The quickest way to check is to look at your physical driver’s license for a small heart symbol, the word “DONOR,” or a pink dot. Most states print one of these indicators on the front of the card. If you don’t see a marking, that doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t registered. Your state may maintain a separate donor registry that isn’t always reflected on the card itself.
What the Symbol Looks Like on Your License
Every state uses its own design, but the most common indicator is a small red or pink heart, often accompanied by the word “DONOR” printed near your photo or along the bottom edge of the card. Some states use a simple “D” notation, others spell out “ORGAN DONOR,” and a few use a colored dot or sticker. The symbol is typically on the front of the license, though a handful of states place it on the back.
If your license doesn’t have any marking, it could mean you opted out when you last renewed, or it could mean your state records your decision in a digital registry rather than printing it on the card. A missing symbol is not a definitive answer either way.
How to Check Your Status Online
There are two places your registration might exist: your state’s donor registry and the National Donate Life Registry. These are separate systems, and being in one doesn’t automatically put you in the other.
If you signed up at the DMV when getting or renewing your license, your registration lives in your state’s donor registry. To check it, visit organdonor.gov/sign-up, select your state from the dropdown menu, and you’ll be directed to your state’s registry site. From there you can typically log in with your name, date of birth, and driver’s license number to confirm whether you’re registered.
If you signed up online through DonateLife.net, RegisterMe.org, or through the iPhone Health app, your registration is in the National Donate Life Registry instead. You can verify that record by going to RegisterMe.org and clicking “Access Your Registration.” When the time comes, donation professionals search both the national and state registries, so being in either one counts.
Checking Through the iPhone Health App
Apple’s Health app lets you register as an organ donor and view your current status directly on your phone. Open the Health app, tap “Summary,” then tap your photo or initials in the top right corner. From there, tap “Organ Donation.” If you’ve previously registered through the app, your donor status will appear there, and it’s also visible to others through your Medical ID, which emergency responders can access from your lock screen.
If you want to update or remove your registration through the app, tap your photo or initials, go to “Organ Donation,” then tap “Edit Donor Registration.” Keep in mind that registering through the Health app places you on the National Donate Life Registry, not your state’s DMV registry. They’re independent of each other.
What That Symbol Legally Means
A donor designation on your license carries real legal weight. Under the Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, which most states have adopted, your decision to donate is treated as a legal gift. The key provision: an anatomical gift that you don’t revoke before death is irrevocable and does not require the consent of any other person after death. That means your family cannot override your registered decision, even if they disagree with it.
This is why it matters whether your registration is accurate. If you checked “yes” at the DMV years ago and have since changed your mind, simply telling a family member isn’t enough to undo it. You need to formally remove the designation.
How to Add or Remove Your Donor Status
Adding the designation is straightforward. You can do it the next time you renew your license at the DMV, sign up online through your state registry at organdonor.gov, or register through the iPhone Health app or RegisterMe.org.
Removing it requires a bit more effort and depends on where you originally registered. If you signed up at the DMV, you’ll generally need to visit a DMV office in person to have the donor marking removed from your license. In Oregon, for example, this means paying the standard replacement fee for a new card. Other states have similar processes, though the specific fee varies. If you registered through the National Donate Life Registry, you can remove your registration online at RegisterMe.org. For state-level registries tied to the DMV, contact your state’s Donate Life team, which you can find through organdonor.gov.
Changing your mind in either direction is always free of charge at the registry level. The only cost you might encounter is a replacement license fee if your state physically prints the donor symbol on the card and you want it added or removed before your next scheduled renewal.