Switzerland to relax blood donor rules from February

The Swiss Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service (Blutspende SRK Schweiz) has announced that rules around who can give blood in Switzerland will be relaxed starting February 1, 2026.

Who will be eligible to give blood in Switzerland?

The Swiss Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service (SRK) has announced in a press release that it is expanding blood donation criteria, meaning that more people in Switzerland will be able to donate blood.

From February 1, the rules will change and you will be able to give blood if you:

• Have had a blood transfusion
• Spent longer than six months in the UK between 1980 and 1996
• Have had neurosurgical procedures in Switzerland
• Have had dental implants after 1993

Restrictions have been in place up until now due to the risk of transmitting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), stemming from “mad cow disease” in the UK. 

New research has found that the risk of transmitting the disease via blood is “now considered extremely low”. This is the first time the rules have been relaxed in over 20 years, reports Watson. 

How to donate blood in Switzerland

The SRK has reported a decline in blood donations in Switzerland. In 2023, there were 260.349 donations and in 2024 the number had dropped by 1,3 percent.

According to the SRK website, “all healthy people between the ages of 18 and 60 who weigh over 50 kilograms can donate blood.” There are some limitations, such as whether you currently have a cold or fever and if you have travelled or received a vaccination recently.

Once you have checked your eligibility to donate blood, you can book an appointment at one of SRK’s 37 donation venues spread across Swiss cities and towns. 

On the day of your appointment, you will register and fill out a questionnaire to check your current health. A healthcare professional will measure your blood pressure, pulse and blood haemoglobin level. If you are cleared for donating blood that day, then the collection will take about 10 minutes.