Removing organ donor status from an Illinois driver’s license takes two separate steps: taking your name off the Secretary of State’s First Person Consent Organ/Tissue Donor Registry, then getting a corrected license without the donor symbol. The registry entry, not the heart on the card, is what gives legal authority for donation, so skipping the registry step leaves you legally enrolled as a donor even after the symbol disappears from your license.
Step One: Remove Your Name From the Donor Registry
When you checked the organ donor box at a Secretary of State facility, your name went into the First Person Consent Organ/Tissue Donor Registry. That registry entry is what organ procurement organizations check first. Removing yourself from it is the step that actually changes your legal status.
You have three options:
- By phone: Call the Secretary of State’s organ donor line at 1-800-210-2106 and request removal.
- In person: Visit any Secretary of State Driver Services facility and ask to be removed from the donor registry.
- By mail: Submit the Secretary of State’s registry removal form (Form EX-114).
Enrollment in the registry constitutes full legal authority for donation of organs or tissue for transplantation, therapy, or research under the Illinois Anatomical Gift Act.1Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 755 ILCS 50 – Illinois Anatomical Gift Act That authority stays in effect until you actively remove yourself, no matter what the physical card shows.
Step Two: Get a Corrected Driver’s License
After the registry removal, visit a Driver Services facility for a corrected license without the donor designation. Bring your current license. Staff will issue a card that no longer shows the red “DONOR” silhouette near the bottom right.
A corrected license costs $5 for most people. The fee drops to $2 if you are between 81 and 86, and it is free at 87 or older.2Illinois Secretary of State. Fees The registry removal itself is free; the replacement card is not.
Why the Registry Outranks the Card
When a patient is near death or has died, the hospital notifies the local organ procurement organization. The OPO checks the state donor registry first. If your name is there, that alone counts as legal consent. Only if you are not in the registry does the OPO look at your driver’s license or other documents. If nothing shows donor status, the OPO asks the closest blood relative.3organdonor.gov. Donation After Life
Someone who gets a new license without the heart but forgets to clear the registry is still a registered donor in the eyes of the law. If you want out, the registry is where it counts.
Other Ways Illinois Law Lets You Revoke
You do not have to visit a Secretary of State facility to legally revoke an anatomical gift. The Illinois Anatomical Gift Act recognizes several methods:4Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 755 ILCS 50/5-42 – Amending or Revoking Anatomical Gift Before Donors Death
- A signed written record revoking the gift. If you cannot sign, another person may sign at your direction in front of at least two adult witnesses, one of whom is disinterested.
- A later document of gift that expressly revokes or contradicts the earlier one.
- Destroying or canceling the original document with intent to revoke.
- Verbal revocation during terminal illness or injury, communicated to at least two adults, one of them a disinterested witness.
Timing matters. A revocation only takes effect if the procurement organization, transplant hospital, or physician knows about it before an incision is made to remove organs or before invasive preparation of the recipient begins.5Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 755 ILCS 50/5-20 – Making, Amending, and Revoking Anatomical Gifts Handling the removal now through the registry and your license eliminates that risk.
Check Your Other Legal Documents
Registry removal and a corrected license do not change other documents where you may have expressed donation wishes. A living will, advance directive, or healthcare power of attorney with organ donation language stays in effect on its own terms.
Under Illinois law, your own decision about an anatomical gift generally cannot be overridden by others. If you previously made a gift through a signed document or the registry, no one else can change or revoke it after your death unless you did so beforehand.1Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 755 ILCS 50 – Illinois Anatomical Gift Act The reverse also applies: a later document, such as a revised living will, could re-establish donation intent even after you clear the registry. Conflicting documents create the kind of confusion that slows everything down in a crisis, so review anything on file and update it to match your current wishes. An estate planning attorney can help align the language across documents.
National Registry Removal Is Separate
If you ever registered through Donate Life America’s national registry at RegisterMe.org, removing yourself from the Illinois state registry does not remove you from the national database. Visit RegisterMe.org, click “Access your registration,” enter your information, and choose the option to edit or remove your record. Once removed, RegisterMe.org does not retain it. For access problems, contact customerservice@donatelife.net.6Donate Life America. National Donate Life Registry Removal
Most Illinois residents who signed up at a Secretary of State facility are on the state registry only. If you also registered online, at a hospital sign-up event, or through a national campaign, clear the national registry too.
Tell Your Family
Even after both removal steps, let your relatives know. Medical situations are chaotic, and a family member who can state your current wishes clearly resolves any ambiguity if an outdated record ever surfaces.