• In the case of a vaccination with inactive pathogens or their components or an mRNA vaccination, the waiting period is normally 48 hours: Influenza, human papillomavirus, poliomyelitis parenteral (injected), tetanus diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), hepatitis A, cholera, Haemophilus influenzae B, genital herpes, meningococcal meningitis, pneumococcal meningitis, anthrax, rabies, typhoid (injected) and tick vaccine and COVID-19 (mRNA, vector). The vaccination against hepatitis B is the exception: the waiting period here is 2 weeks. This is because a fresh vaccination could be mistaken for a fresh infection when the blood donation is tested in the laboratory.
• The waiting period for vaccinations with live vaccines (attenuated pathogens are vaccinated) is 1 month. The following vaccinations are given with live vaccines: measles-mumps-rubella, BCG (tuberculosis), oral poliomyelitis (oral vaccination), cholera, typhoid/paratyphoid (oral vaccination), yellow fever, herpes zoster and varicella.
• Vaccinations after exposure can only be donated 12 months later; this is a vaccination that is given after a specific event (e.g. vaccination against rabies after a dog bite abroad).
• All waiting periods after a vaccination can also be checked online in the vaccination check.

Uniform donation criteria have applied throughout Switzerland since November 1, 2023 Swissmedic approved the application from Swiss Transfusion SRC in July 2023. This means that the blood donation criteria will be applied uniformly for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation.

The reason for this exclusion is the possibility of transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) through blood transfusions. vCJD is caused by prions (protein infection). As there are no routine tests to detect prions in blood donations, exclusion has been introduced as a precautionary safety measure. This is intended to rule out any conceivable risks that current tests cannot detect.

In the UK, the transmission of a so-called prion disease (protein infection) from animals to humans was described for the first time in 1996. The new disease was called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans and is primarily known as «mad cow disease» (BSE) in animals.

The UK was by far the country most affected by BSE worldwide and therefore also had the highest number of cases of vCJD. Studies have shown that the risk of infection was highest between 1980 and 1996.

The safety of the blood products is a priority for Swiss Transfusion SRC. As there are no tests to detect the vCJD pathogens in blood and the incubation period (time between infection and onset of the disease) is not precisely known, there is a possibility of transmission through blood transfusions. For this reason, exclusion has been decided as a safety measure to rule out all conceivable risks.

No, if you have a cold you should wait until you are fully recovered.

If you have the flu, we recommend that you wait at least 2 weeks after the symptoms have subsided until the next blood donation.

Taking medication does not rule out the possibility of donating blood. For clarification, please contact the responsible specialists at your regional blood donation service. Please do not forget to list all medications (including those not prescribed by a doctor) in the questionnaire.

Blood can be donated if insulin is administered via tablets. Blood cannot be donated if insulin is administered by injection.

In many countries, there is an increased risk of contracting infectious diseases such as malaria or the West Nile virus. In order to exclude the risk of transmission for blood recipients as far as possible, waiting periods must be observed depending on current developments. Before your next blood donation, find out about the current status from the Travelcheck or the blood donation service in your region.

Close to you and at a time that suits you. There are blood donation centers run by the regional blood donation services in around 37 Swiss towns and villages. In addition, mobile teams regularly carry out blood donation campaigns in many other locations in collaboration with the Samaritan associations.

You can find out about blood donation dates and receive reminders at any time.

For many people, blood is important for survival - donating blood saves lives! Around 700 blood donations are needed every day in Switzerland alone. As the storage time of blood is limited, regular donations are needed to ensure the supply at all times. The need can vary from blood group to blood group.

A blood donation helps cancer patients in particular. But blood donations are also needed for operations, illnesses or accidents. You can find the different areas of application here.

Blut spenden können grundsätzlich alle gesunden Menschen zwischen 18 und 75 Jahren, die über 50 kg wiegen. Bei der ersten Blutspende beträgt das maximale Alter 60 Jahre.

To the donation check

To identify yourself, please bring your blood donor card or your identity card or passport to every blood donation.

The donation itself takes about 10 minutes. After donating, you should rest on the couch for a few minutes. You should allow about 45 minutes for all the steps involved in donating blood, including the questionnaire and interview beforehand and the refreshments afterwards. If you are a first-time donor, you should allow around one hour for the preliminary clarifications with the medical staff.

A small prick is made in the finger to determine the blood pigment content (haemoglobin). A prick in the vein is required for the blood collection itself. This can be unpleasant, but the blood donation is painless.

As a rule, 450 milliliters of blood are taken. This corresponds to approx. 10 percent of the total volume.

Women can donate blood 3 times a year, men 4 times a year, with an interval of approx. 10 - 12 weeks. The intervals can be shorter for plasma and platelet donations. The prerequisite for every donation is that the person feels well and fulfills the criteria listed in the questionnaire for suitability to donate.

The questionnaire is used to determine your current state of health. It helps to clarify whether a blood donation is possible. This measure serves the safety of both the blood donor and the patient.

For the first donation, the donor card is sent after two to six weeks, provided all infection tests are negative. The blood group and rhesus factor are entered on the donor card. Positive results for hepatitis, HIV or syphilis are checked by a confirmation test. If this is also positive, a doctor will contact the person concerned and refer them to their family doctor or a specialized institution.

International studies show that this is a key safety factor: anyone who does not earn anything from donating blood has no interest in hiding anything. Furthermore, it is not ethically justifiable to motivate people in financial need to donate blood by offering them compensation.

Every day, children and adults fall ill with life-threatening blood diseases such as leukemia. Many can only be cured thanks to a blood stem cell donation. There are many ways to help: by registering as a blood stem cell donor, donating money or getting involved. Registering as a voluntary donor is based on the idea of solidarity and being available to donate for all patients worldwide. For this to happen, the tissue characteristics of the patient and donor must match. This is rarely the case.

You can find the most important information on blood stem cell donation here.

For 24 hours after donating blood, you should avoid strenuous physical activity and drink plenty of fluids. After 24 hours, the fluid loss will be compensated.

After a rest period of 30 minutes, you can drive again if you feel well. A minimum rest period of 48 hours is required for piloting airplanes and at least 12 hours for driving trains and buses. The job-specific regulations must also be observed.

Two days after donating blood, you should not do any competitive sports or diving. Further sporting activities should be adapted to your own physical condition.

More about blood donation and sport

The hemoglobin level is important to rule out anemia. Haemoglobin is the pigment in red blood cells and is responsible for transporting oxygen from the lungs to the tissue and thus to the body cells, as well as binding carbon dioxide and transporting it back to the lungs. If the haemoglobin level is too low, it is not possible to donate blood.

The exact volume depends on age and gender. On average, each person has a blood volume of around 8 percent of their body weight, with women having a slightly smaller volume of blood than men. For example, a person weighing approx. 70 kg has around 5 to 6 liters of blood.

The loss of donated blood is quickly compensated for by the body. The white blood cells and blood fluid (plasma), which are important for the defense against pathogens, are replaced within a day. The red blood cells in the blood have returned to their original level after seven days, but the bone marrow takes several weeks to regenerate.

As the formation of new red blood cells in the bone marrow takes several weeks, blood can only be donated three to four times a year.

You can register as a donor if you have already donated at an SRC blood transfusion service. To register, you will need your donor number, name, date of birth and place of residence. Once you have registered, you will receive an e-mail to confirm your account. You can then log in to the My Blood Donor App with your chosen account. In your account you will find the option to verify yourself by post. To do this, you can request a verification code in the app, which will be sent to you by post. Once you have entered the verification code in the app, you can activate your health data such as your blood group and vital signs for your donation.

If you do not yet have a donor number, you can also register. To do this, select your desired donation location in the registration. After your first donation, you can then enter your donor number in your account.

If you have any difficulties with your registration, please contact your regional blood donation service.

You can register without a donor number even before your first blood donation. To do this, select your desired donation location. After your first donation, you can then save your donor number in your account.

The My Blood Donor App is gradually being rolled out by the regional blood transfusion services in Switzerland. Contact your regional blood transfusion service to find out how to participate.

Please check your spam folder in your e-mail inbox. Have you deleted the e-mail by mistake? If you cannot find the e-mail, please contact our support team at info@blutspende.ch. We will be happy to help you!

If you are logged out of your account and would like to reset your password, you can request this under ‘Forgot your password?’ under the log-in. Enter your e-mail address here. You will then receive an e-mail with instructions on how to reset your password.

In order to grant you access to your sensitive blood donation data, a one-off postal verification is required. For this purpose, we will send you an activation code with a validity period of 30 days to the postal address you have provided. Once you have entered the activation code, your access is fully verified and activated so that you can use all services. please note: After a successful donation, it may take up to around three days for your data to be updated.

You can only change your address in the My Blood Donor-App if you have already been verified by post. When you request the verification code, we will show you the address to which the verification code will be sent by post. If this differs from your current address, please contact your regional blood donation service in advance to change your address. Once you have been verified, you can change your address details in the My Blood Dono-App. Your regional blood transfusion service will be notified of the change.

Depending on the regional blood donation service, you will be provided with a digital blood donor card with a barcode in the app. This can be scanned at the blood donation appointment and thus replace your paper card. The dates of your last donations are also displayed in the app. Contact your regional blood transfusion service to find out whether your regional blood transfusion service uses the digital blood donor card.

The app automatically displays your next possible blood donation date on your home screen. This will take into account your last blood donation as well as your saved journeys and vaccinations. Please note: Before every donation, it is advisable to check your suitability to donate using the Donor Check. Alternatively, contact your regional blood donation service if you have any questions about your suitability to donate.