You cannot donate at this time. However, we would be delighted to see you when you are 18.

Donors over 70/plus must have a GP letter stating fitness to donate (this needs to be renewed annually), have donated within the last 2 years and are otherwise eligible. Once you reach your 80th birthday you can no longer donate - this is a donor safety issue.  

If you are over 65 and have never given blood before, then you cannot donate However:  - if you are between 65 and 69 years and have given blood in the last 10 years then you can give blood.  

The upper age criteria is different for donors with HH. Please click here for more details.

If you weigh less than 50 kgs or over 158 kgs you are unable to donate at this time.

Yes - If you are a female (including a transgender female ) or transgender male, donating for the first time or you have not donated in 5 years or you are under 26 years of age and are less than 5ft 6 inches (168cms) in height and less than 10st 3lb (65 kgs), your height and weight will need to be assessed to establish your eligibility to donate.

Please click here if this applies to you. 

You cannot donate if you have any illness or injury which may mean that it is not safe to give your blood to a sick patient. Please check the FAQs or contact us on 1800 731 137 so that we can advise you.

Some medications can be harmful to a patient receiving a blood transfusion.  You may not be be able to donate if you are taking medication to treat an illness or infection. In general, you must be fully recovered from an illness or infection and have completed the course of medication before donating. Certain medical conditions require long term use of medication.  For information about specific conditions and medications, please see the FAQs.  Please note, not all medications prevent donation -  please contact us at 1800 731 137 for further information. Please ensure that you know the name of any medication you are currently taking or have taken in the past 4 weeks so that we can can assess your eligibility to donate.  

You cannot donate if you had an endoscopy (scope) in the last 4 months.

If you were diagnosed with a medical condition or illness, please check the FAQs or contact us on 1800 731 137 so that we can advise you.

X rays / Scans are not reasons for deferral although the reason for them or result may be so contact us on 1800 731 137 so we can advise you.

If no treatment in the last 4 weeks you can proceed

If Yes please note the following:

 - Fitting or adjusting of dental braces  = Ok to donate once well

 - Uncomplicated filling / scale or polish  = Must wait for 24 hours prior to attending a clinic

 - Uncomplicated extraction / tooth removal  = must wait for 7 days

 - Dental cap / crown = Must wait until treatment complete and one week thereafter

 - Dental implant  = once site healed can donate

 - Root Canal  = Must wait for completion of treatment and one week thereafter

Travel outside of Ireland carries a risk of transmitting an illness such as Malaria, West Nile Virus, Zika Virus, and Dengue virus (among others) to sick patients.  

• Following return from a Malarial risk area where the duration of the stay was less than 6 months continuously ( i.e. holiday or business trip )  you cannot donate for 12 months ( 365 day) from the day you leave the area
• NB: If you meet the criteria for Malaria Antibody testing
  • Are a resident
  • Had malaria
  • Had an unexplained fever

        Following return from a malaria endemic area you can donate  6 months after you left the malarial area as you will have a malaria antibody test

• Following return from a tropical area, you cannot donate for 3 months ( 90 day) - from the day you leave the area
• Following return from a country or area that is not tropical and has no risk of Malaria you may need to wait for up to  28 days after return before donating  

For a list of countries and associated risks, click here.

Click on Malaria for more information 

Please contact us at 1800 731137 for further information.

You cannot donate for 4 months from the date of the tattoo or the piercing.

If No, proceed to next question

If Yes - You can donate if either treatment has been performed by

 - A Medical Practitioner(MP) registered with the Irish Medical Council, or

 - By a Registered General Nurse with the NMBI working for a MP registered with the Irish Medical Council, or

 - By a Chartered Physiotherapist registered with the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists

Otherwise you must wait 4 months after the most recent treatments

Also note, the condition for which you are being treated must also be acceptable in accordance with IBTS guidelines

You cannot donate during pregnancy and for 12 months after your pregnancy.

You cannot donate if you have ever had syphillis or gonorhoea. 

You can give blood 4 months after complete recovery and conclusion of treatment for chlamydia and genital herpes.

You can give blood 2 weeks after complete recovery and conclusion of treatment of genital/anal warts.

Contact us for all other STI's not listed.

All donors are tested for infections that can be passed on by blood transfusions. Recent infection may not always show up on testing in the early stages – i.e. in the ‘window period.’ This is why we must take great care in donor selection and why you must not give blood to see if you are infected. If you give blood to see if you are infected you are putting patients’ lives at risk.

If you have any reason to believe you may have acquired an infection through unprotected sex, you should not give blood. Safe sex practices are vital to the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. However, 'protected sex' is not 100% effective; therefore the following apply even if a condom or other form of protection was used.

You must NEVER give blood if:

You think you need a test for HIV or hepatitis.

You or your partner have HIV or HTLV.

You, your partner or close household contacts have hepatitis B or hepatitis C.

You have ever received money or drugs for sex.

You have ever injected, or have been injected with, non-prescribed drugs; even once or a long time ago. This includes body building drugs and injectable tanning agents.

You must NOT give blood for at least 4 months after you last had oral, vaginal or anal sex with:

anyone who has HIV, hepatitis B or C or HTLV.

anyone who has syphilis or any other sexually transmitted infection.

anyone who had ever been given money or drugs for sex

anyone who has ever injected or who has been injected with non-prescribed drugs, even once or a long time ago. This includes body building drugs and injectable tanning agents.

All of the above apply even if a condom or other form of protection was used.

You must NOT give blood for at least 4 months after anal sex with:  

A new sexual partner * OR more than one sexual partner

*A new sexual partner is someone you have not had sex with before or a person with who you resumed a sexual relationship with in the past 4 months.

You must NOT donate for at least 4 months if:

You have taken medication to prevent HIV infection ( pre /post exposure prophylaxis , PrEP/ PEP)?

You have taken part in Chemsex i.e. have used drugs (other than cannabis, alcohol or Viagra) before or during sex to enhance sexual experience?

You must not give blood for at least 4 months if you have taken part in Chemsex.

Chemsex is a type of sexual activity where people take certain drugs (excluding alcohol, cannabis, Viagra and other medication for erectile dysfunction) to enhance their sexual experiences, and let them have sex for longer or with more people. Drugs associated with chemsex include methamphetamine, mephedrone and GBH.

If you injected or were injected with chemsex drugs you cannot donate.

Find more information here:

You must NOT donate for at least 4 months if:

You have taken medication to prevent HIV infection (pre /post exposure prophylaxis , PrEP/ PEP)?

You have taken part in Chemsex i.e. have used drugs (other than cannabis, alcohol or Viagra) before or during sex to enhance sexual experience?

 *There are exceptions so please speak to a nurse.

Find more information here

You must NOT donate for at least 4 months after

• You had a new sexual partner and had anal sex
• You had sex with more than one partner and had anal sex with any of your partners

 *A new sexual partner is someone you have not had sex with before or a person with who you resumed a sexual relationship with in the past 4 months.

 Find more information here:

Because you were born outside of Ireland and the UK, on your first attendance we will not collect a blood donation from you. We will ask you to complete a health and lifestyle questionnaire and assess your eligibility to donate. If you are eligible we will take some blood samples from you and you will be able to return to donate in 42 days.

• If you were born in Mexico, Central or South America you are not eligible to donate in Ireland due to a risk of Chagas disease

If any of the risk factors listed below apply to you:

• You lived at any time in any malarial endemic area for a continuous period of 6 months or more ( please refer to the countries listed in the travel section )
• You ever had malaria
• You ever had an unexplained fever associated with any malarial endemic area 

Samples can be taken (but not a donation) to include a malaria antibody test:

• If a minimum of 6 months have elapsed since you left any malaria area
• You are fully recovered from malaria for at least 3 years (where applicable)
• You are fully recovered from the unexplained fever for at least 6 months and it is 6 months since you left the malarial area

You will be able to attend a clinic 42 days later if the malaria test is negative ( the IBTS will contact you if the  test result is positive) .Once all other criteria are met on future visits a test for malaria will be carried out in our labs every time you donate.

You can donate if you received a blood transfusion in the Republic of Ireland before 1st January 1980 (depending on the reason for the transfusion -  please check the FAQs or contact us on 1800 731 137 so that we can advise you).  If you received a transfusion after this date you cannot donate blood.  However, if you received  an autologous transfusion (your own blood) you can donate after 12 months.

If you have hereditary haemochromatosis (HH) you may be eligible to donate. Click here for more information specific to your eligibility.

You must not give blood for at least 4 months if you have taken part in Chemsex.

*Chemsex is a type of sexual activity where people take certain drugs (excluding alcohol, cannabis, Viagra and other medication for erectile dysfunction) to enhance their sexual experiences, and let them have sex for longer or with more people. Drugs associated with chemsex include methamphetamine, mephedrone and GBH.

If you injected or were injected with chemsex drugs you cannot donate.

Find more information here: