If you live in the Gulf, you don't have to take three weeks off in one go for IVF in India. A common alternative is a freeze-all, two-trip plan: trip 1 of about two weeks for ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval, with all suitable embryos frozen; then, a month or more later, trip 2 of about a week for a frozen embryo transfer (FET). Because flights from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain to India are short, the second journey adds relatively little cost. This guide walks through each trip, what happens in between, the costs and leave involved, and when one trip is still the better choice.
Key points
- Trip 1 (about two weeks) covers stimulation and egg retrieval; all suitable embryos are frozen.
- Trip 2 (about one week) is a frozen embryo transfer, usually at least one menstrual cycle later.
- The second trip typically adds ₹60,000–1,20,000 for the FET, plus travel and storage.
- Short Gulf–India flights keep the cost of the extra journey modest.
- The e-Medical visa has been issued with triple entry; check whether its validity covers both trips.
- Whether freeze-all is medically suitable is for your fertility specialist to decide.
What “freeze-all” means
In a standard fresh IVF cycle, an embryo is transferred 3–5 days after egg retrieval, in the same trip. In a freeze-all cycle, the embryos are grown in the lab and frozen (vitrified), and none is transferred straight away. The transfer happens in a later cycle, once your body has recovered from stimulation. Clinics use freeze-all for several reasons — for example when there is a risk of ovarian hyperstimulation, when hormone levels or the uterine lining aren't ideal at the time of retrieval, or when embryos are being tested with PGT-A. For patients who travel, it has the extra benefit of splitting the time away into two shorter blocks.
Trip 1: stimulation and egg retrieval (about 2 weeks)
A typical first trip looks like this — your clinic will tailor the dates:
| When | What happens | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks before | Video consultation, records reviewed, baseline tests and scan | From home, with a local doctor if the clinic accepts local results |
| Day 2–3 of period | Baseline scan, injections start | India — or at home, if the clinic agrees and a local doctor will monitor you |
| Days ~1–12 of stimulation | Daily injections; scans and blood tests every couple of days | India |
| Trigger night | Final injection timed precisely | India |
| ~36 hours later | Egg retrieval under sedation or anaesthesia; partner gives sperm sample the same day | India |
| 1–2 days after | Rest, check-up if the clinic advises, then fly home | India, then home |
You don't usually need to wait in India while the embryos grow. The clinic will update you over the following days on how many eggs fertilised and how many embryos were frozen. Before you fly home, ask about any warning symptoms after retrieval and who to call. See what to pack for egg retrieval day and can you travel during IVF?
Between the trips
The gap is usually at least one full menstrual cycle, and often longer — it depends on your recovery, any test results and your own schedule. During this time:
- You receive an embryo report. Ask for it in writing: number and grade of embryos frozen, and the date frozen.
- PGT-A results, if chosen, usually arrive in this window, which can help you and your doctor decide which embryo to transfer. See PGT-A for international patients.
- Storage begins. Check when storage fees start and how they are billed — see storing embryos in India while living abroad.
- FET preparation is planned. Transfers are done either in a natural cycle (timed to ovulation) or a medicated cycle (usually estrogen to build the lining, then progesterone). In a medicated cycle, the early weeks are often tablets or patches taken at home, with a lining scan that a local doctor may be able to do.
- Any extra investigations your clinic suggests before transfer can be scheduled — some may be possible at home, others need the Indian clinic.
Trip 2: the frozen embryo transfer (about 1 week)
You usually arrive a few days before the planned transfer for a lining scan and possibly a blood test. If everything looks right, the clinic confirms the transfer date and progesterone timing. The transfer itself is short and usually done without anaesthesia. Afterwards, ask the clinic when it is reasonable to fly — many patients go home within a day or two — and get a written medication plan, a prescription and a letter for carrying medicines. The pregnancy blood test comes about two weeks after transfer, usually at a lab near home. See the frozen embryo transfer trip to India and surviving the two-week wait.
An illustrative calendar from Dubai
This example is illustrative and does not describe a real patient. It shows how a married couple in Dubai might fit a two-trip plan around work, using a clinic in Bengaluru.
| Week | Location | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | Dubai | Video consultations, records reviewed, baseline tests done locally, leave approved. |
| 5–6 | Bengaluru | Stimulation, monitoring, trigger, retrieval. The husband joins for the last four days. |
| 7 | Dubai | Return to work; embryo report received; if PGT-A was chosen, the laboratory biopsies the embryos before freezing. |
| 8–11 | Dubai | Recovery and one full menstrual cycle; PGT-A results discussed by video; FET cycle planned. |
| 12–13 | Dubai | Medicated FET preparation with estrogen tablets; lining scan with a local doctor. |
| 14 | Bengaluru | Arrival, confirmation scan, progesterone started, transfer; return home after one to two days. |
| 16 | Dubai | Pregnancy blood test at a local laboratory. |
In this example the wife spends about three weeks in India in total, split into two absences, and the husband only a few days.
What it costs across both trips
Indian clinics quote and bill in rupees. A standard IVF cycle is typically ₹1.5–2.5 lakh — roughly ≈ $1,550–2,600 · £1,150–1,950 · AED 5,750–9,600 at today's rate — and a frozen embryo transfer typically adds ₹60,000–1,20,000 (≈ $630–1,250 · £470–940 · AED 2,300–4,600). The full picture:
| Item | Trip | Typical range in India |
|---|---|---|
| IVF cycle (monitoring, retrieval, lab, freezing — confirm inclusions) | 1 | ₹1.5–2.5 lakh |
| Stimulation medication (often billed separately) | 1 | ₹60,000–1,50,000 |
| ICSI, if advised | 1 | ₹25,000–50,000 |
| PGT-A, if chosen | Between | ₹25,000–40,000 per embryo tested |
| Embryo freezing + first-year storage (usually bundled); renewal from year 2 | Between | ₹20,000–40,000; then ₹15,000–30,000 per year |
| Frozen embryo transfer | 2 | ₹60,000–1,20,000 |
| Flights and accommodation | 1 and 2 | Two return journeys; roughly 2 weeks + 1 week of accommodation |
For comparison, one standard cycle in the UAE is commonly quoted at AED 18,000–35,000 before medication and add-ons. If extra embryos remain frozen, a later sibling attempt may only need another FET trip. Use the cost calculator and read IVF packages for international patients before you compare quotes.
Leave, visas and re-entry
- Leave: request about two weeks for trip 1 (with a few days' flexibility, since the retrieval date moves with your response) and about a week for trip 2. Many Gulf employers find two shorter absences easier to approve.
- Residence permits: make sure your Gulf residency stays valid for both trips, and arrange any exit/re-entry permission your country or employer requires — for example, expatriates in Saudi Arabia need an exit and re-entry visa.
- Indian visa: Indian passport and OCI card holders need none. Most other nationalities use the online e-Medical visa, which has been issued for up to 60 days with triple entry. If both trips fall within that validity, one visa may cover them; if the gap is longer, you may need to apply again. Companions use the e-Medical Attendant visa. Always check indianvisaonline.gov.in and our e-Medical visa guide.
Two trips vs one: pros and cons
| Two trips (freeze-all) | One trip (fresh transfer) | |
|---|---|---|
| Time away | ~2 weeks + ~1 week, split | ~2–3 weeks in one block |
| Cost | Adds FET fee, storage, second journey | No FET fee if the fresh transfer goes ahead |
| Overall timeline | Longer — a month or more between retrieval and transfer | Shorter |
| Body's recovery | Transfer after recovery from stimulation | Transfer in the stimulated cycle |
| PGT-A | Fits naturally | Generally requires freezing anyway |
| Flexibility | Trip 2 can be moved to suit work and family | Everything happens in one window |
Even if you plan a fresh transfer, a clinic may switch to freeze-all at retrieval for medical reasons, so it is sensible to budget for the possibility of a second trip either way.
Medication across the two trips
Medication is often the most complex part of a two-trip plan, because some of it is taken in India and some at home. The details depend on your protocol; the pattern below is common:
| Phase | Typical medication | Where it is usually taken |
|---|---|---|
| Stimulation | Daily hormone injections, sometimes a second injection to prevent early ovulation | India, or started at home by agreement |
| Trigger | A single injection at a precise time | India |
| FET preparation (medicated cycle) | Estrogen tablets or patches to build the lining | Home |
| Before and after transfer | Progesterone, often continued for some weeks if pregnant | Started in India, continued at home |
Ask the clinic for a written schedule for each phase, a prescription that your local doctor or pharmacy can use, and a letter listing the medicines you are carrying. Check whether any medicine needs refrigeration during travel, and whether any prescribed product has restrictions in your country of residence. See flying with IVF medications and starting medication at home.
Questions to ask a clinic about a two-trip plan
- Do you routinely plan freeze-all cycles for patients who travel, and is it suitable in my case?
- Is embryo freezing, and the first year of storage, included in the cycle price?
- Can I start stimulation at home, and which local scans will you accept?
- How and when will you send me the embryo report and any PGT-A results?
- What is the minimum interval between retrieval and transfer that you recommend?
- Can the FET preparation be monitored by my local doctor?
- What happens to my embryos, and my fees, if I cannot return within the planned period?
When one trip may be the better choice
The two-trip plan is not right for everyone. A single trip with a fresh transfer may suit you better if:
- Your clinic considers a fresh transfer medically appropriate and you can take three consecutive weeks away.
- You are not planning PGT-A, and your hormone levels and lining are expected to be suitable.
- The total cost of the FET fee, storage and a second journey is a significant concern.
- Your residency, employer or visa situation makes a second absence difficult to arrange.
- You would prefer a shorter overall timeline from starting treatment to the pregnancy test.
Even then, keep a fallback. If the clinic advises freezing at retrieval, the plan becomes a two-trip plan, so check in advance that your leave and visa could accommodate a second visit.
What can go wrong, and how to plan for it
- A lower-than-expected response. Sometimes a cycle is adjusted or cancelled. Ask in advance what you would pay in that case.
- No embryos to freeze. This is a difficult outcome, and it does occur. Ask how the clinic will support you and what a review would involve — see surviving a failed IVF cycle.
- Lining not ready for trip 2. The transfer may be postponed. Book flexible fares where you can, and do the early lining scan at home if possible.
- Storage paperwork. Keep your storage agreement and renewal dates, and never let fees lapse without speaking to the clinic.
A checklist for both trips
Before trip 1:
- Written, itemised estimate covering the cycle, medication, ICSI, freezing, storage and the FET.
- Confirmation of which baseline tests the clinic accepts from home, and how recent they must be.
- Leave approved with flexibility; residency and exit/re-entry permissions checked.
- Visa (if needed) with dates that cover the likely retrieval window.
- Accommodation close to the clinic — daily scans are easier with a short commute.
- Your partner's travel planned so he is in India on retrieval day (or a frozen sample arranged, if the clinic allows).
Before trip 2:
- Embryo report and any PGT-A results in writing.
- Agreement on natural or medicated FET, and which scans can be done at home.
- Storage fees paid up to date.
- Flexible or changeable flights, in case the transfer date moves.
- A local doctor lined up for the pregnancy test and early scans afterwards — see pregnancy care back home.
Next steps
Ask shortlisted clinics on Miro's international patients page whether they routinely plan two-trip cycles for Gulf patients, and filter for the International-ready badge. For country-specific planning, read IVF in India from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman or Bahrain.