Organ donation after death: how can you make your wishes known?

In France, an adult’s consent to organ removal after death is presumed unless they expressed refusal during their lifetime. Before retrieval, the team checks whether an objection exists; make your wishes known to people close to you.

The national refusal register is the principal statutory way to express refusal. Registration is available online or by post. Use the official steps linked by Service Public rather than assuming that a conversation amounts to registration.

You can also write down your refusal and entrust the document to someone close to you. It must be dated, signed and identify you by surname, given name, date and place of birth. That person can pass it to the hospital team.

Someone close to you can also attest to a refusal you expressly stated during your lifetime. The context and circumstances are recorded in a document signed by that person and the hospital coordination team. Explain your wishes clearly.

Refusal may cover all organs and tissues or only specified ones. If this distinction matters to you, state it precisely when expressing refusal rather than leaving people close to you to guess what you wanted.

You can revise or revoke refusal at any time; the team takes account of the most recent expression of your wishes. If your position changes, update the relevant procedure and inform the people to whom you had entrusted your choice.