IVF in Goa for couples living in the UAE: planning it around your leave
Couples in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah can start planning IVF in Goa by sending their reports on WhatsApp. Expect about three weeks in Goa for a fresh IVF cycle: ten to twelve days of daily injections and quick scans, then egg collection and, three to five days later, embryo transfer. The plan can also be split into two trips.
This guide is for couples working in the UAE who are considering IVF, ICSI or IUI back home. The medical steps are on our IVF treatment page.
Why come home to Goa when IVF exists in the UAE?
Couples can have IVF in the UAE too. For those who come home for it, three points matter.
- Insurance rarely helps. A UAE insurance broker's published guidance says health plans there generally do not routinely cover fertility treatment such as IVF, though some offer it as an optional add-on. Read your own policy wording.
- Family close by. Someone to cook, drive and keep you company through the injections and the two-week wait.
- A fixed price in rupees. Each type of treatment has a fixed price, told to you before you commit.
How do you fly from Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah to Goa?
Goa has two airports: Dabolim (GOI) in South Goa and Mopa (GOX) in the far north. A non-stop flight from the UAE takes a little over three hours. Routes changed a lot in 2026.
- Dubai: flights to Dabolim were suspended for part of 2026; a daily winter service has since been filed, subject to change.
- Abu Dhabi: a service to Goa came back in late October 2026; confirm which of the two airports it uses.
- Sharjah: flights land at Mopa. For a family home in South Goa, allow an hour and a half or more for the drive.
From all three cities, expect direct or one stop, for example via Mumbai. Check current flights before booking.
The clock. Goa is 1 hour 30 minutes ahead of the UAE all year. Phone reception between 7:30 am and 5:30 pm UAE time, which is 9 am to 7 pm in Goa.
When to land. A cycle starts with a scan near the start of your period, and the egg-growth injections begin on day 2 or 3. So aim to arrive shortly before your next period.
What can be settled by WhatsApp before you apply for leave?
- Send a first message. Tell us on WhatsApp how old you both are, how many years you have been trying and what has been tried. No referral letter is needed.
- Send your reports. Photos of earlier reports and scans can go on WhatsApp. Recent UAE results that are still valid need not be repeated, which saves days in Goa. We reply with an honest outline of what happens when, so you can plan leave before booking anything.
- Include his tests. Part of the answer often lies with the husband, so send his semen analysis too.
- Watch a guide in your own language. Some of our consultant's videos are in Konkani, such as why an embryo transfer can fail, and the IVF process is explained in Hindi.
How do UAE couples fit a cycle into their annual leave?
The dates are set by the wife's cycle, not by your rota, and we recommend that the doctor meets and examines you as a couple first. There are three ways to plan it.
Plan 1: one trip of three to four weeks
For couples who can take a long leave together. The first days go on the consultation, the examination and any missing tests; our fertility laboratory in Goa is open 24 hours, and most routine reports are ready within hours. If your period falls right, the cycle begins on the same trip.
Plan 2: a short first trip, then the cycle
For couples with two shorter leaves, or a winter visit home already booked. On the first trip you meet the doctor together, finish the tests and learn which treatment you need and its price. On the second trip the wife comes for the cycle.
Plan 3: collect and freeze now, transfer on a later leave
Good embryos can be frozen; freezing for up to six months is part of the IVF price. A frozen embryo transfer cycle takes about 15 days, and once the womb lining is ready its date can often be arranged around work and travel.
If IUI suits you instead, scans follow your cycle and the insemination takes a few minutes. At least one fallopian tube must be open and the washed sperm count reasonable; see IUI treatment in Goa.
Which dates in the cycle are fixed by your body?
- The start: a scan near the start of the period, then daily egg-growth injections from day 2 or 3.
- Ten to twelve days of injections, with short scan and blood-test visits. Most women keep working.
- Egg collection: usually 10 to 15 days after the start. It takes about twenty minutes under light anaesthesia, and you leave the same day. His semen sample is needed that morning.
- Embryo transfer: on day three, or on day five once the embryo is a blastocyst. No anaesthesia, and it is over in minutes.
- The pregnancy blood test: usually 10 to 14 days later, on the date your clinic gives you. Our guide to beta hCG after embryo transfer explains the result.
Keep a spare day or two in Goa after the transfer before you fly, and agree with the team where the pregnancy test will be done.
What if the husband can only come for a few days?
His essential day is egg collection day. When the two of you cannot get matching leave, our egg freezing page describes two ways round it: the eggs can be frozen and used when his sample is available, or his own sample can be frozen in advance. The doctor advises which suits you.
Staying with family: how do you reach appointments in Goa?
A family home in Goa makes a good base.
- A car from your home. If you consult at Panjim, Margao or Vasco, we offer car pickup and drop at zero cost to the patient from your home to our location, on consultation days and treatment days alike.
- Where to consult. You can see our fertility specialist at Panjim, Margao, Mapusa or Vasco; reception helps you choose.
- Blood tests at home. Blood samples can be collected from your home. Home collection at zero cost to the patient is available from any place in Goa; for border areas the service may be nominally chargeable. Use the Call Lab button, or call 088305 04872.
- No family home in Goa? Ask reception which area suits your appointments before you book a stay.
On egg collection day, someone should be with you; do not drive yourself home.
Which documents do Indian, OCI and Portuguese passport holders in the UAE need?
- Indian passport holders: nothing extra is needed to enter India.
- Portuguese or other foreign passport holders: entry to India needs either an OCI card or an Indian visa. Visa rules change, so confirm them on the Government of India's official visa website before booking.
- UAE residence permit: make sure your residence and re-entry are in order for your return date.
- Every report: semen analysis, scan and HSG reports, surgery discharge papers, treatments tried, your last period date and a list of medicines.
- Identity papers: both partners sign consent forms in Goa; ask reception which to bring.
Is the IVF price in rupees, and what does it include?
Yes, the price list is in rupees. Price list: October 2026.
- IVF: ₹1,60,000 for one full cycle.
- Frozen embryo transfer: ₹40,000, for embryos transferred on a later leave.
ICSI is added only if the semen analysis calls for it; its price, and what each price covers, are on our IVF cost in Goa page. The doctor tells you which treatment you need and its price before you commit.
EMI available, including 0% EMI for eligible couples*
*Heartbeats IVF does not lend money or process EMI. EMI is arranged through our banking and finance partners. Their finance team checks your credit (including CIBIL score) with your consent and decides whether you get 0% EMI, EMI at an interest rate, or no EMI. Any processing fee or charges will be told to you by the partner before you sign. Ask our billing desk to connect you.
Who do you message first from Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah?
WhatsApp +91 95185 02773 (messages preferred) with your ages and the month you hope to come home, or call reception on +91 95459 20817. APPOINTMENTS ARE COMPULSORY FOR DOCTOR CONSULTATION.
Living elsewhere abroad? See our guide to IVF in Goa for Goans living abroad and its country pages. In Kuwait rather than the UAE? Read our page on planning IVF in Goa from Kuwait.
This guide is by the Heartbeats IVF team. It is general education, not personal medical advice; your doctor decides your treatment after examining you and reading your reports.
Questions UAE couples ask before they book leave
We have only about ten days of leave. What can we get done in Goa?
A good deal of the groundwork. You meet the doctor together, are examined and finish any tests still needed. The fertility laboratory is open 24 hours, every day, and most routine reports are ready within hours, so you can fly back knowing which treatment you need and its price. A fresh IVF cycle itself needs about three weeks, so it is usually planned for a longer leave.
Can recent tests done in Dubai or Abu Dhabi be used?
Often, yes. A test that is still valid need not be redone. Send photos of the reports on WhatsApp, and the team tells you which ones can be used and what is still missing before you book your leave.
Can we time IVF for Eid or the summer school holidays?
You can plan the month, but not the exact day. The cycle starts near the start of your period, and the egg collection date is set by your scans. Tell us your leave dates early. If the dates slip, the embryos can be frozen and transferred on a later leave.
Can the pregnancy blood test be done after we fly back to the UAE?
Ask the team before you leave Goa. The beta hCG blood test is usually done 10 to 14 days after the transfer, on the date you are given. If you would rather have it at a lab close to where you live in the UAE, settle that before you fly, then WhatsApp the result to the team for the next step.
Flights between the UAE and Goa keep changing. How should we book?
Look at both of Goa's airports, Dabolim and Mopa, and at one-stop routes through Mumbai, and check current flights on the day you book. Book once the doctor has given you a plan, and keep a spare day or two in Goa after the embryo transfer.
Your visit is confidential — nothing about you appears on this website or on social media.
What you read here explains fertility care in general terms and cannot replace a consultation. Decisions about your own care should be made with a doctor who knows your history and has seen you. We do not carry out or offer sex determination of any kind, which is prohibited by law in India under the PCPNDT Act.