Egg Freezing in Spain: Costs, Clinics, and What to Expect
Freezing your eggs in Spain is becoming an increasingly popular choice for people in the UK looking for more affordable, accessible, and inclusive fertility options. Spain combines progressive laws, world-class clinics, and (potentially) lower costs than the UK. If you’re weighing up your options, this guide will help you understand what egg freezing in Spain involves, what it costs, and whether it could be the right path for you.
Author
Tassia O’Callaghan
Reviewed by
Kayleigh Hartigan
16 min read
Treatment spotlight:
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- Spain allows egg freezing for single women, same-sex couples, and patients up to age 50 — making it one of the most inclusive countries in Europe.
- Average treatment costs are lower than in the UK, but you’ll need to budget for flights, accommodation, and annual storage.
- The active part of treatment usually takes around 2–3 weeks, though most clinics offer flexibility — you can complete monitoring at home or stay in Spain for the full 10–14 days, depending on your preference and treatment plan.
- Success depends mainly on age at freezing and the number of eggs collected — research suggests at least 15 eggs are recommended for the best chance of a future live birth.
- Clinics in Spain are experienced with international patients, but regulations differ from the UK, so it’s important to ask about success rates, what’s included in the package, and long-term storage rules.
- The average egg freezing cycle in Spain costs €4,038–€4,538 (£3,523–£3,960), including medication, compared with £6,497 in the UK.
Who is egg freezing in Spain for?
Egg freezing is an option for anyone who wants to preserve their fertility for the future. In Spain, the treatment is legally available to:
- Single women who may want children later in life or don’t know if they will want children, but want to have the option in the future.
- Same-sex couples who may need donor sperm or IVF in future.
- Patients up to age 50 (for some clinics), making Spain one of the most age-inclusive countries in Europe for fertility care.
- People seeking lower costs than in the UK (although it’s worth comparing the actual costs, with travel, accommodation, and other considerations in Spain).
"At Institut Marquès, we are proud to welcome many patients from the UK and provide them with personalised care in their own language. For instance, last year, we supported 116 patients from the UK. So far in 2025, 33 patients have undergone IVF, 36 have opted for anonymous egg donation, and 38 chose to do embryo donation."
Egg Freezing Explained: From Consultation to Collection
Learn more about egg freezing: the steps involved, how much it costs, and whether it’s right for you.
Before you start treatment, remember:
- Budget beyond clinic fees: Flights, hotels, and time off work can add up alongside treatment costs.
- Know the legal framework: Spain allows egg freezing up to age 50, though individual clinics may set their own health and BMI criteria.
- Map out your treatment plan: Most clinics we work with offer flexible, hybrid care — allowing you to complete monitoring in the UK before travelling to Spain for egg collection. Many have preferred UK partner clinics to make this process smoother, though you can also choose to have the full cycle in Spain if you’d rather keep everything in one place.
- Complete your fertility checks: Bloodwork and fertility assessments are required before starting treatment. You can have these done in the UK before travelling, or complete all scans and tests at your chosen clinic in Spain if you prefer everything in one place.
- Check how you’ll stay in touch: Ask if your clinic uses WhatsApp, email, or a patient portal so you know what communication will look like day to day.
- Be flexible with timing: Your clinic may adjust medication doses or scan schedules depending on how your body responds. Plans often change right up until egg collection.
- Understand the medical side: Egg freezing involves hormone injections, possible side effects, and a short surgical procedure for egg retrieval. Allow time to rest before travelling home.
- Check what’s included in your package: Many Spanish clinics bundle key elements like medication, consultation, and egg storage into their packages — often with 3–5 years of storage included, which is typically more generous than UK options. Others may charge these separately, so it’s worth confirming exactly what’s covered before you book.
- Understand donor anonymity: In Spain, egg and sperm donors remain anonymous by law. Unlike in the UK, donor-conceived children cannot access identifying information about their donor later in life. [1]
- Check local regulations: Storage and consent rules differ from the UK. Many Spanish clinics allow longer storage periods — in some cases beyond 10 years — but policies can vary, so it’s worth confirming with your chosen clinic.
- Plan for logistics: You may need several days in Spain for monitoring and egg retrieval, so factor in leave from work and travel arrangements.
Egg freezing in Spain: Step-by-step
Choosing Spain for egg freezing can offer a more streamlined, tech-forward experience, especially if you’re travelling from the UK. Many clinics provide free initial consultations, and most will guide you through a hybrid pathway if you prefer to start from home. It’s also worth knowing that some Spanish clinics recommend a more comprehensive set of blood tests than is typically requested in the UK, so getting clarity early makes the whole process clearer and more predictable.
Step 1: Pretreatment
Time: 2–4 weeks
Location: Home/Clinic
You’ll begin with an initial consultation — often free, and often online — where your doctor reviews your medical history and outlines the best approach for you. Clinics usually request a set of baseline fertility tests such as AMH, AFC, hormone profiling, and an ultrasound scan. Some Spanish clinics may also ask for additional tests (for example, karyotyping or homocysteine) to align with their protocols. Starting these early helps avoid delays and gives your doctor a complete picture of your fertility health.
If you’re travelling from the UK, clinics can adapt your plan to reduce back-and-forth trips. Many have partner clinics in the UK where you can complete scans or blood tests, keeping most of the early work close to home while still following the Spanish clinic’s protocol.
Step 2: Ovarian stimulation
Time: 10–14 days
Location: Home/Clinic
You’ll self-inject daily hormone medication to stimulate your ovaries to produce multiple eggs. Monitoring scans take place every few days to check how your follicles are growing. If you want to minimise time abroad, stimulation can begin in the UK with monitoring arranged through a partner clinic, and you’ll travel to Spain a little later for the final stretch. Others choose to complete the full cycle in Spain for continuity. Medication often costs less in Spain, which can help manage total treatment cost.
Step 3: Egg collection
Time: 1 day
Location: Clinic in Spain
Egg collection is a short procedure performed under sedation and typically lasts 20–30 minutes. A fine ultrasound-guided needle is used to retrieve the eggs. You can usually leave the clinic the same day, but you’ll need someone with you for support and travel.
Step 4: Vitrification (freezing)
Time: Same day
Location: Clinic in Spain
Your embryology team will assess each egg for maturity. Those suitable for freezing are vitrified — a rapid-freezing process that protects the cells by preventing ice crystal formation. The eggs are then stored securely in liquid nitrogen tanks at the clinic.
Step 5: Storage and follow-up
Time: Annual renewals (depending on your package)
Location: Clinic in Spain
Eggs can be stored in Spain for many years (legally for use up to age 50). You’ll need to keep up with annual storage fees. If, in future, you want to use your eggs in the UK, specialist couriers can arrange safe transport between clinics, though this comes with additional costs.
What happens next?
Once your eggs are safely frozen, they can remain in storage until you decide you’re ready to use them, within Spain’s legal framework. Unlike in the UK, where storage consent must be renewed every 10 years, many Spanish clinics don’t have a limit on how long you can store your eggs, potentially giving you a longer window of choice. [2]
When the time comes to try for pregnancy, your eggs will be thawed, fertilised with sperm through IVF or ICSI, and developed into embryos in the lab. Those embryos can then be transferred into your uterus, or in some cases, into a surrogate if needed.
You can technically move your frozen eggs back to the UK, but most people choose to keep them stored — and later used — at the same Spanish clinic where they were frozen. Transporting eggs between countries is possible, but it involves formal approvals from both clinics, specialist couriers, and additional costs. For many, continuing care in Spain is the simpler and more practical option.
It’s also important to plan financially for this stage. The fees you pay for egg freezing typically don’t include thawing, fertilisation, or embryo transfer. These will be charged separately, whether in Spain or the UK, and costs can vary widely.
If you’re not sure yet what your future treatment path looks like, that’s completely normal. Clinics should be able to talk you through both options — continuing care abroad or transferring your eggs home — so you can feel confident your choices remain open.
How long does egg freezing in Spain take?
The active treatment phase — stimulation and egg collection — usually takes 2–3 weeks. Pretreatment tests and your initial consultation can happen earlier, often in the UK, and most clinics accept test results that are up to 6 months old. If you’re travelling from the UK, factor in time for flights, any monitoring you choose to do locally, and a couple of days of recovery in Spain before flying home.
How to Choose the Best Fertility Clinic
Ready to find the right fertility clinic for you? Explore costs, treatments, success rates, and real patient experiences — all in one place.
Understanding egg freezing success rates in Spain
One of the hardest things about egg freezing is that success rates aren’t always straightforward to interpret.
That said, we do know some important things about what influences success — and the most consistent finding is that age at the time of freezing and the number of eggs collected are key.
Egg freezing is a multi-step process. Not every egg will survive thawing, not every thawed egg will fertilise, and not every fertilised egg will develop into a healthy embryo for transfer. This natural reduction at each stage is called attrition.
Because of this, the more eggs you freeze, the greater the likelihood that at least some will make it through the entire process. Research suggests:
- People who froze 15 or more eggs had a 45% chance of achieving a live birth.
- Those who froze fewer than 15 eggs saw success rates closer to 13%.
On average, one cycle yields around 8–12 mature eggs. This means some people will reach their goal in one cycle, while others may need two or more. [3]
Freezing more eggs gives more opportunities later — especially if you’re planning for more than one child, or if you’re freezing eggs in your mid-to-late 30s.
What are the risks of egg freezing in Spain?
Egg freezing in Spain is considered safe and well regulated, but like any medical treatment it does carry some risks — from the medical side of the procedure itself to the practicalities of travelling abroad.
- Side effects and complications: Hormone stimulation can cause bloating, mood changes, or headaches, and in rare cases ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Egg collection is a minor surgical procedure, but there’s still a small risk of infection, bleeding, or injury.
- Egg survival: Not all eggs will survive freezing and thawing, even with modern vitrification techniques.
- Unclear data: Some clinics report pregnancy rather than live birth rates, or highlight outcomes for younger patients. Always ask for transparent, age-specific figures.
- Logistical challenges: Travel delays, language barriers, and arranging follow-up care once you’re back in the UK can add stress.
- Hidden costs: Medication, storage, and travel expenses may not always be included in package prices.
- Clinic and storage safeguards: While very rare, issues such as clinic closure or storage failure can occur anywhere. Spanish fertility clinics are regulated under national standards that are considered among the strongest in Europe, but UK regulators (like the HFEA) can’t oversee treatment abroad. It’s a good idea to ask your clinic about their safety measures, legal protections, and formal complaints process so you know exactly how you’re covered.
- Emotional strain: Treatment abroad can feel isolating, especially if you’re travelling without your usual support network, and not all clinics provide counselling.
How much does it cost to freeze eggs in Spain?
Based on our research, the average cost of an egg freezing package in Spain is €2,538 (approximately £2,206), with prices ranging between €1,500 (£1,295) and €2,995 (£2,585). This usually covers your consultation, ovarian stimulation, egg collection, and initial storage.
One important detail: not every package includes medication. If it isn’t bundled in, you can expect to pay an additional €1,000–€1,400 for the stimulation drugs. That can make a big difference to your final bill, so always check carefully what’s included in your clinic’s quote.That brings the total average to €4,038 to €4,538 (£3,523 to £3,960).
Annual storage fees in Spain typically range from €200 to €500 per year, though many clinics include several years of storage (often 3–5) within their initial package. It’s worth checking how long your storage is covered for upfront, as renewal fees only apply once that included period ends.
When you compare this with the UK, where one cycle typically costs around £6,497 once you add in medication, pre-treatment tests, and storage, Spain can represent a significant saving. But remember — flights, accommodation, and time off work are additional costs that need to be factored in if you’re travelling abroad for treatment.
Category
Spain
UK
Advertised package
€2,538
(£2,206)
£3,815
True package cost
€4,038–€4,538
(£3,523–£3,960)
£4,414
Medication
€1,000–€1,400
(£880–£1,250)
£1,600
Annual storage
€200–€500
(£170–£435) per year
£150–£540 per year
Total average cost per cycle (package + medication + storage)
€4,038–€4,538
(£3,523–£3,960)
£6,497
Logistics for egg freezing in Spain
Planning the practical side of your treatment is just as important as understanding the medical steps. Thinking ahead about travel, accommodation, and support will help the process feel clearer and less stressful.
Travel and flights
Most fertility clinics in Spain are located in Madrid, Barcelona, Alicante, and Valencia — all with frequent direct flights from the UK. A round trip usually costs around £255 per person, though fares can vary depending on the season. Flying mid-week (Tuesday to Thursday) and outside the busy summer months often keeps costs lower, with the most affordable tickets between November and February.
If your clinic confirms treatment dates at short notice, booking early can make a real difference to flight and hotel costs. Most clinics can also recommend trusted hotels or apartments nearby, which helps simplify planning and keeps you close for appointments. As a guide, budget around £500–£1,000 in total for travel and accommodation.
Stay length
You’ll typically need to be in Spain for 12–16 days to cover monitoring, egg collection, and recovery. Some clinics offer hybrid pathways, where monitoring scans are completed at home and you travel abroad only for the later stages. Even so, plan for a stay of at least a week to give yourself enough time for appointments and rest.
Hotels are a convenient option, but many people choose an Airbnb for a more relaxed, home-like stay. Staying close to your clinic, or somewhere with reliable public transport, will help make daily appointments easier. Spain’s transport networks are well connected, and taxis or ride-share apps like Uber are widely available in most cities.
Time off work
Most people need 1–2 weeks of leave to complete monitoring and egg collection, especially if they’re travelling. Hybrid care can shorten this, but it’s still sensible to plan for several days away from work to travel, attend appointments, and recover — plus budget for travel and accommodation, which often ranges from €1,000–€1,400 (£880–£1,250) depending on the length of your stay.
Support
Think about whether you’d like to travel with someone — a partner, friend, or family member. Having support can make logistics easier and provide emotional reassurance, especially around the day of egg collection.
Insurance
Standard travel insurance rarely covers fertility treatment, but most Spanish clinics have their own insurance policies in place to protect patients during procedures. It’s worth asking your clinic what their cover includes — for example, in the event of a hospital visit — and checking whether any extra medical travel insurance is recommended.
Find the right clinic for you
Choosing a clinic is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make. We’ll find the best options for you and arrange your pre-treatment tests, empowering you from this point onwards.
Is egg freezing in Spain worth it?
For many, yes — Spain offers a balance of lower costs, progressive laws, and clinics experienced in caring for international patients. The main consideration is the extra travel involved, but for most, having treatment — and long-term storage — in one place makes the process simpler and more secure.
Whether it’s “worth it” depends on what matters most to you: the potential savings and wider access available in Spain, or the convenience and oversight of staying in the UK. The right choice is the one that leaves you feeling informed, supported, and confident in your next step.
Explore options with our Clinic Match tool to see if a Spanish clinic is right for you.
Egg freezing in Spain FAQs
What is the legal age to freeze your eggs in Spain?
In Spain, there is no clear legal upper age limit for egg freezing itself. This means that, in theory, you can freeze your eggs at any age if you meet the clinic’s medical criteria. [4]
However, there is a widely observed industry guideline that embryos should not be transferred into women over the age of 50. Most clinics follow this self-regulation to prioritise safety and align with medical best practice. While there have been rare exceptions in the past, these are unusual and not the standard approach.
In practice, this means you could freeze eggs later in life, but your ability to use them in treatment will be limited by the clinic’s policies on embryo transfer. It’s always best to confirm your clinic’s specific criteria before starting treatment.
Can I bring my frozen eggs back to the UK?
Yes — you can bring your frozen eggs back from Spain to the UK, but it has to be done through an HFEA-licensed UK clinic that offers import and export services. The clinic manages the paperwork, including any import certificates required, and works with specialist medical couriers to transport the eggs safely. [5]
Not all clinics provide this service, and there are usually additional fees and timelines to factor in, especially if the two clinics haven’t worked together before. If you think you may want to use your eggs in the UK later, it’s best to discuss this with both your Spanish and UK clinic early on so the logistics are clear from the start.
Sources
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- Progress Educational Trust. The Spanish Law on Assisted Reproduction. 13 March 2006.
- de España, J.D.E., 2006. Ley 14/2006, de 26 de mayo, sobre Técnicas de Reproducción Humana Asistida. Boletín Oficial de España (BOE), 126.
- Kakkar P, Geary J, Stockburger T, Kaffel A, Kopeika J, El-Toukhy T. Outcomes of Social Egg Freezing: A Cohort Study and a Comprehensive Literature Review. J Clin Med. 2023 Jun 21;12(13):4182. doi: 10.3390/jcm12134182. PMID: 37445218; PMCID: PMC10342811.
- BBC News Mundo. 7 datos sobre la congelación de óvulos que quizás no conocías. 22 August 2017.
- Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority. Importing and exporting sperm, eggs and embryos.
- Progress Educational Trust. The Spanish Law on Assisted Reproduction. 13 March 2006.