• 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.

Since 1 February 2026, individuals who have received a blood transfusion are eligible to donate blood. After receiving a blood transfusion, you must wait four months before you can donate blood. This applies regardless of the country in which the transfusion took place.

The previous exclusion was based on the potential risk of transmitting variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) through blood transfusions. To date, no cases of vCJD in humans have been reported in Switzerland.

Since 1 February 2026, this restriction has been lifted and concerned individuals can donate blood again without a waiting period.
The reason for the previous exclusion was the possibility of transmission of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) through blood transfusions. To date, no cases of vCJD have been reported in humans in Switzerland.

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 Donation-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.

Please register exactly as you are already recorded in our system. To do so, use the information on your donor card.

Why is my registration rejected?
A registration may be rejected, among other reasons, if the personal data entered do not match the information already stored in our system.

• Il nome è stato dimenticato o inserito in modo errato.
• È stato dimenticato un secondo nome.
• È stato indicato un secondo nome, anche se nei nostri archivi risulta registrato un solo nome.
• Il nome contiene caratteri speciali (ad es. é, è, ë) che non corrispondono all’ortografia registrata presso di noi.
• Si hanno due cognomi, ma ne è stato indicato solo uno, oppure l’ortografia (ad es. con/senza trattino) è diversa.
• Si è trasferito/a, ma non ci è ancora stato comunicato il cambiamento di indirizzo.
• Si è sposato/a, ma non ci è ancora stato comunicato il cambiamento di nome.
• Durante la registrazione è stato selezionato il Servizio trasfusionale regionale sbagliato.

What should I do if my data are no longer up to date?
Please contact your regional blood transfusion service via the contact form. The information can then be checked and updated if necessary.

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 Donation-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.

Most of the app’s features are already available to you after registration. However, you cannot yet access information about your blood group, your vital signs from previous donations, nor can you change your personal data directly in the app.

This is because this information involves particularly sensitive health data. We are therefore required by data protection regulations to ensure that the registered person is actually the same person to whom the stored donor data belongs.

To this end, we offer verification by post. You can request this directly from the app’s home screen. You will then receive a letter by post containing your personal verification code. Enter this code in the app to confirm your identity. Once you have been verified successfully, you will have access to all app features without restrictions.

Verification is not required if you do not wish to view your health data in the app,

You can continue to update your personal data as usual at your Regional Blood Transfusion Service or at your next blood donation.

After a verification request is made, the letter is usually delivered by post within four to five business days. If you have not received the verification letter within 10 days, please contact your regional blood transfusion service.

You can only change your address in the My Blood Donation-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.

Please note: It may take a few business days for your data to be updated in the app.

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.

Cancelled and rejected donations are not displayed in the app. The inclusion of cancelled and rejected donations will be evaluated over the coming months.

Data from the database is synchronized with the app once a day. The following information is transferred: donor number, first name, last name, address, email address, blood group, date of the last donation, date of the next possible donation, preferred donation type, number of donations, and donation location(s).

This data is used for registration, to display personal donor information (e.g. number of donations and date of the next possible donation), and to process changes to personal data.

In addition, all donations recorded since 2020 are transferred to the app. The following information is available for each donation: donation date, donation type, donation location, and recorded vital signs. This information is displayed in the “My donations” section.

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.

When entering travels and vaccinations in the app, you are informed that these details are currently stored locally in the app only and are not transmitted to your blood transfusion service. As a result, your blood transfusion service does not have any information about possible deferral periods due to travel or vaccinations. Therefore, you may still receive a blood donation invitation despite having an active deferral period.

If you already know that you are not eligible to donate for a certain period and you have previously received regular invitations, you can set an invitation pause in the app. Your blood transfusion service will be automatically informed of this information and will transfer the details into its systems. This ensures that you do not receive unnecessary blood donation invitations during the specified period.

• Blood donation / whole blood donation
• Platelet donation / thrombocyte donation
• Plasma donation / blood plasma donation

As the app is used across Switzerland by several blood transfusion services, standardized terms and designations have been defined. It is possible that a certain type of donation is not offered by your regional blood transfusion service.

If you have any questions or are unsure about anything, please feel free to ask the staff at your next donation.

The appointment search takes your donation eligibility into account by default. This means that only appointments from the date on which you are eligible to donate blood again are displayed, based on the information stored by the blood transfusion service as well as the travels and vaccinations recorded in the app.

If you would like to view all available appointments regardless of your donation eligibility, you can deactivate the option “Consider eligibility to donate” in the “Appointments” menu. Once disabled, all available appointments at the selected location from the current date onwards will be displayed.

Currently, blood pressure, pulse, and haemoglobin are displayed. The further development of this feature is being evaluated.

Positive results for hepatitis, HIV, or syphilis are checked using a confirmatory test. If this test is also positive, a doctor will contact the person concerned and refer them to their general practitioner or a specialized institution.

The app currently only displays successful blood donations and platelet donations made since 01/01/2020. Rejected or cancelled donations are currently not shown in the app. The further development of this feature is being evaluated.

The digital questionnaire is an upcoming project that we will address from 2027 onwards.

A current questionnaire must be completed to assess donation eligibility. Depending on the blood transfusion service, it is available on their website and can be completed, printed out, and brought along. Alternatively, you can continue to complete it directly on site.