There is no single best country for IVF, only the best fit for your situation. We rank by what actually matters: whether the law lets you be treated, how honest and strong the success data is, what it really costs, and how manageable the trip is. We take no commissions and rank no one for paying us.
How we rank
Four axes, in order: legal access for your situation (can you even be treated?), honest success (audited, age-specific, per-cycle data), cost (total, not headline), and logistics (trips, distance, language). A cheap clinic you are not eligible at, or one quoting inflated success, is not a bargain.
The destinations at a glance
| Country | Single | Same-sex | Donor eggs | Max age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50 |
| Portugal | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50 |
| Greece | Yes | No | Yes | 54 |
| Czech Republic | No | No | Yes | 49 |
| North Cyprus | Yes | Yes | Yes | 55 |
| Turkey | No | No | No | — |
| Mexico | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
| Ukraine | Yes | No | Yes | — |
"Varies" means access exists with conditions; see each country note below. Max-age figures are statutory or clinic-practice norms and vary. Verified June 2026.
Country by country
Spain · Europe
The most permissive major destination: single women and same-sex (female) couples both eligible (ROPA recognised since 2007). Donation is strictly anonymous. No surrogacy, no non-medical sex selection.
Donor-egg cycle (advertised est.): €5,900–€11,000 · Donation: Anonymous (Law 14/2006)
Portugal · Europe
Broad access: heterosexual couples, female/lesbian couples (ROPA) and single women all eligible. Donation is identity-release (not anonymous). Gay male couples excluded; surrogacy tightly restricted.
Donor-egg cycle (advertised est.): €6,000–€8,000 · Donation: Identity-release at 18 (CNPMA)
Greece · Europe
Heterosexual couples and single women eligible; lesbian couples not as a couple (one partner may proceed as a single woman). Highest age limit in the EU shortlist (54, permit needed 50-54).
Donor-egg cycle (advertised est.): €5,000–€8,000 · Donation: Mixed (anonymous or ID-release at 18)
Czech Republic · Europe
Restricted to heterosexual couples: single women and same-sex couples are not eligible. Donation is fully anonymous. Hard age cut-off the day before 49.
Donor-egg cycle (advertised est.): €4,500–€8,000 · Donation: Anonymous
North Cyprus · Mediterranean
Open to single women and female couples, with strictly anonymous donation (no identity release, ever) and short donor waiting times. Popular for "family balancing" sex selection, but we could not verify elective sex selection is actually permitted, so treat that claim with caution. Surrogacy is medical-only and heterosexual.
Donor-egg cycle (advertised est.): €4,500–€6,000 · Donation: Strictly anonymous (permanent, no register)
Turkey · Europe / Asia
Only married heterosexual couples using their OWN eggs and sperm. All donation (egg, sperm, embryo) and surrogacy are banned, and since 2010 it is illegal to travel abroad for donor conception. Not an option if you need a donor or are single / same-sex.
Mexico · North America
Accessible for IVF and donor cycles and closer for North American patients, but surrogacy has no single national law: only some states (Tabasco, Sinaloa) clearly allow it, others forbid it, and most are silent. A 2021 Supreme Court ruling applied to Tabasco only. Confirm the specific state and clinic carefully.
Donor-egg cycle (advertised est.): €5,000–€7,000 · Donation: Varies by clinic
Ukraine · Europe
A long-standing destination known for surrogacy and donor cycles, still operating for foreign patients despite the war. IVF is open to single women but not to female couples as a couple. Commercial surrogacy is legal only for married heterosexual couples with a genetic link. Wartime conditions and a pending law make this the profile to re-check before travelling.
Donor-egg cycle (advertised est.): €3,500–€6,000 · Donation: Commonly anonymous
Best for…
- Best all-rounder: Spain, permissive, regulated, large donor pool.
- Best for donor eggs on a budget: Czech Republic or Greece.
- Best for single women and female couples: Spain and Portugal (Portugal for identity-release donation).
- Best for the highest age limit: Greece (54, permit from 50).
- Best for anonymity and short donor waits: North Cyprus.
- Not suitable if you need a donor or are single/same-sex: Turkey.
Red flags to avoid
- A clinic that quotes a success rate without an age group or a denominator.
- "All-inclusive" prices that quietly exclude medications, ICSI or a second transfer.
- Pressure to decide quickly or pay a large non-refundable deposit before a consultation.
- Vague answers on legal parenthood for single or same-sex parents, get this in writing from a lawyer.
- Marketing of elective sex selection in places where its legality is unclear.