Fertility treatment in the UAE is legal, tightly regulated, and built around one rule that shapes everything else: the egg and the sperm must come from the two people being treated. Donor eggs, donor sperm and surrogacy are not available here. Clinics may transfer no more than two embryos to the womb and may stimulate the ovaries no more than six times in a year, and frozen embryos are kept for five years at a time.

The framework is Federal Law No. 7 of 2019 on Medically Assisted Reproduction, substantially rewritten by Federal Decree-Law No. 17 of 2023, which entered into force on 16 September 2023 and replaced ten of its articles. Most guidance online still describes the pre-2023 position. This guide sets out who can be treated, what the 2023 amendment actually changed for unmarried non-Muslim couples, the clinical limits written into the regulations, what happens to frozen embryos on divorce or death, and the penalties that apply to clinics.

The Two Texts That Govern Fertility Treatment

Two instruments do the work. The federal law sets the permissions and prohibitions, and Cabinet Resolution No. 64 of 2020 sets the clinical detail, including the embryo transfer limit and the stimulation cap that patients feel most directly.

Instrument Status What it controls
Federal Law No. 7 of 2019 In force, as amended by Federal Decree-Law No. 17 of 2023 from 16 September 2023 Eligibility, prohibited practices, storage periods, destruction, penalties
Cabinet Resolution No. 64 of 2020 Executive Regulation, issued 1 October 2020 Licensing, staffing, embryo transfer limits, consent forms, genetic testing, cross-border transfer

Article 35 of the 2019 law repealed the previous regime, Federal Law No. 11 of 2008 on the Licensing of Fertilisation Centres. Article 2(1), as amended in 2023, applies the law to all centers in the UAE “including centres established in free zones”, closing the gap that a free zone clinic might have argued.

Who Can Be Treated

The default route requires a marriage certificate. Article 8(1)(b) obliges the spouses to submit an official document certified by the competent authority proving the continuation of the marital relationship between them, and Article 8(1)(c) requires their written consent to be given at the center, in its presence.

Article 8(1) sets six further conditions that a clinic must satisfy before starting treatment:

  • Medical necessity. Assisted reproduction must be the most medically appropriate method “after it has been proven that natural conception is not possible”.
  • A safety certificate. A specialized physician must certify there is no danger to the life of the wife or the fetus, nor serious harm to their health, within the medically accepted scope.
  • A licensed physician must carry out the procedure.
  • A detailed explanation covering the technique, the stages, the negative repercussions and potential complications, the financial cost, and, notably, “the realistic pregnancy rate for similar cases in the same centre”.
  • Presence of the spouses. Article 8(1)(g) requires the fertilisation and implantation process to be performed in the presence of the spouses.

That fourth condition is worth pressing on. The law entitles you to the clinic’s own success rate for cases like yours, not a general industry figure. Very few patients ask for it, and it is the single most useful number in choosing a center.

The 2023 Route for Non-Muslim Couples Without a Marriage Certificate

Article 8(2) allows non-Muslim parties, where there is no marriage certificate, to petition the health authority for permission to use assisted reproduction techniques. It is a petition, decided case by case, not an entitlement.

The condition attached is specific. The couple must submit an acknowledgement that the lineage of the newborn is attributed to either of them, “duly certified by the competent authority in the country of citizenship of the parent to whom the child shall acquire nationality”, in a format set by ministerial decision. In practice that means a home-country document, legalized, which is the process covered in our guide to attesting marriage and birth certificates through MOFAIC.

Couples who do have the option of marrying in the UAE should weigh it first, since the default route is procedurally simpler. The civil route open to non-Muslims is set out in our guide to civil marriage in Abu Dhabi for non-Muslims, and general registration is covered in marriage registration in the UAE.

What Is Prohibited, and Why Donor Treatment Is Not Available

Article 9 prohibits centers from fertilising the husband’s sperm with an egg from any woman other than his wife, and from fertilising the wife’s egg with sperm from any man other than her husband. That single article removes donor eggs, donor sperm and traditional surrogacy from the UAE menu.

Article 9(3) leaves a residual power for the Cabinet to add further prohibited cases. Article 14 separately bars centers from using eggs or sperm for commercial purposes, from introducing non-therapeutic genetic modifications, and from disposing of them to third parties. The Executive Regulation reinforces this at Article 6, which forbids research or experiments for reproductive cloning, for the selection of genetic traits for reproduction, for commercial purposes, or involving any change to the human genome.

Surrogacy deserves a direct answer because claims circulate that the 2023 amendment legalized it. The amended law contains no surrogacy provision. Article 9’s prohibitions, read with Article 8(1)(g)’s requirement that implantation occur in the presence of the spouses, leave no route to a gestational carrier arrangement. Treat any clinic or agency offering surrogacy inside the UAE as operating outside the statute.

The Clinical Limits Written Into the Regulations

Article 5 of the Executive Regulation caps two things patients usually assume are clinical judgment calls: ovarian stimulation is limited to six times per year, and no more than two embryos may be transferred to the womb.

Limit The rule Source
Ovarian stimulation cycles No more than six times per year Executive Regulation, Article 5(1)
Embryos transferred per procedure No more than two Executive Regulation, Article 5(2)
Storage of fertilised eggs Five years, extendable for similar periods on the spouses’ written request Law, Article 10(2)
Storage of unfertilised eggs or sperm Five years, renewable for a similar period on written request Law, Article 11

The two-embryo cap has a direct effect on cost and timeline. Where a clinic elsewhere might transfer three embryos to raise the odds in one attempt, a UAE center cannot, so more patients need a second transfer. Budget for that when comparing quoted package prices, and read the quoted price against the medical-necessity and disclosure obligations above.

Freezing, Divorce and Death

The five-year clock is not the main risk to stored embryos. Article 13(1) requires fertilised eggs that have not been implanted to be destroyed on the death of either spouse, on termination of the matrimonial relationship, on a joint destruction request, or on expiry of the preservation period without a request to extend.

Divorce therefore ends the embryos, not just the marriage. This is the most consequential provision in the law for couples who freeze embryos as insurance, and it is not something the parties can contract around, because Article 2(2) places Article 13 among the provisions an emirate’s local legislation cannot displace.

Unfertilised eggs and sperm sit under a different and slightly gentler rule. Article 13(2) requires their destruction only on the death of the concerned parties, on their request, or on expiry of the preservation period without an extension. Termination of a marriage is not a destruction trigger for unfertilised material. For a couple weighing what to freeze, that difference is the decision point, and it argues for freezing eggs rather than embryos where the clinical picture allows a choice.

Article 10(4) covers the leftovers. Where remaining fertilised eggs are no longer needed, or a legal or medical impediment prevents implantation, they “shall be left without medical intervention until they naturally deteriorate”, unless the spouses request otherwise. If a marriage is in difficulty, the consequences reach beyond the clinic, and the wider position is covered in our guide to divorce in the UAE for expats.

Genetic Testing Before Implantation

Article 15 of the law permits preimplantation genetic diagnosis with the written consent of the spouses, to identify hereditary diseases, provided all necessary measures are taken to keep the fertilised ovum unharmed. Selecting genetic traits for reproduction is separately prohibited.

Article 9 of the Executive Regulation adds the procedural layer. A geneticist must identify the need for the test, and a multidisciplinary team including a reproduction specialist, an embryologist and a geneticist must deliver the service. The consent conversation is prescribed, and the clinic must explain the family or medical genetic reasons for the test, the procedure and its risks, the financial costs and psychological effects if pregnancy does not follow, and, expressly, “percentages and rates of misdiagnosis related to these tests, including the possibility of wrong or false results”.

One narrow case carries an extra gate. Where the test is used to diagnose HLA-matched embryos, meaning a child selected to be a tissue match for an existing sick sibling, the center must obtain a medical report from the affected child’s treating physician recommending the diagnosis for that child’s treatment.

Bringing Samples Into or Out of the UAE

Article 17 prohibits sending prepared samples out of the State or bringing them in except under the controls in the Executive Regulation. Article 8 of that regulation permits it, but limits transfers of fertilised eggs to married couples or the parties concerned.

Before any transfer, the center must hold copies of the licenses and accreditation certificates of both the sending and receiving centers, signed approvals from the spouses, and infectious disease results for the transferred samples, specifically Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV, taken at freezing or as otherwise required by the health authority. The regulation also requires patients to be told that the center may suspend a transfer for any legal or technical reason it considers sufficient.

This matters for couples relocating. Embryos created abroad can in principle follow you, but the paperwork sits with the clinics, not with you, and a receiving center that is not comfortable with the sending center’s accreditation can decline. Confirm the route with both clinics before you move rather than after.

What an Emirate Can Change, and What It Cannot

Article 2(2) lets each emirate regulate medically assisted reproduction under its own local legislation, with federal law filling any gap. The exception is the important part: this is expressly “without prejudice to the provisions of Articles (6) to (14) and (17)”.

Those locked articles include licensing conditions, the eligibility conditions in Article 8, the prohibited practices in Article 9, the storage periods in Articles 10 and 11, the destruction triggers in Article 13, the commercial and third-party prohibitions in Article 14, and the cross-border controls in Article 17. An emirate can add procedure around the edges. It cannot authorize donor gametes, extend the five-year period, or relax the destruction rules.

The practical reading for patients is that shopping between Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates will not find a more permissive rule on any of the questions that actually determine eligibility. What does vary is the licensing authority and the service standards layered on top, which follow the emirate-level split described in our guide to public and private healthcare in the UAE.

Penalties, and What They Tell You About Clinic Risk

Breaching the core articles is a criminal matter, not just a licensing one. Article 26 punishes violations of Articles 5, 7, 9, 14, 17 and 19 with confinement of two to five years and a fine of AED 500,000 to AED 1,000,000, or either penalty alone.

  • Article 27. Violations of Article 10(3) and (4), or of Articles 12, 13 and 18, carry confinement of not less than one year and a fine of AED 300,000 to AED 500,000, or either.
  • Article 28. Breaching the Article 8 eligibility conditions, or operating a suspended center to keep providing treatment, carries confinement and a fine of AED 200,000 to AED 500,000, or either.
  • Article 24. Separately, the medical body may fine a center from AED 1,000 up to AED 1,000,000, suspend its license for up to six months, or cancel it. For licensed staff the fine ceiling is AED 500,000 and suspension runs up to one year.
  • Article 30. On conviction, a court may order the closure of the center.

Article 31 is the provision patients should know exists. If a center is closed, suspended, or its license is treated as terminated, the medical body must take the steps necessary to protect the frozen material and the rights of patients under treatment, including ensuring necessary medical services continue. Your embryos are not simply stranded, but the obligation runs to the regulator, so the regulator is who you contact. Where the complaint is about the standard of care rather than the license, the route is the one in our guide to filing a medical negligence complaint in the UAE.

Costs, Insurance and What Comes Next

Neither the law nor the Executive Regulation sets fertility treatment prices, and no official tariff is published, so any figure quoted online is a market estimate rather than a regulated rate. What the law does give you is a right to the cost disclosure and the center’s own success rate before you commit.

Mandatory health insurance in the UAE is built around the basic benefit packages described in our guide to mandatory health insurance rules, costs and penalties, and fertility treatment is generally an enhanced-plan or self-funded item rather than a basic-package benefit. Check the policy wording for cycle limits and age limits before assuming coverage, and check whether any coverage is per lifetime or per policy year.

If treatment succeeds, the administrative chain that follows is well defined: the delivery and hospital costs covered in maternity package costs at Dubai hospitals, then the 120-day sequence in registering a newborn’s birth in Dubai.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is IVF legal in the UAE?

Yes. It is regulated by Federal Law No. 7 of 2019 as amended by Federal Decree-Law No. 17 of 2023, together with Cabinet Resolution No. 64 of 2020. Treatment must be provided by a licensed center, must be the most medically appropriate method after natural conception has been shown not to be possible, and must use the couple’s own eggs and sperm.

Can unmarried couples get IVF in the UAE?

Only through a petition, and only if non-Muslim. Article 8(2) allows non-Muslim parties without a marriage certificate to petition the health authority for permission, on submitting an acknowledgement of the newborn’s lineage certified by the competent authority in the country of citizenship of the parent from whom the child takes nationality. It is decided case by case, not granted automatically.

Are donor eggs or donor sperm allowed in the UAE?

No. Article 9 prohibits fertilising the husband’s sperm with an egg from a woman other than his wife, and the wife’s egg with sperm from a man other than her husband. Article 14 separately bars disposing of eggs or sperm to third parties. There is no donor program in the UAE.

Is surrogacy legal in the UAE?

No. The law contains no surrogacy provision, and Article 9’s prohibitions read with Article 8(1)(g), which requires implantation in the presence of the spouses, leave no lawful route. Reports that the 2023 amendment legalized surrogacy are not supported by the text of the law.

How many embryos can be transferred in the UAE?

No more than two. Article 5(2) of Cabinet Resolution No. 64 of 2020 caps embryos transferred to the womb at two, and Article 5(1) limits ovarian stimulation to six times per year. These are regulatory limits, so a clinic cannot exceed them on clinical preference.

How long can embryos be frozen in the UAE?

Five years, extendable for similar periods on the written request of the spouses under Article 10(2). Unfertilised eggs and sperm may be preserved for five years, renewable for a similar period, on the written request of the concerned parties under Article 11. Letting the period lapse without an extension request triggers destruction.

What happens to frozen embryos if we divorce?

They must be destroyed. Article 13(1) lists termination of the matrimonial relationship alongside the death of either spouse, a joint destruction request, and expiry of the preservation period. Unfertilised eggs and sperm are treated differently under Article 13(2), where the end of a marriage is not a destruction trigger.

Can I do genetic testing on embryos in the UAE?

Yes, for hereditary disease. Article 15 permits preimplantation genetic diagnosis with the spouses’ written consent to identify hereditary diseases, while selecting genetic traits for reproduction is prohibited. The clinic must disclose the risks, the costs and the rates of misdiagnosis, and HLA matching for a sick sibling requires a supporting medical report from that child’s physician.

Can I bring frozen embryos into the UAE from abroad?

Yes, under controls. Article 17 of the law and Article 8 of the Executive Regulation permit transfers, limited for fertilised eggs to married couples or the parties concerned, and require both centers’ licenses and accreditations, signed approvals, and Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV results taken at freezing. The center may suspend a transfer for legal or technical reasons.

Does health insurance cover IVF in the UAE?

Usually not under a basic package. Fertility treatment is typically an enhanced-plan benefit or self-funded, and no official price schedule exists. The law does entitle you to the center’s disclosure of the financial cost and the realistic pregnancy rate for similar cases at that same center before you consent, under Article 8(1)(f).

Official Sources

Information current as of August 2026. Federal Decree-Law No. 17 of 2023 replaced Articles 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 22 of the 2019 law with effect from 16 September 2023, and ministerial decisions issued under Article 7 and the Executive Regulation’s Article 10 may add detail that is not published in the consolidated texts. Confirm current requirements with the licensed center and the relevant health authority.

This guide is general information about the law, not medical or legal advice. Treatment decisions belong with a licensed physician, and questions about eligibility in an individual case should be put to the health authority in your emirate or to a licensed UAE legal practitioner.