Can I donate blood if I have hepatitis?

If you’ve ever had hepatitis, it might mean you can’t donate blood. Your eligibility to donate blood can depend on the type of hepatitis, whether your infection was past or current, and the time since your recovery.

Here’s a snapshot before we dive deeper:

Hepatitis type	Can you donate blood in Australia?	Key rule/waiting period
Hepatitis A (past, fully recovered)	Yes	Wait 6 months after full recovery
Hepatitis B (acute, fully recovered)	Yes	Wait 12 months after recovery*
Hepatitis B (chronic infection)	No	Permanent deferral
Hepatitis C (ever infected, even if cured)	No	Permanent deferral

Can you donate blood if you have, or once had hepatitis B?

*Lifeblood (The Australian Red Cross Lifeblood) will give you a blood test to make sure you have a high level of immunity to hepatitis B. A high level of immunity is needed to be able to give blood. Read below for more information.

Hepatitis B and blood donation

It depends on whether your infection was acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term).

When adults get hepatitis B, about 95% clear the virus completely (recover) and will be protected for hepatitis B for life. If you had hepatitis B in childhood you are more likely to still have it – called chronic (life-long) hepatitis B.

Hepatitis B status	Donation eligibility	Reason
Acute infection (recovered)	Yes, after 12 months (only if you have a high level of immunity)	You must have fully cleared the virus and regained normal liver function and have a high level of immunity. The high level of immunity is needed, because there is a small risk of low levels of virus even after clearing hepatitis B.
Chronic infection (life-long)	No	The virus stays in the body for life and may still be present at low levels
Uncertain history (had hepatitis B as a child)	Maybe	A doctor must confirm you cleared the infection, and no longer have hep B

Why you need to wait 12 months:

Even after recovery, very small amounts of hepatitis B can remain in the body. The 12-month gap gives your body extra time to fully clear the virus.

To be eligible to donate, Lifeblood will test to see what your levels of immunity are. If your levels of immunity are high (meaning there is little or no hepatitis B left in your blood), you will be able to donate.

If you have chronic (life-long) hepatitis B:

You cannot donate blood in Australia. Chronic hepatitis B means the virus is still present in your blood even if you have no symptoms. To learn more about chronic hepatitis B, read our living with hepatitis B page.

Hepatitis C and blood donation

Can you donate blood if you’ve had hepatitis C – even if you’re cured?

Unfortunately, no. Anyone who has ever tested positive for hepatitis C cannot donate blood in Australia – even if you’ve completed treatment and are cured.

Why this rule exists:

The screening test used by Lifeblood looks for hepatitis C antibodies.
These antibodies stay in your bloodstream for life, even after you clear or are cured of hepatitis C.
All antibody-positive donations can’t be used and must be discarded.

So even though you no longer have hepatitis C, your blood would still test positive for hepatitis C antibodies – and the system would automatically flag it.

What if you cleared the virus naturally? The same rule applies. The antibodies remain for life, so your donation would not be used.

Hepatitis A and blood donation

Can you donate blood after hepatitis A?

Yes – after full recovery and a 6-month waiting period.

Once you’ve completely recovered from hepatitis A, you can donate blood in Australia 6 months after your symptoms resolve.

Why the 6-month rule?

Hepatitis A is a short-term infection spread through contaminated food or water
It does not become chronic, and your immune system clears the virus naturally
The waiting period is to make sure your liver function is back to normal and the virus is completely gone

What to do before donating:
When you visit an Australian Red Cross Lifeblood centre, let them know you’ve had hepatitis A in the past.

Vaccination and blood donation

Hepatitis A and B vaccines

If you’ve had a hepatitis B vaccine (or a combined A+B vaccine), you must wait 2 weeks before donating blood. Vaccination won’t disqualify you from donating – the short wait is just to make sure you feel well and that the hepatitis B vaccination doesn’t cause a ‘false negative’*

If you’ve had a hepatitis A vaccine only, there’s no waiting period at all.

*False negative is when the blood test sees the hepatitis B vaccination and thinks it looks like you have hepatitis B.

If your sexual partner has hepatitis

If your sexual partner has hepatitis B or C, you may still be able to donate. To be eligible to donate you must wait 3 months after your last sexual contact. This covers the ‘window period’ (the short period after infection where blood tests might not yet show the virus). After that, you’re clear to donate, as long as you meet all other eligibility criteria.

If you’re unsure which type you had

If you’ve ever been told you had “hepatitis” or “jaundice” in the past but don’t know the type:

For unknown hepatitis the wait period is 12 months after recovering.
Mention it on your donor questionnaire.
The staff will confidentially review your history. They might do further blood tests to see if you are eligible to give blood.
If your doctor can confirm it was hepatitis A and you’ve recovered, you may be eligible after 6 months

If you’re not sure, it’s best to see your doctor and get tested to see if you have, or had hepatitis B or C. You can find out more about testing for hepatitis B or hepatitis C on this site.

Hepatitis type and blood donation summarised

Scenario	Eligible to donate?	Waiting period/notes
Fully recovered from hepatitis A	Yes	6 months after recovery
Recovered from acute hepatitis B	Yes	12 months after recovery, as long as you have a high level of immunity. Lifeblood will do tests to check what your level of immunity is.
Living with chronic hepatitis B	No	Not able to give blood
Ever infected with hepatitis C (even if cured)	No	Not able to give blood
Partner has hepatitis B or C	Yes	Wait 3 months after last sexual contact
Received hepatitis B vaccine	Yes	Wait 2 weeks
Received hepatitis A vaccine	Yes	No waiting period
Unsure which hepatitis you had	Maybe	12 months after recovery If your doctor does not have the information, tell the donation staff. They will do blood tests to see if you are eligible.

These rules are based on Australian Red Cross Lifeblood’s medical safety standards.

Where to get advice on hepatitis and blood or plasma donation

Hepatitis NSW Infoline: 1800 803 990
Lifeblood Eligibility Hotline: 13 14 95
Lifeblood Eligibility website: lifeblood.com.au/eligibility