Start with the pathway—not the destination
A country being known for healthcare does not mean every transplant pathway is available to every international patient. Begin by identifying whether the enquiry concerns living donation, deceased-donor allocation, donated tissue, or stem-cell treatment.
- Ask the centre which national authority regulates the programme.
- Confirm whether non-residents can lawfully be evaluated.
- Never treat travel as a way to bypass an allocation system.
Verify the centre and the rules
Use official health-authority, hospital, accreditation, and professional sources. A legitimate centre should explain its legal basis, clinical process, donor protections, and limitations without guaranteeing access.
- Request the centre’s full legal name and physical location.
- Ask who makes eligibility and allocation decisions.
- Expect transparent boundaries around donors, payments, and follow-up.
Recognize unsafe promises
Walk away from offers involving paid donors, guaranteed organs, accelerated waiting-list access, secrecy, or pressure to transfer money before clinical review.
- No broker should recruit or source a donor.
- No navigator can guarantee acceptance or an outcome.
- Emergency symptoms require local emergency care, not international navigation.