- Thai clinics treat married couples from abroad, usually asking for a marriage certificate; check eligibility and documents before you book flights.
- Clinics suggest stays from about 10–14 days to 3–4 weeks for a full cycle, or two shorter trips if embryos are frozen and transferred later.
- Early tests and the first monitoring scans can often be done at home, but you must coordinate closely with the Thai clinic.
- Budget for flights, accommodation, extra medication, pre-treatment tests, embryo storage and possible further transfers, not just the package.
- Ask for full copies of your records, a plan for complications after you leave and how complaints are handled.
Check eligibility first
Assisted reproduction in Thailand is governed by the Protection of Children Born from Assisted Reproductive Technologies Act B.E. 2558 (2015). As enacted, it limits treatment to legally married couples, and clinics ask for proof of marriage. Superior A.R.T.'s FAQ, for example, says IVF is offered to married heterosexual couples with certified proof of marriage. A revised bill went to public consultation in July 2026 but is not yet law.
Before anything else, email the clinics you are considering with a short summary of your situation and ask whether they can treat you, which documents they need and whether those need to be certified or translated. If you are not married, are in a same-sex marriage, or need donor eggs, donor sperm or surrogacy, ask specifically: the answer may be no, or may depend on the law at the time. Our guide to fertility treatment and the law in Thailand explains the rules in more detail.
Documents and records to prepare
Expect to need passports for both partners and a marriage certificate, possibly with a certified English or Thai translation. Ask the clinic in advance, because certification at home can take several weeks.
Gather your medical history too: previous fertility tests (such as AMH and other hormone results), recent ultrasound reports, semen analyses, details of any earlier treatment cycles and embryology reports, infection screening results and a list of current medicines. Sending these ahead allows the clinic to plan, may avoid repeating tests and helps the specialist decide on a protocol. Some clinics offer paid remote consultations before you travel; Superior A.R.T., for example, lists phone consultations for patients abroad at 3,000 baht per 30 minutes.
Check visa requirements with the Thai embassy or consulate for your nationality, allowing for a possible longer stay. Some clinics provide supporting letters: Superior A.R.T. mentions a letter for visa applications, and SAFE Fertility Group says its team prepares visa paperwork for international patients.
How long to stay
An IVF cycle runs over several weeks, but not all of it needs to happen in Thailand. Clinics give different estimates. Bangkok Hospital suggests about three to four weeks for a full cycle, or two visits if embryos are frozen for genetic testing and transferred later. SAFE Fertility Group suggests 10 to 14 days in Bangkok over two trips, with early scans possible at home. Superior A.R.T.'s FAQ describes 3 to 4 days for egg collection if stimulation is monitored at home, or up to 15 days if stimulation starts in Bangkok, followed by a shorter stay for embryo transfer.
Two trips are increasingly common because many clinics freeze embryos and transfer them in a later cycle, particularly when embryos are tested or when the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation is high. Build some flexibility into your plans: egg collection can move by a day or two depending on how you respond to the medication, and a fresh transfer may be cancelled if your doctor thinks it is safer to freeze everything.
Monitoring at home
Starting stimulation at home can shorten your stay, but it needs careful coordination. You will usually need a local clinic or sonographer who can do follicle-tracking scans and blood tests at short notice, send the results the same day, and accept that the dose decisions are made by the Thai specialist. Ask the Thai clinic exactly which tests it wants, on which days, and in what format.
Medication also needs planning. Ask whether you should buy stimulation drugs at home or in Thailand, how to keep them refrigerated while travelling, and whether you need a doctor's letter for carrying injectable medicines and needles. Time differences matter for injection timing, especially the trigger injection, which is usually timed precisely before egg collection.
Costs beyond the package
A published package rarely covers the whole cost of a trip. Within the medical costs, check pre-treatment tests (Superior A.R.T. estimates its pre-IVF tests at about 30,000 baht, outside its cycle estimate), medication beyond the package allowance, ICSI, embryo freezing and annual storage, genetic testing if you choose it, and each frozen embryo transfer. Some published prices are not available to visitors: MedPark's IVF package prices apply only to Thai nationals and residents, while Bangkok Hospital's IVF and egg-freezing packages are aimed at patients travelling in for treatment.
Then add the travel costs: flights for one or two trips, accommodation near the clinic, local transport, meals, travel insurance and time off work, possibly for both partners. If the first transfer does not work, a further transfer means another trip. Our guide to IVF costs in Thailand compares published packages in detail.
Check your travel insurance carefully. Many policies exclude planned medical treatment and its complications, so ask insurers directly whether you would be covered for an emergency related to IVF while abroad.
Choosing a clinic from abroad
Compare clinics on the same terms you would at home: eligibility, the doctors and laboratory, transfer policy, success figures and an itemised quote. Ask how the clinic reports its success rates, for which age groups and which years; the HFEA warns that rates abroad can be presented in misleading ways, such as only showing younger patients or counting pregnancies rather than births. Ask about the multiple birth rate, too, as single embryo transfer is not standard everywhere.
For international patients, also ask who your day-to-day contact will be, which languages the team works in, how quickly messages are answered, and who to call out of hours. Some clinics assign a coordinator; SAFE Fertility Group, for example, describes a named personal assistant for each international patient.
Aftercare when you fly home
Ask before you travel what support continues after you leave. You will usually go home on hormone support after an embryo transfer and take a pregnancy test about two weeks later. Agree how you will report the result, who will advise on medication, and how early pregnancy scans will be arranged at home.
Know the warning signs of complications, especially ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which can develop after egg collection or in early pregnancy: increasing abdominal pain or swelling, nausea or vomiting, breathlessness or reduced urination need urgent medical attention wherever you are. Ask your clinic when it is safe to fly after egg collection and after transfer.
Request complete copies of your records before you leave, including the treatment protocol, medication doses, embryology report, number of embryos frozen and storage contract. The HFEA advises taking records home for your own doctor, notes that home regulators cannot handle complaints about treatment abroad, and suggests finding out in advance how complaints would be dealt with. It also points to counselling as an important part of treatment; ask whether your clinic offers it, or arrange support at home.
Before you book flights
- Has the clinic confirmed in writing that you are eligible, and which documents you need?
- Have you sent previous test results and had a remote consultation?
- Do you know which scans and tests can be done at home, and who will do them?
- Do you have an itemised quote, and do the published prices apply to non-residents?
- Have you budgeted for two trips, extra medication, storage and a further transfer?
- Have you checked visa rules and whether your travel insurance covers IVF-related problems?
- Do you know who to contact after you fly home, and how you will receive your records?
Frequently asked questions
How long do I need to stay in Thailand for IVF?
Estimates published by clinics range from about 10–14 days over two trips (SAFE Fertility Group) to three to four weeks for a full cycle (Bangkok Hospital). Monitoring at home can shorten the stay, and freezing embryos for a later transfer splits it into two visits.
Do I need to be married to have IVF in Thailand?
Under the 2015 Act as enacted, treatment is limited to legally married couples, and clinics ask for proof of marriage. A draft revision was consulted on in July 2026 but is not yet law.
Can I start the injections at home?
Often, yes, if a local clinic can do monitoring scans and blood tests and send results promptly. Agree the exact plan with the Thai clinic first.
Are package prices the same for foreigners?
Not always. Some published packages apply only to Thai nationals and residents, while others are aimed at patients travelling in. Ask which price applies to you.
What happens if I have complications after flying home?
Seek urgent medical care locally and contact the clinic. Before leaving, agree an aftercare plan, keep your records with you and know the warning signs of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.
Can I take frozen embryos home later?
Export of embryos from Thailand is regulated, and a 2026 draft bill proposes committee approval. Ask the clinic what is required today and whether a clinic in your country can receive them.
Sources
- Stasi A. (2017) Protection for Children Born Through Assisted Reproductive Technologies Act, B.E. 2558: The Changing Profile of Surrogacy in Thailand. Clinical Medicine Insights: Reproductive Health
- Nation Thailand — Thailand begins public consultation on revised surrogacy bill (19 July 2026)
- Bangkok Hospital — IVF Package (Bangkok Hospital Headquarters), checked 23 October 2026
- MedPark Hospital — IVF/ICSI Package, checked 23 October 2026
- Superior A.R.T. — Frequently asked questions (cost estimates), checked 23 October 2026
- SAFE Fertility Group — International patients, checked 23 October 2026
- HFEA — Fertility treatment abroad
- HFEA — Embryo freezing
- ESHRE — Guideline on the number of embryos to transfer
- NHS — IVF (in vitro fertilisation)
