Goan couples abroad: which IVF steps need you in Goa, and which do not
Goan couples who live abroad can plan IVF in Goa around one leave of about three weeks, or split it over two shorter trips with the embryos frozen in between. Much of the planning happens before you fly. Send your reports on WhatsApp, and reception plans the days of your tests and treatment with you.
This page is for Goans in the Gulf, the UK, Portugal and on ships. The Goa Migration Study 2008 found more than half of Goan emigrants living in the Gulf. When leave decides the timing, the real question is: which days must we be in Goa?
Which IVF steps need you in Goa, and which can wait abroad?
Only a few steps of a fresh cycle need you in person:
| Step | Where it happens | Who needs to be there |
|---|---|---|
| First message, with your old reports | From abroad, on WhatsApp | Either of you |
| Consultation and examination | The clinic nearest your family home | Ideally both of you |
| Fertility tests, mostly within one menstrual cycle | In Goa; blood tests can be collected from your home | Wife; husband for his semen analysis, on any day |
| Daily injections, about ten to twelve days, with short scan visits | In Goa, mostly close to where you stay | Wife |
| Egg collection: day care, about twenty minutes, light anaesthesia | Our own embryology laboratory and IVF theatre in Goa | Wife, plus the husband's sample that day (or one frozen earlier) |
| Embryo transfer, a few days later (day 3 or day 5) | In Goa, with the laboratory alongside | Wife |
| Pregnancy blood test, usually 10 to 14 days after the transfer | Ask the doctor where, before you book your flight back | Wife |
If the husband cannot be in Goa on egg collection day, he can give a sample to be frozen in advance, or the eggs can be frozen and used when his sample is available; the doctor advises which suits you (see egg freezing and egg collection in IVF).
One long leave or two shorter trips: which plan suits you?
One trip, fresh cycle. Arrive before your period starts, because the first scan and the injections are timed from it. Injections usually begin on day 2 or 3, egg collection comes about 10 to 15 days later, and the transfer a few days after that. Counted from the start of the period, the wife should plan to stay around 21 days.
Two trips, embryos frozen in between. On the first trip you have the tests, the injections and the egg collection. The embryos are frozen in our own laboratory in Goa. The second trip is a frozen embryo transfer cycle of about 15 days. The womb lining is prepared with hormonal support and checked by scan. Then the embryo is thawed and transferred here in Goa, with no egg collection and no anaesthesia. This suits couples whose leave comes in shorter pieces.
A first trip for tests only. Most tests for husband and wife fit into a single menstrual cycle, and a few need particular days, so time a short leave to begin just before a period. You go back knowing which treatment you need and what it costs (see fertility tests for couples).
Where do you stay, and how do you reach appointments?
Most couples stay at the family home. Consultations are at whichever of our clinics is nearest: Panjim, Margao, Mapusa or Vasco. Each sees patients by appointment, Monday to Saturday evenings: Panjim 4–8 pm, Margao 4–8 pm, Vasco 4–7 pm, Mapusa 3–6 pm.
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. 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.
On egg collection day, keep the morning clear; you go home the same day, with someone beside you, and should not drive. Without a family home here, stay near the clinic where you consult and give reception the address.
How do you fly in, and what is the time gap?
Goa has two airports: Dabolim (GOI) in South Goa and Mopa (GOX) in North Goa. Choose the one nearer where you will stay. Air links from the Gulf changed several times in 2026, so read every route below as "check current flights".
| Where you live | Usual way to Goa | Goa is ahead by | Reception's call hours, your time |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAE: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah; Oman | Direct or one stop: check current flights | 1 h 30 min | 7:30 am–5:30 pm |
| Kuwait; Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia | Direct or one stop: check current flights (Kuwait's direct service was reported ended in June 2026) | 2 h 30 min | 6:30 am–4:30 pm |
| UK, including London | One stop via Mumbai, Delhi or a Gulf hub; holiday charters from Gatwick and Manchester to Mopa ran in winter 2025-26, so check this season | 5 h 30 min (UK winter), 4 h 30 min (UK summer) | 3:30 am–1:30 pm (winter), 4:30 am–2:30 pm (summer) |
| Portugal (mainland) | Via a Gulf hub, sometimes also Mumbai: check current flights | As for the UK | As for the UK |
| At sea | From the port where you sign off | Varies with the ship’s position | Send a WhatsApp message |
The call hours are reception's 9 am to 7 pm in Goa, which keeps one time all year while the UK and Portugal change their clocks. WhatsApp 095185 02773 (from abroad, +91 95185 02773) at any hour.
What do the rules where you live mean for your timing?
Some published facts that shape when couples abroad can start:
- Kuwait: sponsoring a wife and children needs a monthly salary of KD 800 or more (Gulf News), so many wives stay in Goa and couples plan around the husband's leave.
- UAE: a Dubai insurance broker's guidance says fertility treatment is generally outside standard health cover.
- England: NICE advises three full NHS-funded IVF cycles for eligible women under 40, but in February 2026, 29 of England's 42 integrated care boards paid for just one (Progress Educational Trust).
- Portugal: a woman who turns 40 on the public waiting list loses her place. In 2024, couples needing donated eggs or sperm waited 3.5 years on average (national fertility council, via Diário de Notícias).
- On ships: a sailor is away for months at a stretch; in March 2020, Goa's Chief Minister said 7,000 to 8,000 Goan sailors were stranded abroad.
None of this says the care there is poor; it is about who qualifies, who pays and how long a list is. Whatever the rules, age matters: egg numbers and quality fall with age, which is why our page on IVF after 40 advises not to wait.
Which passport and papers should you bring?
- Indian passport: you enter India as a citizen, with no visa.
- Foreign passport (Portuguese, British or other): entry to India needs either your OCI card or an Indian visa valid for your dates. Before booking, check current visa rules at the Government of India's official visa portal.
- Different passports in one couple: each of you checks your own entry papers.
For the consultation, bring every report you have, however old: scans, the semen analysis, the HSG or tube test, notes from earlier treatment, and the date your last period started. The doctor says which earlier results still count, so those are not repeated. Our consultant's video on ICSI for a very low sperm count is in Konkani, handy to share with family.
What does IVF cost, and what if you need a second trip?
Price list: October 2026. IVF is ₹1,60,000 for one full cycle. It includes the egg-making injectables, egg collection, anaesthesia, laboratory fees, blastocyst culture and freezing your embryos for up to six months. A later frozen embryo transfer is ₹40,000. On a two-trip plan, a transfer inside those six months needs no new egg collection. Whether ICSI is added depends on the semen report; the full list is on IVF cost in Goa, and the doctor tells you your price before you commit to a cycle.
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.
What is the first step while you are still abroad?
Send your reports and next leave dates on WhatsApp to 095185 02773 (messages preferred), or call reception on 095459 20817 (call timings 9am to 7pm, Goa time). Each step of a cycle is on IVF treatment in Goa. APPOINTMENTS ARE COMPULSORY FOR DOCTOR CONSULTATION.
Questions from Goan couples abroad
Does my husband need to be in Goa for the whole IVF cycle?
No. He is needed for the consultation, his semen test and egg collection day. If he cannot be here on egg collection day, he can give a sample to be frozen in advance, or the eggs can be frozen and used when his sample is available. The doctor advises which suits you.
Can embryos frozen on one trip wait for our next home leave?
Yes, within limits. Six months of embryo freezing is part of the IVF price, so plan the transfer leave inside that window. Longer storage, and any regulatory limits, are discussed with you directly.
Our family home is in North Goa. Where do we consult?
Our Mapusa clinic sees patients from Bardez, Pernem and Bicholim, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Saturday, by appointment, and Panjim is also close by. Car pickup and drop at zero cost to the patient is offered when you consult at Panjim, Margao or Vasco. For North Goa, Mopa is usually the nearer airport.
Is the IVF price the same if we live abroad?
There is one price list, with a fixed price for each type of procedure, in rupees. At the first visit the doctor tells you which treatment you need and its price, before you commit to a cycle.
Can we message the clinic from abroad outside Goa office hours?
Yes. Send a WhatsApp message to 095185 02773 at any hour; messages are preferred. Reception takes calls on 095459 20817 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Goa time, which starts at 7:30 a.m. in Dubai and at 3:30 a.m. in a UK winter.
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.