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Background Since patient survival after kidney transplantation is significantly improved with a shorter time on dialysis, it is recommended to start the transplant workup in a timely fashion. Methods This retrospective study analyses the chronology of actions taken during the care for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 5 who were waitlisted for a first kidney transplant at the Antwerp University Hospital between 2016 and 2019. We aimed to identify risk factors for a delayed start of the transplant workup (i.e. after dialysis initiation) and factors that prolong its duration. Results Of the 161 patients included, only 43% started the transplant workup before starting dialysis. We identified the number of hospitalization days {odds ratio [OR] 0.79 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.69–0.89]; P < 0.001}, language barriers [OR 0.20 (95% CI 0.06–0.61); P = 0.005] and a shorter nephrology follow-up before CKD stage 5 [OR 0.99 (95% CI 1.0–0.98); P = 0.034] as factors having a significant negative impact on the probability of starting the transplant screening before dialysis. The workup took a median of 8.6 months (interquartile range 5–14) to complete. The number of hospitalization days significantly prolonged its duration. Conclusion The transplant workup was often started too late and the time needed to complete it was surprisingly long. By starting the transplant workup in a timely fashion and reducing the time spent on the screening examinations, we should be able to register patients on the waiting list before or at least at the start of dialysis. We believe that such an internal audit could be of value for every transplant centre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]