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On the waiting list for a donor kidney

If your kidneys no longer work properly, a kidney transplant may be necessary. You can then be put on the waiting list.

Your kidneys filter waste products from your blood and regulate the fluid in your body. If your kidneys no longer work properly, a transplant can be a solution.

When do you get on the waiting list?

You are placed on the waiting list once all medical examinations are completed and you are physically strong enough for the surgery. There must be no major risks to your health. The transplant center enters your details onto the national waiting list of Eurotransplant.

Please note: you do not need to be on dialysis to get on the waiting list. However, your dialysis time does count when determining your position on the list when a donor kidney becomes available.

How many people are waiting for a kidney?

The waiting list for kidneys is the longest. As of July 31, 2025, there were 1,143 people on the active waiting list for a kidney from a deceased donor.

Below you will find the current waiting list figures. Look in the table on the top right (latest monthly figures) in the 'Transplantable' column.

How long do I have to wait?

If you are on a waiting list for a donor kidney, you naturally want to know how soon it will be your turn. It is impossible to predict how long you will have to wait for a transplant.

The waiting time depends, among other things, on the number of people on the waiting list, how many organs become available, and whether the donor kidney matches you.

What counts?

  • How long you have already been receiving dialysis.
  • Your age.
  • Your tissue type (HLA).
  • Your medical situation.
  • Your blood group.
Who gets priority?

With this status you can receive priority:

High urgent
In very rare cases, your doctor can request a high-urgent status. This only happens if you cannot undergo dialysis. A special committee of kidney specialists decides on this. Only a few patients per year receive this priority.

Highly immunized
You have antibodies against more than 85% of donors. As a result, the risk of rejection is extra high. If a suitable kidney is found anyway, you get priority on the waiting list.

Immunized
You have more than 6% antibodies in your blood. This increases the chance that your body will reject a donor kidney. If a suitable kidney is found anyway, you get priority on the waiting list. In the event of a suitable match, you get priority.

What are the active and inactive waiting lists?

Active on the waiting list (transplantable)
You are actively on the waiting list and are currently eligible for transplantation.

Not active on the waiting list (not transplantable)
You are temporarily inactive on the list. This may be due to an infection, for example, or because the preparatory examinations have not yet been completed. Even if you participate in the cross-over program of the NTS, you are temporarily listed as not transplantable on the waiting list.

Allocation of a donor kidney

When a donor kidney becomes available, a special computer program calculates which kidney patients on the waiting list are eligible. This is done via a calculation model that assigns points based on:

  • Blood type.
  • Age of you and the donor.
  • Status and medical urgency.
  • Tissue type.
  • Dialysis time.
  • The donor's country.

You receive extra points in these cases:

  • Your tissue type matches well with that of the donor.
  • You are under 18 years old.
  • Your status is high urgency or (highly) immunized.
  • The donor died in the Netherlands and you also live in the Netherlands.
  • You once donated a kidney to someone living in one of the countries affiliated with Eurotransplant and you now need dialysis yourself.
  • You need another kidney transplant after a liver transplant.

Explanation video about the waiting list

Kidneys for people aged 65 and over

Are you older than 65? And is the donor also older than 65 and died in the Netherlands? Then you may be eligible for the Eurotransplant Senior Program. This program has a shorter waiting time: an average of 2 to 2.5 years.

In this program, only 2 factors count:

  • Blood type compatibility.
  • How long you have been on dialysis, which is your waiting time.

Kidney from a living donor

Waiting for a donor kidney from a deceased donor often takes a long time. Sometimes it is possible to find a living kidney donor yourself. This could be a family member, friend, or acquaintance, for example. Advantages of a living donor:

  • Usually a shorter waiting time.
  • Sometimes dialysis is not necessary.
  • A kidney from a living donor usually works longer and better.

Living kidney donation

After the transplantation

A kidney transplant is a major surgery. You need time to recover physically and mentally.

Recovery after transplantation

How long does a donor kidney last?

Most people with a donor kidney feel a lot better after the transplant.

  • In the first 3 months after the surgery, the risk of rejection is highest. That sounds daunting, but adjusting the medication often helps when signs of rejection occur.
  • After the surgery, 87% of kidneys from living donors are still functioning well after 5 years. For a kidney from a deceased donor, this is about 69%.
  • If the donor kidney stops working well, you can sometimes receive another kidney transplant.

More about waiting lists

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