor card: free to order or print. You can say yes to all, yes to some organs, no to all, or name a trusted person to decide. Carry it with you or keep it where your family will find it. The card is not registered anywhere. English and other language versions exist as PDF downloads.
- Advance directive (directives anticipées): can include your organ donation decision.
- Electronic patient record (EPD / DEP): you can store your donor card there.
- A will is not suitable: it is opened too late.
All these options stay valid after the register opens and after presumed consent starts.
Register status: the federal "Registre des déclarations relatives au don d'organes et de tissus" is under construction, expected in the second half of 2027, with presumed consent probably six months later. Entries are planned to need a secure electronic identity (e-ID). The e-ID stays optional: a donor card, advance directive or telling your family remain valid ways to state your wish (e-ID, Le caractère facultatif de l'e-ID et le registre). How foreign residents without a Swiss e-ID will use the register itself: To verify.
3. Talk to your family
A card can be lost or unreadable at the time of death. Hospitals then ask the relatives. FOPH says telling them is the only way to make sure they respect your choice. "Relatives" includes a spouse or partner, children, parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents and other close people.
For a family abroad, write the decision in English or the local language, with your name, date of birth, the date and your signature, and keep it with your ID.
Related: Blood donation in Vaud (a different topic, while you are alive). Emergencies: Health emergencies.