An adult who is alive, willing and in good health can donate a kidney under the conditions defined by law.
To meet the expectations of patients and their families, and to encourage this type of transplant, the French Bioethics Act of July 7, 2011 widened the circle of living organ donors to include the father or mother and, by derogation, a son or daughter, brother or sister of the recipient, his or her spouse, grandparents, uncles or aunts, first cousins, as well as the spouses of the father and mother.
The donor may also be any person who can prove that they have lived together with the recipient for at least two years, as well as any person who can prove that they have had a close and stable affective relationship with the recipient for at least two years.
In the event of incompatibility between donor and recipient (blood group, immune system, etc.), the 2021 bioethics law authorizes cross-donation of kidneys in France, making it possible to find a compatible recipient throughout the country. Find out more from the kidney transplant teams at your university hospital or from your nephrologist.