IVF in Goa for couples from London: a plan from first message to pregnancy test
London couples can begin IVF in Goa from home: the reports go on WhatsApp first, and a missing test may be done in London. One fresh cycle keeps you in Goa for about three weeks, from the first injections to the embryo transfer, plus a spare day or two. Most flights from Heathrow or Gatwick change once.
West London is home to large Goan communities: in Hounslow, in Southall and the rest of Ealing, in Wembley and Brent, and in Hillingdon around Heathrow. Many have parents, or a family house, in Goa. This page follows the plan in order: London, Goa, then home. The medical steps are explained on our IVF treatment page.
Why do couples in Hounslow, Southall, Wembley and Hillingdon look at IVF in Goa?
One reason is the NHS rulebook. Hounslow, Ealing, Brent and Hillingdon all come under the same NHS board: NHS North West London Integrated Care Board. In England, each board sets its own rules for NHS-funded IVF: how many cycles it pays for and who qualifies. When the Progress Educational Trust checked the policies in February 2026, 29 of the 42 boards were funding a single cycle for eligible women under 40. Only two matched NICE's long-standing advice of three full cycles. Ask your GP what the North West London board funds today and whether you qualify.
The other reason is family: some couples would rather be near their parents during treatment.
How does the plan run, from London to Goa and back?
Step 1, in London: send your reports
Send the reports you already have on WhatsApp. That means the wife's hormone tests such as AMH, her scans and any tube test, the husband's semen analysis, and notes from any IUI or IVF so far, NHS or private. We read them and tell you what would happen, and when, before you book anything. If a test is recent enough, it is not done again; if one is missing, we suggest whether it is simpler to have it done in London or after landing. See fertility tests for couples.
Step 2: book around your period, not around a date
A fresh cycle starts at the beginning of a period, so your flight follows your own cycle, not a fixed date. Arrive with a few spare days in hand before the period is expected. That leaves time to rest and to meet our fertility specialist together, as a couple. We recommend that first meeting in person, with an examination, because it shows which treatment you actually need.
Step 3, in Goa: injections and short visits
The injections go on daily for about ten to twelve days, with short scans in between. Egg collection is usually reached in about 10 to 15 days.
Step 4: the two days that cannot move
Egg collection takes about twenty minutes under light anaesthesia, and it is done as day care. You go home the same day with someone beside you, not driving yourself. The husband's semen sample is usually needed that morning. The embryos then grow in our laboratory for a few days before the transfer, which usually needs no anaesthesia and is over in minutes. Read what happens at egg collection.
Step 5, back in London: the pregnancy test
About two weeks after the transfer comes the pregnancy blood test. If you are back in London by then, have it done at a laboratory near you on the day the doctor gives, and send the report on WhatsApp. See beta hCG after embryo transfer. Speak to the doctor before you fix your return flight.
One long trip, or two shorter ones?
Not every couple can take three weeks off work together.
- One trip, fresh transfer. About three weeks in Goa, plus a day or two spare before the flight home.
- Two trips, frozen transfer. The first trip covers the injections and the egg collection. The embryos are frozen, and the transfer happens on a later visit, in a frozen embryo transfer cycle of about 15 days whose date can often be fitted around work.
Freezing all the embryos is sometimes the safer medical choice too, for example when the ovaries respond too strongly. The doctor decides which plan suits your body, not the airline timetable. Husband's leave shorter than yours? Tell us early: the laboratory can usually store a semen sample beforehand.
Which airport, and how big is the time difference?
No airline flies London to Goa non-stop on a regular timetable at present. Couples usually fly from Heathrow or Gatwick and change once: in Doha, Dubai or Abu Dhabi, or in Mumbai or Delhi. Doha has long been a common change point for Goans flying from Britain. Gulf flights to Goa changed during 2026, so the onward leg may be direct or one stop: check current flights. Last winter there were also package-holiday charters from Gatwick straight to Mopa; ask your travel agent whether they run this season. Expect the journey to take most of a day, and rest for a day after landing.
Goa has two airports: Dabolim in the south and Mopa in the north. Choose the one nearer the house or hotel where you will stay.
India does not change its clocks. From the last Sunday of October to the last Sunday of March, when the UK is on GMT, Goa is 5 hours 30 minutes ahead. During British Summer Time the gap is 4 hours 30 minutes. Reception takes calls from 9 am to 7 pm India time, which in London runs from the small hours to early afternoon, so WhatsApp is often easier.
Where will you stay, and how will you get to appointments?
If your family has a house in Goa, staying there is usually the easiest choice. Our fertility specialist sees patients at clinics in Panjim, Margao, Mapusa and Vasco; choose the nearest. If you consult at our Panjim, Margao or Vasco clinic, we offer car pickup and drop at zero cost to the patient from your home to our location, for consultations and treatment days alike.
Blood tests can be collected from your home: call the lab on 088305 04872. Home collection at zero cost to the patient is available from any place in Goa; for border areas the service may be nominally chargeable.
With no family house in Goa, book a hotel or guest house for the whole cycle. Book early for winter: in recent years Britain has been the largest source of foreign tourist stays in Goa.
Which papers should each of you bring?
- An Indian passport: an Indian citizen needs nothing more to enter India.
- A Portuguese, British or other foreign passport: entry to India needs an Indian visa or an OCI card. Before booking, check current visa rules for a trip that includes medical treatment at the Government of India's visa website.
- Two passports in one couple: each of you travels on your own papers, so check each one separately.
- Medical papers: copies of every report you sent us, GP or NHS clinic letters, and the summary of any earlier cycle, plus a list of your regular medicines and allergies.
How is the bill worked out for a couple coming from London?
Price list: October 2026
- IVF: ₹1,60,000 for one full cycle, including your egg-making injectables, the egg collection, anaesthesia, embryology, blastocyst culture and freezing your embryos for up to six months.
- Frozen embryo transfer: ₹40,000, for the second visit if you choose the two-trip plan.
If the semen report shows that ICSI is needed, it is done inside the same cycle, so your stay does not get longer. Some couples need only IUI: a few scan visits and an insemination of a few minutes, which can fit into a visit home.
Which treatment, and so which price, applies is confirmed after the doctor has read your reports and examined you both. Air fares, accommodation and visa fees are not part of these prices. The full price list, including IVF with ICSI and IUI, is on our IVF cost page.
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.
How do you get started from London?
WhatsApp your reports to +91 95185 02773 (messages preferred), or call reception on +91 95459 20817. APPOINTMENTS ARE COMPULSORY FOR DOCTOR CONSULTATION. For parents in Goa, our consultant's videos explain a failed embryo transfer and ICSI for a very low sperm count in Konkani, and the IVF process in Hindi. Living elsewhere abroad? Read how Goan couples abroad plan IVF in Goa.
This page is general planning information, not personal medical advice, and no result can be promised.
Questions from couples in London
What time should we ring Goa from London?
Reception takes calls on +91 95459 20817 from 9 am to 7 pm India time. That is 3.30 am to 1.30 pm in London in winter, and 4.30 am to 2.30 pm during British Summer Time. A WhatsApp message to +91 95185 02773 can be sent at any hour, and messages are preferred.
My wife holds a Portuguese passport and I hold an Indian one. Does that change anything?
Only the travel papers. The partner on the Indian passport needs nothing extra to enter India. The partner on the Portuguese passport needs an Indian visa or an OCI card, so check current visa rules with the Government of India's visa website well before you fly. The medical plan is the same for both of you.
We have a family house in Goa. Can we stay there for the whole cycle?
Yes. If you consult at our Panjim, Margao or Vasco clinic, car pickup and drop at zero cost to the patient runs from your home to our location, on consultation days and treatment days alike. Blood tests can also be collected from the house.
Can the egg collection and the embryo transfer be on separate trips?
Often, yes. The embryos are frozen after the egg collection, and freezing them for up to six months is included in the IVF price. A frozen embryo transfer on a later trip costs ₹40,000, and its date can often be fitted around work and travel. The doctor decides whether this plan is right for you.
Our parents in Goa mostly speak Konkani. Is there anything they can watch?
Yes. Our consultant explains a failed embryo transfer and ICSI for a very low sperm count in Konkani videos, and the whole IVF process in a Hindi video. Each video sits on a page with the same explanation written in English.
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.