Removing organ donor status from your New York license requires two separate steps: updating your physical license at the DMV and removing your name from the New York State Donate Life Registry. These are independent systems, so changing one does not automatically change the other. Skipping either step leaves part of your donor status in place.
Why There Are Two Steps
When you signed up as an organ donor in New York, two things happened. A heart symbol was added to your driver license or ID card, and your name was entered into the New York State Donate Life Registry, a statewide database. These records are maintained by different agencies. The heart symbol on your license is managed by the DMV, while the registry is run by Donate Life New York State. Removing the heart symbol from your license does not remove you from the registry, and vice versa.
This distinction matters because the registry is the legal record of your consent to donate. If your name remains in the registry, that consent still stands regardless of what your physical card says. To fully reverse your donor status, you need to address both.
Step 1: Remove the Heart Symbol From Your License
To remove the organ donor designation from your physical driver license or ID card, you need to order a replacement. Complete form MV-44, which is the standard application for a license, permit, or non-driver ID. You can download it from dmv.ny.gov or pick one up at your local DMV office. On the form, you’ll indicate that you do not want the organ donor designation.
A replacement license costs $17.50, payable by credit card, debit card, check, or money order made out to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. Once processed, your new card will arrive by mail within about two weeks. You can check your order status on the DMV website if it hasn’t arrived after that window.
Step 2: Remove Your Name From the Donate Life Registry
This is the step that actually revokes your legal consent to donate. You have three options:
- Online: Go to donatelife.ny.gov/log-in and sign into your account. From there you can withdraw your registration directly.
- Email: Download the Removal Form from the Donate Life website, complete and sign it, then email it to [email protected].
- Mail: Send the same completed form by U.S. Mail to: New York State Donate Life Registry, 185 Jordan Road, Troy, New York 12180.
The online method is the fastest. The removal form itself is straightforward: your personal information, your signature, and the date.
What Happens If You Only Do One Step
If you remove the heart symbol from your license but stay on the registry, your legal consent to donate remains active. In the event of your death, the organ procurement organization would see your registry enrollment and inform your family of your documented consent. The heart symbol on the card is essentially a visual indicator, not the binding legal document.
If you remove yourself from the registry but keep the heart on your license, there’s no legal consent on file. However, the symbol could still create confusion. In that scenario, your family or authorized decision-maker would be asked to give consent for donation, since no registry enrollment exists. Completing both steps avoids any ambiguity.
How Donation Decisions Work Without Registry Enrollment
Once you’ve removed yourself from both the registry and your license, your status is the same as someone who never signed up. If you were to pass away in circumstances where donation was medically possible, the organ procurement organization would approach your next of kin or the person legally authorized to make healthcare decisions on your behalf. That person would then be asked whether to allow donation. No donation would proceed without their consent.
This is why New York’s health department encourages people to discuss their wishes with family, whether they want to donate or not. If you’ve decided against donation, letting your family know ensures they can clearly communicate that decision if the situation ever arises.
Setting Up a MyDMV Account
If you want to handle the license replacement online rather than visiting a DMV office, you’ll need a MyDMV account. To create one, you’ll need the 9-digit DMV ID number from your current license, your date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you don’t already have a NY.gov account, you’ll also need to provide your name, email address, and mailing address during setup. Your information must match what the DMV has on file, so if you’ve moved recently, you may need to update your address first.