<PAGE>

                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, D. C. 20549


                                    FORM S-8
                          REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                            V.I. Technologies, Inc.
             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

       Delaware                                                 11-3238476
(State or Other Jurisdiction                                  (I.R.S. Employer
      of Incorporation)                                     Identification No.)

                   155 Duryea Road, Melville, New York 11747
                    (Address of Principal Executive Offices)

                        1998 DIRECTOR STOCK OPTION PLAN
                            (Full Title of the Plan)

                                  John R. Barr
                     President and Chief Executive Officer
                            V.I. Technologies, Inc.
                                155 Duryea Road
                            Melville, New York 11747
                                 (516) 752-7314
           (Name, Address and Telephone Number of Agent for Service)

                                with copies to:

                            Marc A. Rubenstein, Esq.
                               Palmer & Dodge LLP
                               One Beacon Street
                          Boston, Massachusetts 02108
                                 (617) 573-0100

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                  CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                         Proposed maximum           Proposed maximum
 Title of each class of securities      Amount to be     offering price per         aggregate offering             Amount of
         to be registered                registered         share(1)                   price(1)                 registration fee
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                                  <C>                <C>                       <C>                          <C>
Common Stock, $0.01 par value           60,555 shares        $4.58                     $277,342                      $78
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>

(1)  Estimated solely for the purpose of determining the registration fee and
     computed pursuant to Rules 457(c) and 457(h) based upon the average of the
     high and low prices on September 20, 1999 as reported by the Nasdaq
     National Market.
<PAGE>

   Statement Regarding Incorporation By Reference From Effective Registration
   Statement.

  Pursuant to Instruction E to Form S-8, the contents of the Registrant's
Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") on September 4, 1998 (File No. 333-62925) relating
to the registration of 89,445 shares of the Registrant's common stock, $0.01 par
value per share (the "Common Stock"), authorized for issuance pursuant to the
Registrant's 1998 Director Stock Option Plan (the "Plan"), are incorporated by
reference in their entirety in this Registration Statement, except as to the
items set forth below.  This Registration Statement provides for the
registration of an additional 60,555 shares of the Registrant's Common Stock to
be issued pursuant to the Plan.

                                       1
<PAGE>

                                    PART II
               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.  Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

     The following documents filed with the Commission are incorporated herein
by reference:

        (a)  The Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
     January 2, 1999.

        (b)  All other reports of the Registrant filed pursuant to Section 13(a)
     or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange
     Act"), since the end of the fiscal year covered by the annual report
     referred to in (a) above.

        (c)  The description of the Registrant's Common Stock contained in its
     Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the Commission on May 13,
     1998, including any amendment or report filed hereafter for the purpose of
     updating such description.

     All documents filed after the date of this Registration Statement by the
Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act
and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all
shares of Common Stock offered hereunder have been sold or which deregisters all
shares of Common Stock remaining unsold shall be deemed to be incorporated by
reference herein and to be a part hereof from the date of the filing of such
reports and documents.

Item 8.  Exhibits.

     See Exhibit Index on page 6.

Item 9.  Undertakings.

        (a)  The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

                (1)  To file, during any period in which offers or sales are
     being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

                (i)  To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of
     the Securities Act of 1933;

                (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
     after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent
     post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate,
     represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the
     Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or
     decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of
     securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any
     deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range
     may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission
     pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the

                                       2
<PAGE>

     changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the
     maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the "Calculation of
     Registration Fee" table in the effective Registration Statement.

                (iii)  To include any material information with respect to the
     plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement
     or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(l)(i) and (a)(l)(ii) do not apply if the
Registration Statement is on Form S-3, Form S-8 or Form F-3, and the information
required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is
contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the
registrant pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.

                (2)    That, for the purpose of determining any liability under
     the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be
     deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities
     offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be
     deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

                (3)    To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
     amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
     termination of the offering.

        (b)  The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit
plan's annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be
deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered
therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be
the initial bona fide offering thereof.

        (c)  Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling
persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise,
the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and
Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed
in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for
indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the
registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is
asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the
securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its
counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court
of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is
against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final
adjudication of such issue.

                                       3
<PAGE>

                                   SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Melville of the State of New York, on this 21st day
of September, 1999.

                              V.I. TECHNOLOGIES, INC.(Registrant)

                              By:    /s/ John R. Barr
                                    -----------------
                                    John R. Barr
                                    President and Chief Executive Officer

                               POWER OF ATTORNEY

     We, the undersigned officers and directors of V.I. Technologies, Inc.,
hereby severally constitute and appoint John R. Barr, Thomas T. Higgins and Marc
A. Rubenstein, and each of them singly, our true and lawful attorneys-in-fact,
with full power to them in any and all capacities, to sign any and all
amendments to this Registration Statement on Form S-8 (including any post-
effective amendments thereto), and to file the same, with exhibits thereto and
other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-
fact may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the
capacities and on the date indicated.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
           Signature                             Date                                Capacity
           ---------                             ----                                ---------
<S>                                     <C>                          <C>
/s/ David Tendler                          September 21, 1999           Chairman of the Board of Directors
----------------------------------
David Tendler

 /s/ John R. Barr                          September 21, 1999           President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
----------------------------------                                      (Principal Executive Officer)
John R. Barr

 /s/ Thomas T. Higgins                     September 21, 1999           Executive Vice President, Operations and Chief
----------------------------------                                      Financial Officer (Principal Financial and
Thomas T. Higgins                                                       Accounting Officer)

/s/ Bernard Horowitz                       September 21, 1999           Executive Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer
----------------------------------                                      and Director
Bernard Horowitz

 /s/ Richard A. Charpie                    September 21, 1999           Director
----------------------------------
Richard A. Charpie

 /s/ Jeremy Hayward-Surry                  September 21, 1999           Director
----------------------------------
Jeremy Hayward-Surry
 /s/ Irwin Lerner                          September 21, 1999           Director
----------------------------------
Irwin Lerner

 /s/ Peter D. Parker                       September 21, 1999           Director
----------------------------------
Peter D. Parker

/s/ Damion E. Wicker                       September 21, 1999           Director
----------------------------------
Damion E. Wicker, M.D.
</TABLE>

                                       4
<PAGE>

                                 EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit

Number                   Description
                         -----------

4.1      Restated Certificate of Incorporation of V.I. Technologies, Inc. Filed
         as Exhibit 3.8 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1,
         as amended (Registration Statement No. 333-46933) and incorporated
         herein by reference.

4.2      Amended and Restated By-laws of Company.  Filed as Exhibit 3.10 to the
         Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended
         (Registration Statement No. 333-46933) and incorporated herein by
         reference.

4.3      Specimen of Common Stock Certificate.  Filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the
         Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended
         (Registration Statement No. 333-46933) and incorporated herein by
         reference.

5.1      Opinion of Palmer & Dodge LLP as to the legality of the securities
         registered hereunder.  Filed herewith.

23.1     Consent of KPMG LLP, independent accountants. Filed herewith.

23.2     Consent of Palmer & Dodge LLP (contained in Exhibit 5.1).

24.1     Power of Attorney (included in the signature page hereto).
[{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "description": "DIRECTOR STOCK OPTION PLAN", "secsgml_size_bytes": 14445}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "V I TECHNOLOGIES INC", "cik": "0001040017", "assigned-sic": "2836", "irs-number": "113238476", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-87625", "film-number": "99715675"}, "business-address": {"street1": "155 DURYEA RD", "city": "MELVILLE", "state": "NY", "zip": "11747", "phone": "5167527314"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "155 DURYEA RD", "city": "MELVILLE", "state": "NY", "zip": "11747"}}
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, D. C. 20549

                                    FORM S-8
                          REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                            V.I. Technologies, Inc.
             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

       Delaware                                                 11-3238476
(State or Other Jurisdiction                                  (I.R.S. Employer
      of Incorporation)                                     Identification No.)

                   155 Duryea Road, Melville, New York 11747
                    (Address of Principal Executive Offices)

                        1998 DIRECTOR STOCK OPTION PLAN
                            (Full Title of the Plan)

                                  John R. Barr
                     President and Chief Executive Officer
                            V.I. Technologies, Inc.
                                155 Duryea Road
                            Melville, New York 11747
                                 (516) 752-7314
           (Name, Address and Telephone Number of Agent for Service)

                                with copies to:

                            Marc A. Rubenstein, Esq.
                               Palmer & Dodge LLP
                               One Beacon Street
                          Boston, Massachusetts 02108
                                 (617) 573-0100
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                         Proposed maximum           Proposed maximum
 Title of each class of securities      Amount to be     offering price per         aggregate offering             Amount of
         to be registered                registered         share(1)                   price(1)                 registration fee
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Common Stock, $0.01 par value           60,555 shares        $4.58                     $277,342                      $78
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1)  Estimated solely for the purpose of determining the registration fee and
     computed pursuant to Rules 457(c) and 457(h) based upon the average of the
     high and low prices on September 20, 1999 as reported by the Nasdaq
     National Market.
Statement Regarding Incorporation By Reference From Effective Registration
   Statement.

  Pursuant to Instruction E to Form S-8, the contents of the Registrant's
Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") on September 4, 1998 (File No. 333-62925) relating
to the registration of 89,445 shares of the Registrant's common stock, $0.01 par
value per share (the "Common Stock"), authorized for issuance pursuant to the
Registrant's 1998 Director Stock Option Plan (the "Plan"), are incorporated by
reference in their entirety in this Registration Statement, except as to the
items set forth below.  This Registration Statement provides for the
registration of an additional 60,555 shares of the Registrant's Common Stock to
be issued pursuant to the Plan.

                                       1
PART II
               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.  Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

     The following documents filed with the Commission are incorporated herein
by reference:

        (a)  The Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
     January 2, 1999.

        (b)  All other reports of the Registrant filed pursuant to Section 13(a)
     or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange
     Act"), since the end of the fiscal year covered by the annual report
     referred to in (a) above.

        (c)  The description of the Registrant's Common Stock contained in its
     Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the Commission on May 13,
     1998, including any amendment or report filed hereafter for the purpose of
     updating such description.

     All documents filed after the date of this Registration Statement by the
Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act
and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all
shares of Common Stock offered hereunder have been sold or which deregisters all
shares of Common Stock remaining unsold shall be deemed to be incorporated by
reference herein and to be a part hereof from the date of the filing of such
reports and documents.

Item 8.  Exhibits.

     See Exhibit Index on page 6.

Item 9.  Undertakings.

        (a)  The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

                (1)  To file, during any period in which offers or sales are
     being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

                (i)  To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of
     the Securities Act of 1933;

                (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
     after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent
     post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate,
     represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the
     Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or
     decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of
     securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any
     deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range
     may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission
     pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the

                                       2
changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the
     maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the "Calculation of
     Registration Fee" table in the effective Registration Statement.

                (iii)  To include any material information with respect to the
     plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement
     or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(l)(i) and (a)(l)(ii) do not apply if the
Registration Statement is on Form S-3, Form S-8 or Form F-3, and the information
required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is
contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the
registrant pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.

                (2)    That, for the purpose of determining any liability under
     the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be
     deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities
     offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be
     deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

                (3)    To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
     amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
     termination of the offering.

        (b)  The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit
plan's annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be
deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered
therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be
the initial bona fide offering thereof.

        (c)  Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling
persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise,
the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and
Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed
in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for
indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the
registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is
asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the
securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its
counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court
of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is
against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final
adjudication of such issue.

                                       3
SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Melville of the State of New York, on this 21st day
of September, 1999.

                              V.I. TECHNOLOGIES, INC.(Registrant)

                              By:    /s/ John R. Barr
                                    -----------------
                                    John R. Barr
                                    President and Chief Executive Officer

                               POWER OF ATTORNEY

     We, the undersigned officers and directors of V.I. Technologies, Inc.,
hereby severally constitute and appoint John R. Barr, Thomas T. Higgins and Marc
A. Rubenstein, and each of them singly, our true and lawful attorneys-in-fact,
with full power to them in any and all capacities, to sign any and all
amendments to this Registration Statement on Form S-8 (including any post-
effective amendments thereto), and to file the same, with exhibits thereto and
other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-
fact may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the
capacities and on the date indicated.
Signature                             Date                                Capacity
           ---------                             ----                                ---------
/s/ David Tendler                          September 21, 1999           Chairman of the Board of Directors
----------------------------------
David Tendler

 /s/ John R. Barr                          September 21, 1999           President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
----------------------------------                                      (Principal Executive Officer)
John R. Barr

 /s/ Thomas T. Higgins                     September 21, 1999           Executive Vice President, Operations and Chief
----------------------------------                                      Financial Officer (Principal Financial and
Thomas T. Higgins                                                       Accounting Officer)

/s/ Bernard Horowitz                       September 21, 1999           Executive Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer
----------------------------------                                      and Director
Bernard Horowitz

 /s/ Richard A. Charpie                    September 21, 1999           Director
----------------------------------
Richard A. Charpie

 /s/ Jeremy Hayward-Surry                  September 21, 1999           Director
----------------------------------
Jeremy Hayward-Surry
 /s/ Irwin Lerner                          September 21, 1999           Director
----------------------------------
Irwin Lerner

 /s/ Peter D. Parker                       September 21, 1999           Director
----------------------------------
Peter D. Parker

/s/ Damion E. Wicker                       September 21, 1999           Director
----------------------------------
Damion E. Wicker, M.D.
4
EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit

Number                   Description
                         -----------

4.1      Restated Certificate of Incorporation of V.I. Technologies, Inc. Filed
         as Exhibit 3.8 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1,
         as amended (Registration Statement No. 333-46933) and incorporated
         herein by reference.

4.2      Amended and Restated By-laws of Company.  Filed as Exhibit 3.10 to the
         Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended
         (Registration Statement No. 333-46933) and incorporated herein by
         reference.

4.3      Specimen of Common Stock Certificate.  Filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the
         Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended
         (Registration Statement No. 333-46933) and incorporated herein by
         reference.

5.1      Opinion of Palmer & Dodge LLP as to the legality of the securities
         registered hereunder.  Filed herewith.

23.1     Consent of KPMG LLP, independent accountants. Filed herewith.

23.2     Consent of Palmer & Dodge LLP (contained in Exhibit 5.1).

24.1     Power of Attorney (included in the signature page hereto).