How to register as a voluntary blood donor — complete 2026 guide

India collected about 1.45 crore units of blood in 2024-25 (NBTC data). Voluntary, non-remunerated donors made up ~84%. The remaining ~16% replacement donations mean that each year 23 lakh patients still depend on a family member literally walking into a blood bank to “replace” the unit transfused. Voluntary registration on e-Raktkosh is what shifts that gap.

A voluntary blood donor is someone who donates blood (or its components — red cells, plasma, platelets) without remuneration and without a specific patient in mind, joining a national pool that any patient at a licensed blood bank can draw from. The donor card is the official record issued under the National Blood Policy 2002 (revised 2017) by the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) through its state-level arms (State Blood Transfusion Councils — SBTCs).

You can donate if all of these are true on the donation day:

• Age 18-65 (first-time donors above 60 need a doctor's clearance).
• Body weight at least 45 kg.
• Haemoglobin at least 12.5 g/dL (women) / 13.0 g/dL (men) — checked on-spot by a finger-prick.
• Pulse 60-100 bpm; BP between 100/60 and 180/100.
• No fever, cold, or antibiotics in the last 14 days.
• No tattoo, body piercing, ear-piercing, acupuncture, or dental extraction in the last 6 months.
• No major surgery in the last 12 months; no minor surgery in the last 6 months.
• No pregnancy / childbirth / abortion in the last 12 months; not currently breastfeeding (within 12 months of delivery).
• No history of HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, syphilis, malaria (in last 3 months), or jaundice (in last 12 months).
• Last whole-blood donation was at least 90 days ago (men) / 120 days ago (women).

The legal anchor is the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 (Schedule F, Part XII-B governs blood-bank operations and donor-eligibility) read with the National Blood Policy 2017 and NBTC Standards for Blood Banks 2017.

Donations are only accepted at licensed blood banks — government, Indian Red Cross, or private hospital units that hold a Drug Controller licence under Schedule F. A roadside camp run by an unlicensed group cannot legally collect blood; it must be partnered with a licensed bank.

• Open https://www.eraktkosh.in
• Click “Blood Bank Directory” → enter your state, district, city → list of licensed banks with address, phone, and 24×7 status.
• Or use the toll-free NBTC blood helpline 1910 (in most states; integrated with e-Raktkosh).

• On https://www.eraktkosh.in click “Donor Login / Register” (top-right).
• Enter your mobile number → OTP.
• Fill basic profile: full name (as per Aadhaar), date of birth, gender, address, district, blood group (you can mark “Unknown — to be verified” if you have never been tested), weight, last-known haemoglobin if you have it.
• Upload Aadhaar (optional but recommended — it auto-pre-fills your card later and lets you join the emergency-need SMS network).
• Tick “Yes, I am willing to receive emergency-need notifications within X km” — set your preferred radius (5 / 10 / 25 km).
• Submit. You'll get a Donor ID (format DON-STATE-XXXXXX) on screen and by SMS.

• Walk in (no appointment needed at most government banks). Carry one photo ID — Aadhaar / Voter / DL / Passport.
• Quote your e-Raktkosh Donor ID at registration so the donation links automatically to your profile.
• Donor questionnaire (15-20 questions on health history, travel, recent vaccinations) → counselling table.
• Vitals check (BP, pulse, weight, haemoglobin by HemoCue or copper-sulphate method).
• If cleared: donation in a recliner — about 8-10 minutes for ~350 ml (whole blood).
• Post-donation: 15 minutes rest in the canteen with juice + biscuits. Pressure bandage on the arm. Do not drive a heavy vehicle for 1 hour.

The donation itself is free of any charge. If any blood bank asks you to pay to donate, refuse and report to the SBTC immediately.

• Most government blood banks hand over a physical donor card at the time of the first donation (laminated, donor ID + blood group + photo).
• If your bank is fully digital, log in to e-Raktkosh after 24-48 hours → “My Donations” → “Download Donor Card” (PDF, A6 size).
• The card is lifetime-valid; you don't need to renew. New donations get logged automatically against the same Donor ID.

Every donated unit is tested for HIV-1/2, Hepatitis B (HBsAg), Hepatitis C (anti-HCV), syphilis (VDRL), and malaria. Per NBTC Standards 2017, the donor must be confidentially informed if any test is positive — usually by phone within 7-10 days, with a request to come for confirmatory testing.

• If your phone rings from the blood bank within two weeks, answer it. The conversation is fully confidential under §39 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules.
• If you tested positive on a screening test, the bank will refer you free to the nearest ICTC (HIV) / hospital hepatology unit. Treatment under the National Programme is free.
• “No call” generally means all tests were non-reactive.

• e-Raktkosh sends an automatic SMS on day 90 (men) / day 120 (women) after your last donation: “You are eligible to donate again. Nearest banks: …”
• You can also walk in any time after the eligibility window — no booking needed.

This is the WhatsApp/SMS feature that connects rare-group donors to specific patient needs:

• In your e-Raktkosh profile → “Notification preferences” → tick “Emergency need alerts”.
• Set radius (5 / 10 / 25 / 50 km).
• When a patient request comes in for your blood group at a hospital within your radius, you get an SMS / WhatsApp with patient code (no name), hospital, and a one-tap “I can come” button.
• If you respond Yes, the bank holds a slot and you walk in within the agreed window. No obligation — you can ignore any alert.

If a family member ever needs blood, your registered-donor status entitles you (and one immediate family member) to a fee waiver on processing charges at most government blood banks under the NBTC Replacement Donor Waiver scheme — show your donor card at the counter. Some states (Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Delhi) extend this further.

+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Whole blood donation (350-450 ml) | FREE. Interval 90 days (M)/120 d (F).|
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Plateletpheresis (single donor    | FREE. Interval 14 days; max 24/year. |
| platelets — SDP)                  | Min 60 kg weight; platelet count high|
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Plasmapheresis                    | FREE. Interval 14 days; max 12/year. |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Double red cell apheresis         | FREE. Interval 168 days. Min 70 kg.  |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Patient cost — processing fee     | ₹0 (govt for BPL); up to ₹1,550 for  |
| per unit (NBTC ceiling 2026)      | components in private licensed banks |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Replacement-donor waiver          | FREE for the patient if family       |
| (with valid donor card)           | member is a registered donor.        |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Lost donor card replacement       | FREE — re-download from e-Raktkosh.  |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| RTI to SBTC for donation history  | ₹10 by IPO. BPL = free.              |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+

• Haemoglobin just below cutoff (12.0-12.4 g/dL women). Most banks defer for 1-3 months. Eat iron-rich food (jaggery, dates, ragi, spinach, liver) and consider an iron supplement after a doctor's nod. Re-test before retrying.
• Recent tattoo / piercing. Mandatory 6-month deferral — non-negotiable, no matter the studio's hygiene claims. Plan tattoos around your donation calendar, not the other way round.
• Antibiotic course in last 14 days. Deferral until 14 days after the last dose, plus 14 days symptom-free.
• Travelled to a malaria-endemic area in the last 3 months (or had malaria yourself in the last 3 months). Defer 3 months from return / cure.
• Vaccination deferrals. COVID-19 vaccine (live or non-live) — 14 days. Hepatitis B vaccine — 14 days. Anti-rabies post-exposure — 1 year. Routine flu shot — 24 hours symptom-free.
• Borderline blood pressure. Some banks use 100/60 - 160/100 cutoff strictly; rest 15 minutes and re-check. Skip caffeine 12 hours before.
• Donor card not auto-generated despite donation. Usually means the blood bank entered your details manually instead of scanning the e-Raktkosh ID. Email help@eraktkosh.in with date + bank name + your registered mobile to merge records.
• Emergency-need alerts not coming. Either GPS permission off in the e-Raktkosh app, or your district has not yet been onboarded to the live network (some smaller districts are still SMS-only with a 4-6 hour lag).
• Confidential test result phone call. A genuine call from the blood bank will only ask you to come in for re-testing, never ask for money or pressure you. If anyone calls demanding payment, it is a scam — report to 1930 (cyber).

• Every licensed bank has a designated MO/in-charge under the Drugs and Cosmetics licence. Speak directly — not to the counter clerk.
• Best for: deferrals, post-donation reactions, certificate corrections, donation history print-outs.

• Toll-free 1910 (working in most states; replaces the old NACO 1097 line for blood needs).
• Email: help@eraktkosh.in
• Web: https://www.eraktkosh.in → “Contact us”
• Best for: portal/login problems, donor card download, emergency-need network issues.

• Each state has an SBTC under the State Health Department, headed by a Project Director (usually a senior doctor on deputation).
• Find your SBTC: https://www.eraktkosh.in → “About” → “SBTC Directory”.
• Best for: blood-bank misconduct (charging for donation, pressuring families to “buy” replacement), private bank refusing waiver, missing test result communication.

• NBTC Secretariat, NACO Building, 7th Floor, Chandralok Building, 36 Janpath, New Delhi 110001.
• Email: nbtc.naco@gov.in
• For policy disputes — voluntary vs replacement ratios, blood-component pricing complaints across states, large-scale camp irregularities.

• For a denied transfusion or contaminated unit causing harm — NHRC complaint at https://hrcnet.nic.in plus a parallel District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission complaint (no fee up to ₹5 lakh claim).

The NBTC, every SBTC, every government blood bank, and every Indian Red Cross blood bank receiving government grants is a public authority under §2(h) of the RTI Act 2005.

RTI helps here when:

• You need your full donation history beyond what the local register shows (visa medical, insurance, past-donor-bonus claims) — RTI to PIO of the SBTC for a certified history extract.
• A family transfusion was charged the full processing fee even though you produced your donor card — RTI to PIO of the hospital blood bank for the fee schedule and waiver register.
• The blood bank delayed/skipped informing you of a positive screening test — RTI to PIO for the test communication policy + your sample's communication trail.
• Your district is missing emergency-need alerts and 1910 doesn't know why — RTI to PIO of the SBTC asking when your district will be onboarded.
• Allegations that a private blood bank is charging more than the NBTC ceiling — RTI for the licence-holder's monthly fee returns.

See the broader guide: RTI in 12 simple steps.

RTI does NOT help here when:

• You want to know who received the unit you donated — patient identity is protected confidential medical information, exempt under §8(1)(j) of the RTI Act.
• You want to force the bank to accept your donation despite a deferral. Deferral is a clinical decision; RTI cannot reverse it.
• For an immediate emergency-blood need today — call 1910 or post on the local network; don't waste an RTI on a 30-day clock.
• For private blood banks not receiving any government funding — they may be outside RTI; use the consumer forum or the SBTC complaint route.

Q. I'm vegetarian — can I still donate?
Yes. Diet has no bearing on eligibility; only haemoglobin and weight matter. Many lifelong vegetarians donate regularly. Eat iron-rich vegetarian food (ragi, jaggery, dates, lentils, leafy greens, beetroot) for 2-3 days before donating.

Q. Does donating blood make you weak or affect immunity?
No — the body replaces the donated plasma volume in 24-48 hours and red cells in 4-6 weeks. There is no medically documented long-term effect on immunity, strength, or fertility.

Q. Can I donate if I have diabetes / hypertension?
Diabetes controlled on oral medication: yes (provided sugars are stable, no insulin). Hypertension controlled with one medication and BP within 100/60 - 180/100 on the day: yes. Insulin-dependent diabetes: deferred.

Q. Can I donate after a COVID-19 infection or after the COVID vaccine?
After infection: 28 days symptom-free. After vaccine (any brand): 14 days. After booster: 14 days.

Q. I tested positive once for HBsAg years ago, but later tests were negative. Can I donate?
Per NBTC Standards 2017 a one-time positive HBsAg permanently disqualifies you from donating, even if subsequent tests turn negative. The rationale is residual risk of occult Hep B. The deferral is lifetime.

Q. How is rare-blood-group registration different?
Rare blood groups (Bombay/hh, Rh-null, certain Kell-negative subtypes) get an extra “Rare Donor Registry” tag on e-Raktkosh and a national-priority alert radius (state/national), not just local. The MO has to confirm the rare typing in writing first.

Q. Can students under 18 donate at a college camp?
No. Minimum age is 18, including in college camps. Camps that collect from minors are violating Schedule F and should be reported to the SBTC.

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Last reviewed: 26 April 2026 by RTI Wiki editorial team. Eligibility criteria are revised periodically by NBTC; verify current Standards on eraktkosh.in or write to admin@bighelpers.in if you spot a stale figure.