Organ Donation: How to Express Your Wishes

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According to Transplant Québec, the organization that coordinates organ donations in Quebec, one organ donation can save up to eight lives and restore health to 20 other people. In 2024, the number of donors grew by 20% and the number of people who received a transplant grew by 9%. But many people still don’t know how to consent to donating their organs. For this 2025 edition of World Organ Donor Day, we explain the steps to follow. 

You can decide ahead of time to donate your organs after you die.  

Transplant Québec recommends expressing your wishes verbally and in writing: talk about it with your loved ones and write it down. This will maximize the chances of your wishes being respected after you die. 

There are three ways to express your wishes in writing: 

  • Fill out the Consent to Organ and Tissue Donation form provided by the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (health insurance board), also known as the “RAMQ”. 
  • Sign and place an organ donor sticker on the back of your health insurance card. The RAMQ usually gives you this sticker when you renew your card. You can also order it online.   
  • Ask a notary to include your consent to organ donation in your protection mandate or will. 

If your wishes are unknown when you die, your mandatary, tutor, spouse, common-law partner or loved one can also allow your organs to be donated. 

Good to know! All adults in Quebec can consent to donating their organs, regardless of their age, gender, sex, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. The quality of the organ is all that matters.

To learn more about organ donation, visit the Transplant Québec website.

Two ways to donate your body to science  

You can also donate your body to medical research or education after you die.  

There are two ways to let people know you want to donate your body to science:  

  • Get a donor card and keep it on you or with your important papers. 
  • Ask a notary to include your wishes in your protection mandate or will. 

Organ donation for minors  

Once someone turns 14, they can decide to donate their organs after they die. For anyone under 14, their parents (or tutors) must decide for them.