You can remove yourself from the organ donor registry at any time, for free, by contacting each registry that holds your record and asking to be taken off. For most people that means the state donor registry you joined through the DMV, the National Donate Life Registry, or both. One thing to know up front: taking your name off a registry does not, by itself, prevent donation after your death. It puts you back in a neutral position where your next of kin can still be asked to authorize it.
Find Every Registry That Has Your Name
Before you can remove your registration, you need to know where it lives. People typically end up in one of three situations.
- State donor registry through the DMV. This is the most common path. If you ever checked a donor box or signed a consent line when applying for or renewing a driver’s license or state ID, your state’s donor registry has you.
- National Donate Life Registry. Run by Donate Life America, this national registry takes sign-ups through RegisterMe.org and through partners like Apple and Walgreens. If you registered through the iPhone Health app, that record went here.1Donate Life America. National Donate Life Registry
- Both. You can be listed in a state registry and the national registry at the same time. If you’re not sure, assume you’re in both and follow both removal processes.2Donate Life America. National Donate Life Registry and State Removal
Remove Yourself From Your State Registry
State registries are run independently, so the exact steps vary. Most states offer at least two of the options below.
Online
Most state DMVs and donor registries have an online portal where you can update or cancel your donor status. You will generally need your full legal name, date of birth, address, and driver’s license number, and some states ask for the last four digits of your Social Security number.3Donate Life America. Your Information – Donate Life America The fastest way to find your state’s portal is through the federal organdonor.gov site, which links to each state registry.4organdonor.gov. Sign Up To Be An Organ Donor
By Mail
Many state registries let you download a removal form, complete it, and mail it in. This takes longer than the online route, so expect a few weeks before the change shows up in the system.
In Person at the DMV
If the donor symbol is printed on your physical license and you want it gone, you’ll usually need to visit the DMV for a replacement card without the indicator. Duplicate license fees vary by state, so check before you go. And an important detail: removing the symbol from the card does not always remove you from the electronic registry. You may still need to submit an online or mail request to clear the registry itself.
Remove Yourself From the National Donate Life Registry
If you signed up through RegisterMe.org, the iPhone Health app, or a partner platform like Walgreens, your record sits in the National Donate Life Registry. Removing yourself from your state registry does not touch this national one, so handle it separately.2Donate Life America. National Donate Life Registry and State Removal
Go to RegisterMe.org and click “Access your registration” near the top of the page. Enter your identifying information to sign in. If you have a record, your registration will open with options to edit or remove it.5Donate Life America. National Donate Life Registry Removal
If you registered through the iPhone Health app, you can also change it there. Open the Health app, tap your picture or initials, tap Organ Donation, then tap Edit Donor Registration.6Apple Support. Register as an Organ Donor in Health on iPhone (U.S. only) The Health app feeds into the National Donate Life Registry, so changes there should update it. If you want to be sure, confirm on RegisterMe.org afterward.
What Removal Actually Does, and What It Doesn’t
This is where people get caught out. Under the Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, which most states have adopted, revoking your registration moves you from a “positive” position (gift authorized) back to a “neutral” position. Legally, it’s treated as though you never made the gift. It is not the same as refusing donation, and a prior revocation does not stop a family member or surrogate from authorizing donation at the time of your death.7National Library of Medicine. Organ Donation and the Principles of Gift Law
In practice, if you die with no active registration and no documented refusal, hospital staff will usually approach your next of kin and ask whether to authorize donation. If your family says yes, donation can proceed even though you removed your registry entry.
If your only goal is to avoid a binding authorization on file, removal handles that. If you want to make sure donation cannot happen at all, you need one more step.
File a Formal Refusal if You Want to Block Donation Entirely
The UAGA lets you go further than revocation and affirmatively refuse to make an anatomical gift. A documented refusal is legally binding and prevents other people, including family, from authorizing donation after your death. Most states recognize a few ways to create one.
- A signed written statement that explicitly says you refuse to be an organ, eye, or tissue donor. Most states don’t require a specific form, but the language should be unambiguous.
- An advance directive or living will. Many advance directive forms include a donation section where you can state that you do not consent.
- An oral statement during a terminal illness or injury, communicated to at least two adults, one of whom has no financial interest in the decision.
Without a formal refusal, the law treats you as someone who simply never expressed a preference. A written refusal closes that gap.
Tell Your Family and Healthcare Proxy
Even with a refusal on paper, the practical safeguard is making sure the people around you know. Donation decisions happen fast after death, and hospital staff will look to your family if clear documentation isn’t in front of them.
If you have a healthcare power of attorney, check whether it covers organ donation. Many forms let you grant or withhold that authority. If you give your agent that power, include instructions so they know to decline. If the document is silent, doctors will typically turn to your closest available relative.
Have a direct conversation with your spouse, parents, adult children, or whoever is likely to be called. Tell them you removed your registration and, if you filed one, that you have a written refusal. Tell them where the document is. A family member who knows your wishes and can speak up immediately is the most reliable protection.
Confirm the Removal Went Through
After you submit a removal request, verify that each registry actually processed it. Online removals usually show updated status right away. For mail requests, wait a few weeks and then check the portal.
For the National Donate Life Registry, sign back in at RegisterMe.org. If your record no longer appears or shows as inactive, the removal went through.5Donate Life America. National Donate Life Registry Removal For your state, use the same portal where you originally found the registration. A replacement license without the donor symbol confirms the DMV side but not always the electronic registry, so check both.
Save any confirmation emails, screenshots, or letters. If you also signed a written refusal or updated an advance directive, keep copies with your other important documents and give one to your healthcare proxy.