What is the cost of IVF in Spain?
The price of IVF in Spain generally ranges from £3,900 to £5,700 per cycle for a conventional IVF using your own eggs. For an egg donation, expect £5,300 to £7,800. This fee includes the egg collection, sedation and embryo transfer. In the UK, IVF is not routinely funded by the NHS, so most patients pay privately.
📊 Price table 2026
This table shows the average prices charged by clinics in Barcelona or Madrid in 2026, compared with the situation in the UK (NHS funding or private costs).
| Type of treatment | Price in Spain | Price in the UK |
|---|---|---|
| Conventional IVF (IVF/ICSI) | £3,900 - £5,700 | £5,000 - £8,000 |
| IVF with egg donation | £5,300 - £7,800 | £7,000 - £12,000 |
| ROPA method (female couples) | £4,400 - £6,600 | Not available in the UK |
| IVF with embryo donation | £3,200 - £5,100 | £4,000 - £7,000 |
📈 Statistics and success rates in Spain
IVF in Spain with egg donation results in a live birth in 43.0% of fresh embryo transfers[1]. Spain is one of the leading European countries for IVF[2], having carried out 168,372 cycles in 2023[3]. The main risk, ovarian hyperstimulation, is detailed below.
What is IVF?
IVF is a fertility treatment in which an egg is fertilised by a sperm in the laboratory. The resulting embryo is transferred to the uterus. It is the main solution for tubal infertility, endometriosis, or severe male factor infertility.
Spain is among the leading European countries in assisted reproduction[2] for several factual reasons:
- Volume: 168,372 IVF cycles in 2023[3].
- Availability: Egg donation is anonymous, as provided by law[4].
- Birth rate: About 10% of births in Spain come from assisted reproduction in 2023[3].
⚖️ What are the conditions for IVF in Spain?
In Spain, Law 14/2006 opens IVF to any adult woman with full legal capacity, whether single, in a heterosexual couple, or in a female couple[4]. Gamete donation is anonymous and cannot be paid: the compensation given to the donor covers her expenses and inconvenience[4].
The recipient receives general information about the donor, never her identity, and cannot know or choose her[4]. The law limits transfer to a maximum of three embryos per cycle, and the same donor may not be the source of more than six children in Spain[4].
For a female couple, the ROPA method in Spain allows one partner to carry the embryo created with the other’s eggs. It is not authorised in the UK[5].
🇬🇧 Why choose IVF in Spain instead of the UK?
The NHS funding for IVF is limited, and waiting times can be long. Egg donation is allowed in the UK, but there is a shortage of donors, leading to waiting lists of several months to over a year. Private IVF costs are higher than in Spain.
PGT-A (preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy) is available in the UK only for specific medical indications, while in Spain it is more widely offered to patients who want to screen embryos[6].
📊 How to read an IVF success rate?
An IVF success rate should always be read with its denominator: per transfer, per started cycle, or cumulative across all embryos from a single cycle. In a published series of 1,867 cycles, egg donation achieved 63.6% live births, and 87.9% cumulative[7].
These figures come from a single centre and apply to eight retrieved oocytes; the authors note that the age of the oocyte influences results beyond 36 years[7]. No comparative country data allows saying that IVF is more successful in Spain than elsewhere.
💰 Budget: UK-Spain comparison
🏷️ Detailed prices in Spain
A standard IVF package costs between £3,900 and £5,700. For egg donation, expect between £5,300 and £7,800. These prices include consultations, egg collection, laboratory and the first embryo transfer.
Additional costs to anticipate: Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT); embryo freezing; stimulation medication (if not provided). The amount varies by centre and is on the quote.
🔄 Comparison of conditions
| Criterion | UK | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| Funding | NHS funding criteria apply, but many pay privately (typical cost £5,000-£8,000 per cycle) | Private payment (partial reimbursement possible) |
| Egg donation waiting time | Several months to over a year | Variable by centre |
| Age limit (woman) | Usually up to 42-45, depending on clinic and NHS criteria | No legal limit (clinic practice)[4] |
| Donor anonymity | Open to donor identity at 18 (since 2023) | Strict anonymity maintained |
💳 Partial reimbursement by the NHS
For IVF performed in a European Union country, UK patients may be able to get partial reimbursement. After approval from your local Clinical Commissioning Group (form S2), the NHS reimburses on the basis of UK tariffs: £2,500 for IVF without donation and £1,300 with egg donation[8].
🔬 How does IVF work in Spain?
IVF occurs in four stages: ovarian stimulation with hormonal treatment, egg collection, fertilisation in the laboratory, then embryo transfer to the uterus. The Spanish centre sets the schedule based on the ovaries’ response to treatment.
The transfer involves a fresh embryo a few days after collection, or a frozen embryo in a subsequent cycle, which requires another visit. Unused embryos remain stored at the centre, with storage fees to be confirmed on the quote.
The collection and transfer reports should be requested from the centre before returning: these are what the gynaecologist who will follow the pregnancy in the UK will read.
🛡️ What are the risks of IVF?
The main medical risk of IVF is ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), an excessive response of the ovaries to stimulation medication: its moderate or severe forms affect 3 to 8% of cycles[9]. It is closely monitored throughout stimulation.
The second risk is multiple pregnancy, which depends on the number of embryos transferred. Spanish law allows up to three per cycle[4]: the number is decided with the centre, and directly influences pregnancy risks.
🏥 How to choose an IVF clinic in Spain?
An IVF clinic in Spain should be compared on documents: a detailed quote that states what the package includes (medication, freezing, frozen embryo transfer, PGT-A), a success rate given with its denominator, and the possibility of communicating in English with the medical team.
The Spanish Fertility Society registry publishes annual activity and results of reporting centres, in aggregated form[3]: it does not rank clinics. Programmes with pregnancy guarantee in Spain have their own conditions per centre.
⭐ Reference clinics in Barcelona, Girona or Madrid
- IVF-Spain Madrid: assisted reproduction centre located in Madrid.
- Girexx Clinica: assisted reproduction centre located in Girona, Catalonia.
- IMF Fertilidad Barcelona: assisted reproduction centre located in Barcelona.
📞 Get a free personalised opinion
The final price of IVF in Spain depends on the protocol, the use of donation, genetic tests and the number of transfers, which are only determined after the medical file is reviewed by the centre.
❓ FAQ - Frequently asked questions
How much does IVF with egg donation cost in Spain?
IVF with egg donation costs from £5,300 to £7,800 in Spain, see details on egg donation in Spain. In the UK, egg donation is allowed but waiting lists are long, and private costs are higher.
What is the waiting time for IVF in Spain?
In Spain, IVF with your own eggs starts once the assessment is validated by the centre. For egg donation, the delay depends on matching with a donor and varies by centre. In the UK, waiting can be several months to over a year.
Until what age can you do IVF in Spain?
Spanish law does not set a maximum age[4], but clinics generally set their own limit, and the law requires informing the patient of the risks of pregnancy at a clinically inappropriate age[4]. In the UK, NHS funding is usually only available up to age 42, but private clinics may treat older women.
Can frozen embryos be brought back to the UK from Spain?
Yes. Bringing embryos conceived abroad into the UK requires authorisation from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), requested by a UK licensed fertility centre to continue the parental project. The response usually arrives within two months of a complete file.
How long should I stay in Spain?
The stay depends on the treatment: stimulation is often done in the UK, then the patient travels to Spain for collection and transfer, sometimes in two separate trips. The centre sets the dates according to the response to stimulation.
Is medical follow-up possible in the UK?
Yes. Stimulation and monitoring scans can be done with your gynaecologist in the UK, in coordination with the Spanish clinic that follows the file remotely. If pregnant, follow-up continues in the UK as with any pregnancy.
What is the cost of fertility treatment in Spain for a single woman?
A single woman can undergo IVF with sperm donation, from £4,400 to £6,200 in Spain, see IVF with sperm donation in Spain. In the UK, this is available privately, with costs typically higher.
🔗 Related Articles
🔗 Price of Double Donation IVF in Spain
🔗 Cost of IVF in Turkey
🔗 Price of IVF with sperm donation in Spain
📖 Official Medical Sources
- Sociedad Española de Fertilidad (SEF). Informe estadístico de técnicas de reproducción asistida 2023, Registro Nacional de Actividad. 2025. Consult source
- European IVF Monitoring Consortium (EIM) for ESHRE, Smeenk J, Wyns C, De Geyter C, et al. ART in Europe, 2020: results generated from European registries by ESHRE. Human Reproduction. 2025. Consult source
- Sociedad Española de Fertilidad (SEF). Registro Nacional de Actividad 2023. 2025. Consult source
- Jefatura del Estado (Espagne). Ley 14/2006, de 26 de mayo, sobre técnicas de reproducción humana asistida. 2006. Consult source
- Agence de la biomédecine. La méthode ROPA est-elle autorisée en France ? 2023. Consult source
- Agence de la biomédecine. L’Agence de la biomédecine a besoin de doubler le nombre de donneurs pour faire face à une demande qui ne faiblit pas. 2024. Consult source
- Agence de la biomédecine. Rapport médical et scientifique de l’AMP 2023 : don d’ovocytes. 2023. Consult source
- Assurance Maladie (ameli.fr). Prise en charge de l’assistance médicale à la procréation (AMP). 2026. Consult source
- Depadt V, Willems M. Diagnostic préimplantatoire et anomalies chromosomiques : les enjeux scientifiques et éthiques du DPI-A. Vidal. 2026. Consult source
- Cubillos-Garcia SP, et al. Required number of blastocysts transferred, and oocytes retrieved to optimize live and cumulative live birth rates in the first complete cycle of IVF for autologous and donated oocytes. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 2024. Consult source
- Ministère chargé de la santé (Santé.fr). Accès aux origines des personnes nées d’une assistance médicale à la procréation (AMP). 2026. Consult source
- Assurance Maladie (ameli.fr). AMP réalisée dans un autre pays européen : remboursement. 2026. Consult source
- Tang H, Mourad SM, Wang A, Zhai SD, Hart RJ. Dopamine agonists for preventing ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2021. Consult source
- Agence de la biomédecine. Autorisation de déplacement d’embryons. 2025. Consult source
- Bestclinic. IVF in Spain: cost. 2026. Consult source
For information about NHS coverage, contact your GP or local Clinical Commissioning Group.
