For background information see also:
Becoming an Alcor member is easy and surprisingly affordable, if you are in good health and eligible for life insurance, which will pay for your cryopreservation. (If you are not insurable, other financial arrangements can be made. Please ask us for details.) Our fees are provided in Schedule A of our basic contract. The contract and other sign-up documents are available in the Library section of this website so you can read them in advance. To ask questions or request an information package, contact: Diane Cremeens, Alcor Membership Department Coordinator Email: Phone: 1-877-GO-ALCOR (1-877-462-5267) extension 132 Outside of the United States, dial: +1 480 905 1906 Business hours are M-F 9-5 Mountain Standard Time Fax: 1-480-922-9027 When you’re ready to proceed, these are the steps that you will take. 1. Submit an application For your convenience, you can download our application for membership right now as a PDF File (requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader). Print and mail it to us at the address on the form, or fax it to us at the fax number above. If you don't have all of the information that the form requires, fill in what you do know and submit it to Alcor. You may write "Pending" in the appropriate section if your funding arrangements have not yet been completed. What's most important is that you answer the questions in Section IX, entitled Decisions Concerning Your Cryopreservation, as this information is necessary to generate your membership documents. 2. Submit an application fee There is an application fee of $200. If one or more additional family members apply, there is an additional one-time fee of $100 which covers all additional family members. Any applicant who is still in the application process after three months from the initial application date will be charged $100 every three months for extended application fees until all membership requirements are satisfied. 3. Complete your Alcor Membership Documents After we receive your application, we will send a set of legal documents that you must sign to confirm your understanding of cryonics, your personal preferences, and your desire for cryopreservation. Samples of these documents are in the online Alcor Library. You will need witnesses for these documents, and one of the documents must be notarized. This is for your protection. We want to be able to defend your decision against any possible legal challenge in the future, when you may not be able to speak for yourself. 4. Obtain Funding For most people a life insurance policy is the simplest and least expensive option. If you are planning to fund your cryopreservation through other means, please contact us. Alcor also accepts cash prepayment for placement into a bank account or trust. Alcor can provide a template Revocable Cryopreservation Trust which can be used as is or customized to meet your needs. But for most people, life insurance works best. There are two major requirements with life insurance policies: First, the death benefit must be no less than our minimum requirement, which is currently $80,000 for neuropatients and $150,000 for wholebody patients. (Members who choose the neuropatient option will receive cryopreservation only of the head and brain, in expectation that tissue regeneration will replace the body.) An additional $25,000 surcharge is applied for international applicants ($15,000 for residents of the United Kingdom, no surcharge for residents of Canada). Second, Alcor must be designated not only as the beneficiary of the life insurance policy, but also as its owner. This guarantees that the beneficiary cannot be changed without our knowledge, and we will be informed if the premium is unpaid. Alcor will provide a written guarantee that it will surrender its ownership status if you choose to abandon your cryonics arrangements or move to a different organization. You may use any insurance agent, but if you have a problem or you would like to deal with a cryonics insurance specialist, please see our list of insurance agents or contact our Director of Membership Services, listed above. Note that Alcor has no business arrangements with these agents and our list does not imply any endorsement by Alcor. It is not necessary to have an insurance policy prior to entering the sign-up process. You can work on completing your membership paperwork while simultaneously arranging your funding. These typically take approximately one month each from start to finish, so doing them at the same time works best. We look forward to hearing from you! |
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