Paying an Indian IVF Clinic From Abroad: Cards, Transfers & Fees

Indian IVF clinics quote and bill in rupees, and most accept some mix of international debit or credit cards, bank transfers from abroad, and payment in rupees once you arrive. Which of these your clinic takes, and in what order it wants the money, varies — so ask your clinic early. The rest of this guide is about paying safely: keeping fees and exchange-rate surprises down, getting receipts that work back home, and never handing money to someone who can't give you a proper invoice.

Key points

• Clinics quote and bill in rupees. Ask your clinic which payment methods it accepts at each stage.
• Payments are usually spread across the cycle, not made in a single sum.
• Compare transfer options on the number of rupees that arrive, not on the advertised fee.
• Verify bank details by phone before any transfer, and pay the clinic rather than an individual.
• Obtain itemised invoices and receipts in your name for every payment.
• Agree deposit and refund terms in writing before paying anything significant.

What you pay for, and when

Before choosing a payment method, understand the shape of the bill. A standard IVF cycle in India is typically ₹1.5–2.5 lakh (≈ $1,550–2,600 · £1,150–1,950 · AED 5,750–9,600), but that headline figure rarely covers everything. Stimulation medication is often billed separately at ₹60,000–1,50,000; ICSI can add ₹25,000–50,000; PGT-A is typically ₹25,000–40,000 per embryo tested; a frozen embryo transfer is ₹60,000–1,20,000; embryo freezing plus the first year of storage is typically ₹20,000–40,000, and renewal after that ₹15,000–30,000 a year.

These items are usually paid at different moments, not all at once. A common pattern looks like this — but your clinic's schedule may differ:

1. Consultation fee — for a video consultation before you travel, often paid online.
2. Deposit or advance — sometimes requested to hold dates or issue a visa letter.
3. Medication — paid as it's dispensed, often at the clinic pharmacy or an outside pharmacy, and sometimes before stimulation starts if you begin injections at home.
4. Procedure and lab fees — typically settled before or on egg-retrieval day.
5. Add-ons — ICSI, embryo freezing, PGT-A, which may only be decided mid-cycle.
6. Storage — first year sometimes included; renewals billed annually afterwards.

Ask for this schedule in writing. It tells you how much currency you need to move, and when. For a line-by-line way to check what a quote covers, see comparing IVF quotes in India.

Payment options clinics commonly accept

None of these is universal. Ask your clinic which it accepts, whether any carry a surcharge, and whether the answer changes for large amounts.

Card payments: say no to “pay in your currency”

When you pay by foreign card, a terminal or payment page may offer to charge you in pounds, dollars or dirhams instead of rupees. This is usually called dynamic currency conversion, and the rate is typically worse than your own card's. Choosing to be charged in rupees generally works out cheaper — though your card's foreign-transaction fee still applies. A card with no foreign-transaction fee can make a real difference across a cycle.

Before you travel, tell your bank you'll be using the card in India, and check the daily and per-transaction limits. A declined card on a procedure day can cause avoidable delays.

Bank transfers: verify, then send

For a large payment, a bank transfer is often the cleanest option, but it is also the one fraudsters target. Before sending money:

• Get the account details on the clinic's official letterhead or invoice, in the clinic's legal name — not a personal name.
• Confirm the details by phone on a number you found independently (the clinic's website or its Miro profile), not one given in the same email.
• Be suspicious of any last-minute “our bank details have changed” message.
• Put your full name and the invoice or patient number in the payment reference.
• Ask the clinic to confirm receipt in writing and issue a receipt.

Forex fees and exchange-rate risk

Every conversion from your home currency into rupees costs something — sometimes a visible fee, sometimes a margin hidden in the exchange rate. Across a full cycle, several small conversions can add up.

• Compare the rate, not just the fee. A “free” transfer with a poor rate can cost more than a paid one with a good rate. Compare the rupees that will actually arrive.
• Fewer, larger conversions usually cost less than many small ones — but don't prepay more than your clinic's refund terms make safe.
• Exchange rates move. Your quote is fixed in rupees; what it costs you in your own currency isn't. Between your consultation and your cycle the cost can drift up or down. Build a buffer into your budget rather than planning to the last pound or dollar.
• Ask about “received amount”. If intermediary banks deduct fees, the clinic may receive less than the invoice. Ask whether you should add a margin or whether the clinic absorbs it.

Miro shows an approximate price in your currency on clinic profiles, at today's rate — useful for planning, but always budget from the rupee figure. Our cost calculator helps you build the total, and IVF cost in India vs the UK, USA and UAE puts it in context.

NRE and NRO accounts: a brief orientation for NRIs

Many non-resident Indians hold one or both of two account types with Indian banks. In general terms:

• NRE (Non-Resident External) account — generally used to hold money earned abroad and brought into India, kept in rupees.
• NRO (Non-Resident Ordinary) account — generally used to manage income earned in India, such as rent or dividends.

Either may be usable to pay an Indian clinic locally, which can simplify things if you already have one. The rules on what money can go into each account, how it is taxed and how easily it can be moved back abroad are specific and do change — so check with your bank before using either for treatment payments. We don't recommend any particular account or bank.

If you're an NRI weighing clinics, our NRI-friendly clinic collection is a good starting point.

Receipts and invoices: get them in your name

Back home, you may want to claim some costs from an insurer, an employer benefit or a tax relief scheme, or simply keep a clear record. That usually needs proper paperwork. Ask your clinic for:

• An itemised invoice for each payment, in the patient's name (and partner's where relevant), showing the clinic's legal name, address and any tax registration.
• A receipt for every payment, stating the amount, date and method.
• Medication bills from the pharmacy, which are often separate from the clinic's invoice.
• A treatment summary or discharge letter, which insurers and tax authorities sometimes ask for alongside the bill.
• An English version if the clinic's standard receipts are in another language.

Whether any of this is claimable depends entirely on your home country and policy — our guide to travel and medical insurance for IVF in India explains what to ask. Keep the paperwork anyway; it is much harder to get later.

Agents, cash and other red flags

Most problems with paying for treatment abroad come from paying the wrong person, not the wrong method. Be careful about:

• Paying an agent or “facilitator” instead of the clinic. Some patients use intermediaries; if you do, understand exactly what you're paying them for, and pay treatment fees to the clinic directly wherever possible.
• Cash with no receipt. Any legitimate payment should produce a receipt. If someone says a receipt isn't possible, don't pay.
• Payments to personal accounts or payment apps in an individual's name.
• Pressure to pay today to “secure a discount” or a slot.
• Offers of services that are illegal in India, such as commercial surrogacy or sex selection. See what Indian law allows.

More warning signs are in red flags when visiting an IVF clinic.

Deposits and refunds: get the terms in writing

IVF plans change often, and usually for medical reasons that cannot be predicted in advance: a poor response to stimulation, a cancelled cycle, no embryos suitable for transfer, or a decision to freeze all embryos. A deposit you can't get back, or a package you can't use, is a real risk when you've also paid for flights. Before paying anything significant, ask for written answers to:

• Is the deposit refundable? In full or in part? Up to what point?
• If the cycle is cancelled before egg retrieval, what is refunded or credited?
• If no eggs are retrieved or no embryos develop, what happens to the rest of the fee?
• If you freeze all embryos, does the fee cover a later frozen transfer, or is that separate?
• How are refunds paid — back to your card, to a foreign account, or only in rupees in India? How long do they take, and who pays the transfer costs?
• Can a credit be carried forward to a later cycle, and for how long?

If you're considering a bundled or multi-cycle deal, read IVF packages for international patients first.

An illustrative budget for a fresh cycle

The table below shows how payments for a single fresh IVF cycle with ICSI might be spread, using the typical ranges above. It is an illustration of the method, not a quote: your clinic's prices, what it bundles and when it asks for payment will differ.

The spread between the lower and upper figures is wide, mainly because medication varies with the protocol your doctor chooses. If a frozen transfer is needed later, add ₹60,000–1,20,000 and the cost of a second trip. PGT-A, if recommended, is charged per embryo tested. For planning, many patients arrange access to funds near the upper figure and transfer in stages as each amount is confirmed.

If a payment goes wrong

Most payment problems can be resolved if they are raised promptly and with records to hand.

• A transfer has not arrived. Ask your bank for the transfer reference or tracking details and send them to the clinic's accounts team. International transfers can pass through intermediary banks and take several working days.
• The clinic received less than you sent. Intermediary deductions are the usual cause. Ask the clinic to confirm the amount credited, and agree in writing how the shortfall will be settled.
• A card is declined. Contact your card issuer using the number on the card; a fraud check on an unfamiliar overseas payment is common. A second card from a different issuer avoids delays on procedure days.
• You were charged twice. Ask the clinic for a written confirmation of the duplicate and a refund, and keep both statements.
• You disagree with an item on the bill. Ask for the itemised breakdown and compare it with your written quote before paying the disputed amount. Raise the question calmly with the coordinator or billing team, in writing.

A simple payment plan for your trip

1. Ask the clinic for an itemised quote and a payment schedule in rupees.
2. Ask which payment methods it accepts for each stage, and about any surcharges.
3. Get deposit and refund terms in writing before paying anything significant.
4. Check your card's foreign-transaction fees and limits; tell your bank you're travelling.
5. Compare transfer providers on the rupees received, not the headline fee.
6. Verify bank details by phone before any transfer.
7. Budget a buffer for exchange-rate movement and mid-cycle add-ons.
8. Collect itemised invoices and receipts in your name for every payment.
9. Carry a second card in case one is blocked.

Also plan for the costs that never appear on a clinic bill — accommodation, local travel and food. Our guide to hidden costs of IVF covers the local ones, and how long to stay in India helps you size the trip.

Next steps

Start by shortlisting clinics that are set up for patients from abroad on our international patients page, then use the enquiry form to ask each clinic about its payment methods, schedule and refund terms before you commit. When your plan is taking shape, read the documents you'll need as a foreigner.