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Actually you can give blood even if you have been outside the US and Canada in the past 3 years--you just have to tell them which countries and they check to see if those are on the list that prevents you from giving blood. I think all the European countries are OK, except the UK (if you have been there 3 months or more), as long as the total time isn't more than 5 years.

For a while the rule was anyone who had spent 6 months or more in Europe since Jan. 1, 1980, was barred from giving blood, which excluded a lot of military people and their families who would otherwise be eligible, but they finally changed that to 5 years.