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Apply for information

On this page, donor-conceived people, their parents and donors can find out how to apply to us for information. Applying for information is free of charge.

 

Donors applying for information about children conceived from their donation

If you donated after 1 August 1991, you can find out:

  • the number of children conceived from your donation
  • the sex of the child(ren) conceived from your donation
  • the year of birth of the child(ren) conceived from your donation.

The clinic at which you donated may also be able to let you know the outcome of your donation. Due to current waiting times for Opening the Register requests, this may be quicker than requesting this information from the HFEA.

We recommend donors wait at least a year after their donation before applying to us for this information. This is because clinics have about 14 weeks after a recipient’s estimated due date to let us know the outcome. It is worth noting that donated eggs may not be used immediately, and any embryos created may be stored and used in further treatment.

You'll need to complete the online application for information about any children conceived from your donation along with your proof of ID and address which are also submitted electronically. We can no longer accept paper application forms sent in the post.

Please note:

  • Your proof of address must be dated within the last three months.

If you need an accessible version of this form, please contact openingtheregister@hfea.gov.uk.

Donor-conceived people applying for information about their donor and any siblings

The amount of information we can provide about your donor and/or siblings depends on when you were conceived. To find out what kind of information we can give visit our Finding out about your donor and genetic siblings webpage.

You'll need to complete the online application for information about your donor and/or donor-conceived genetic siblings along with your proof of ID which is also submitted electronically. We can no longer accept paper application forms sent in the post.

We no longer require proof of address for this application.

If you have applied before, you can check your donor’s anonymity status without applying again.

If you want to know if your donor has removed their anonymity, please visit this page.

If your donor removes their anonymity, we will add the reference number from the top of your response letter (it will be in the format of: O-2022-00123 and be on the first page) Contact us on Opening.TheRegister@hfea.gov.uk if you need your reference number.

If you need an accessible version of this form, please contact openingtheregister@hfea.gov.uk.

Parents of donor-conceived children applying for information about their donor and/or siblings

As the parent of a donor-conceived child, you can’t access any identifying information about their donor. However, you can access some non-identifying information about their donor and siblings. Find out what information is available on your child's donor or donor-conceived siblings.

You'll need to complete the online application for information about your child(ren)'s donor and/or donor-conceived genetic sibling(s) along with your proof of ID which is also submitted electronically. We can no longer accept paper application forms sent in the post.

We no longer require proof of address for this application.

Please note:

If you need an accessible version of this form, please contact openingtheregister@hfea.gov.uk.

Donor-conceived people applying to find out if they are genetically related to their partner

If you and your partner, or someone you’re thinking about getting involved with, were both conceived with donor sperm, eggs or embryos, you can find out if you’re genetically related (i.e., the same donor was used).

You both must have been conceived after 1 August 1991 and be aged over 16 to apply for this information.

You'll both need to complete the online joint application to find out if you and your partner are genetically related along with your proof of ID which is also submitted electronically. We can no longer accept paper application forms sent in the post.

We no longer require proof of address for this application.

Please note:

If you need an accessible version of this form, please contact openingtheregister@hfea.gov.uk.

Identification

The identity documents you supply must be colour scanned copies or clear colour photographs of original documents. They cannot be a scan of a photocopy. If you do not have access to original documents, you may submit copies that have been certified by a solicitor (if you’re a solicitor yourself, you may not self-certify your own identity documents).

Please note, if you've previously applied to us for information within the last five years and your name, address, email and phone number haven't changed, you don't need to resubmit your proof of ID and address.

Submitting your completed application and supporting documents

Applications and supporting documents are submitted online. We are no longer able to accept applications in the post.

Updating your details with the HFEA

Parents of donor-conceived children do not need to update their details with us as we do not record parent addresses, and any contact with the HFEA would be initiated by the parent.

If you are an identifiable donor the simplest method of updating your name, address or contact details is by informing the clinic where you registered, who will submit this information to the HFEA Register. This option may be preferable as it’s possible that the clinic may not require proof of address to be submitted in the manner we do.

If you would prefer to update your address on the Register directly with us, you can use the Updating your details with the HFEA form.

You can also use this form to update your details if you are a donor-conceived person registered on Donor Sibling Link and wish to update your name, address, email or phone number.

Please note:

  • Your proof of address must be dated within the last three months.

If you need an accessible version of this form, please contact openingtheregister@hfea.gov.uk.

Online form to update your details with the HFEA

Questions?

You can get in touch with the team on openingtheregister@hfea.gov.uk.

Review date: 28 August 2026