Shipping Frozen Embryos Internationally: How It Works and How to Plan Before You Freeze

For many people, IVF abroad ends with frozen embryos stored at the treating clinic. Some families are happy to fly back for each transfer. Others would rather have the embryos moved to a clinic near home, or to a third country for treatment there. International embryo shipping makes that possible, and it is routine for experienced labs. It is also a process with strict paperwork, where a single missing form can hold up a shipment for weeks. This guide explains how a shipment works, what the main import rules require, what the evidence says about safety, and, most usefully, which decisions to make before your embryos are frozen so that shipping later is straightforward.

We give a broad overview of embryo transport in Moving Frozen Embryos Between Countries. This guide focuses on the decisions to make in advance and on the specific checks that the US, UK and Canada apply.

How an international embryo shipment works

Three parties do the work: the clinic currently storing your embryos (the sending lab), the clinic that will receive them, and a specialist courier. You give consent, pay fees and help connect the two clinics, but you do not carry the embryos yourself.

Embryos are stored frozen in liquid nitrogen. For transport, they are usually placed in a dry shipper, a container whose absorbent lining holds liquid nitrogen so that the embryos stay in the very cold vapour without free liquid sloshing around. The UK regulator, the HFEA, says material must be frozen first and shipped in a container designed for biological material that maintains safety and quality, and notes that clinics often use specialist couriers.

Before you freeze: decisions that make shipping easier

The best time to think about shipping is before treatment starts. These decisions are hard or impossible to change later:

• Pick a likely receiving clinic early. If you think you may want embryos moved home, contact a clinic there before treatment. Ask whether it accepts embryos from abroad and what it will need.
• Check freezing method compatibility. Most modern labs vitrify embryos, but carriers and warming protocols differ. The receiving lab should confirm it can warm embryos frozen with the sending clinic's method and device.
• Get donor documents right at the start. If donor eggs or sperm are involved, ask whether the donor screening will satisfy your home country's rules. In the US, that means the FDA's donor eligibility requirements, which include specific infectious disease tests within set time windows. Screening cannot be done retrospectively on an anonymous donor who has gone.
• Read the storage and consent forms closely. Look for a clause allowing transfer to another clinic, and for what happens if you separate or stop paying storage fees.
• Ask about shipping costs up front. Release fees, courier costs and receiving fees are rarely in an IVF package.

Import rules: United States

In the US, reproductive cells and tissue fall under the FDA's rules for human cells and tissues, in 21 CFR Part 1271. Two parts matter most:

• Donor eligibility. Egg and sperm donors need a documented eligibility determination based on screening and testing for HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis and, for reproductive cells, chlamydia and gonorrhoea, with testing within set windows around the donation. Embryos need this for both the egg and the sperm provider. The rules exempt reproductive cells used by the person they came from and those donated by a sexually intimate partner of the recipient.
• Import notification and hold. Imported human cells and tissues generally must be declared to the FDA and held until it decides they can enter. The regulation exempts reproductive tissue donated by a sexually intimate partner of the recipient for reproductive use.

So embryos made from your own eggs and your partner's sperm usually face a simpler route than embryos made with donor gametes. If donor eggs or donor sperm were used, expect the receiving US clinic to ask for the donor's eligibility records. Embryos without full screening may be labelled with warnings such as “not evaluated for infectious substances,” which the receiving clinic must discuss with you.

Import rules: United Kingdom

According to the HFEA, embryos coming into the UK must go to a licensed clinic that offers import, and not every clinic does. The UK clinic must be satisfied that all requirements are met before anything moves. Among other conditions, the overseas clinic must be licensed or accredited by a relevant authority and have processes to keep stored material safe.

You cannot apply to the HFEA yourself. If your situation does not meet the standard requirements, your UK clinic can apply for special permission on your behalf from the HFEA's Statutory Approvals Committee, and may charge for this. Once in the UK, your own embryos can generally be stored for up to 55 years, provided consent is renewed every ten years. Where donor gametes were used, the donor's consent also limits storage.

Import rules: Canada and elsewhere

Health Canada's Safety of Sperm and Ova Regulations apply to donor sperm and eggs used in Canada, and establishments that import them must notify Health Canada. Gametes from a spouse, common-law partner or sexual partner fall outside the definition of donor material. Health Canada's patient page does not set out the rules for importing embryos specifically, so ask the receiving Canadian clinic to confirm what it requires before you arrange anything.

For other countries, the receiving clinic is the best source of current rules. Laws on embryo import, storage limits and the use of donor gametes vary widely, and ASRM's ethics opinion on cross-border care notes that transferring embryos between countries can create legal complications. We cover storage limits in Embryo Storage Duration Limits by Country.

What the evidence says about shipping safety

There is not a large body of research comparing shipped and non-shipped embryos, but what exists is reassuring:

• A 2011 laboratory study in BMC Biotechnology held vitrified mouse embryos in the vapour phase of a liquid nitrogen dry shipper for 96 hours to simulate transport. It found no obvious harm to survival, development or DNA integrity compared with embryos kept in liquid nitrogen. The authors noted that clinical data from human embryos was still needed.
• A retrospective study presented at the 2020 ASRM congress compared donor eggs that were vitrified and shipped one to two days between labs with eggs used in the same lab. Survival after warming was 89.7% for shipped eggs and 91.4% for non-shipped eggs, a difference that was not statistically significant.

Keep in mind that frozen embryos do not always survive warming, whether or not they travel. The main practical risks of shipping are delays, paperwork problems and handling errors, which is why experienced labs and couriers matter more than distance.

Step-by-step: from decision to arrival

1. Confirm the receiving clinic will acceptSend it the sending clinic's details, how the embryos were created and frozen, and whether donors were involved. Ask for a written list of what it needs.
2. Gather the documentsTypical items include embryo records (number, stage, freezing date and method), identification, consent forms, infectious disease test results and, where relevant, donor eligibility records.
3. Sign release and transfer consentsThe sending clinic will need your written authorisation, and often your partner's, to release the embryos.
4. Choose the courierUse a courier experienced with cryogenic shipments, ideally one both clinics have worked with. Confirm who handles customs.
5. Agree the date with both labsThe receiving lab must have staff ready to check in the embryos on arrival. Avoid weekends and public holidays in both countries.
6. Track the shipmentAsk the courier for tracking and for temperature data from the shipper if available.
7. Get written confirmation of receiptThe receiving clinic should confirm the number of embryos received, their condition on the outside of the container and where they are stored.
8. Close the old storage contractAsk the sending clinic to confirm in writing that storage has ended and no further fees will be charged.

Costs to plan for

Fees vary by clinic, courier and distance, so get quotes rather than relying on averages. Typical cost lines include:

• Release or export fee from the sending clinic
• Courier fee, including the shipper and any return of the container
• Customs, import permits or brokerage, if applicable
• Receiving or import fee from the destination clinic
• Any regulatory application fee charged by the receiving clinic
• Ongoing storage fees at the new clinic
• Any outstanding storage fees at the old clinic

Compare the total with the cost of travelling back for a frozen transfer instead. Our trip planner can help you weigh the two.

Frequently asked questions

This article is for general information only and is not medical or legal advice. Fertility treatment decisions should be made with a qualified fertility specialist who knows your history, and legal questions should go to a lawyer qualified in the relevant country. Laws, clinic policies and prices change, so confirm current details directly with any clinic before you commit. IVF Abroad is an independent guide and does not provide medical care.