IVF and Fertility Treatment in Cyprus: The Law, Licensed Clinics, GESY Cover and Costs (2026)

IVF is legal and widely used in the Republic of Cyprus. It is regulated by the Medically Assisted Reproduction Law 69(I)/2015 and can only be done in clinics licensed by the Council of Medically Assisted Reproduction (CMAR). You pay the clinic privately, but if you are a permanent resident covered by GESY, the Ministry of Health refunds up to €4,500 for a first cycle.

Below we cover who can be treated, the donor and embryo rules, the state subsidy, what GESY does and does not pay for, and how to check and choose a clinic. This is general information, not medical or legal advice. Your fertility specialist is the right person to advise on your own treatment.

What law regulates IVF in Cyprus?

Since 2015, medically assisted reproduction has been governed by Law 69(I)/2015. It was amended in 2015, 2016, 2018 and most recently by Law 166(I)/2023; the current text sets the age limit at 53. The full consolidated text, in Greek, is on CyLaw.

The law created the Council of Medically Assisted Reproduction, known in Greek as ΣΙΥΑ. It:

• grants, renews and withdraws the operating licence of every medically assisted reproduction unit;
• keeps the confidential registers of donors, licensed units and frozen embryos;
• approves surrogacy arrangements and some exceptional cases;
• can fine clinics up to €100,000 and suspend or withdraw their licence.

Treatment is only allowed when a couple or woman cannot conceive naturally, or to avoid passing on a serious disease. Sex selection is banned unless it is needed to avoid a serious sex-linked hereditary disease, and then only with the Council's written approval.

The north is different. Clinics in the areas not under the control of the Republic are not licensed or inspected by CMAR, and Cyprus law does not apply there. In August 2026 Turkish Cypriot authorities opened an inquiry after reports that children had been conceived with the wrong donor at clinics in the north. Many clinic websites advertising "IVF in Cyprus" with +90 phone numbers are in the north, so check the address before you book.

Who can have fertility treatment in Cyprus?

If you are in a same-sex relationship, ask CMAR and a family lawyer how the rules apply to you before you start, because the law does not answer this directly.

What are the rules on egg and sperm donation?

Cyprus uses anonymous, unpaid donation:

1. Anonymity. The donor's identity is not given to the recipients, and the donor is not told who the child or parents are. At 18, a donor-conceived child can ask for the donor's identity, but it is only released if the donor agrees. It creates no legal rights or duties either way.
2. Age. Egg donors must be under 35 and sperm donors under 45. An older donor needs a justified exception approved by the Council.
3. No payment. Buying or selling eggs, sperm or embryos is a criminal offence. Donors can only be reimbursed for medical costs, travel, accommodation, meals and proven lost earnings, up to a ceiling set by the Council. A married donor also needs the spouse's written consent.
4. One family per donor. A donor's gametes are normally used for one family or one single woman in Cyprus, with limited exceptions such as a sibling for the same family.
5. No double donation. The law bans creating embryos from two donors' gametes for an infertile couple.

How many embryos can be transferred, and how long can they be stored?

The law limits embryo transfer to cut the risk of multiple pregnancy:

• Women under 39: one embryo in each of the first two cycles, then up to two.
• Women aged 39 and over: up to two embryos.

Eggs, sperm and embryos can be frozen for up to 10 years. Storage of your own eggs or sperm can be extended once by up to 10 more years, and embryos once by 5 years, by written request to the clinic's tissue bank. Using a deceased person's eggs or sperm is banned. A couple's stored embryos can only be used after a partner's death with that partner's prior written consent and the Council's approval.

Pre-implantation genetic testing is allowed after genetic counselling and written consent, for medical reasons.

Is surrogacy allowed?

Only altruistic gestational surrogacy is allowed. The arrangement needs the Council's prior approval and a court order before the embryo transfer. The surrogate must already have at least one child, can be a surrogate no more than twice, and can only be reimbursed for pregnancy costs and lost earnings. The intended parents are the child's legal parents. The intended mother and the surrogate are normally expected to live permanently in Cyprus. Since July 2024, single women with a serious medical reason can also apply.

What does GESY cover?

GESY does not run IVF cycles. You pay the clinic, and the state's support comes through the Ministry of Health subsidy described below, which is only open to GESY beneficiaries.

Before treatment, the usual first step is a visit to a gynaecologist. Women aged 15 and over can book a GESY gynaecologist directly, and tests ordered under GESY carry the normal co-payments (€1 for lab tests in 2026). If you are not yet registered, start with our GESY guide. Ask your doctor which fertility tests are done under GESY and which are billed privately by the clinic.

How does the state IVF subsidy work?

The Scheme for Tackling Infertility is run by the Ministry of Health, not the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare. The amounts below have applied to treatment started after 3 July 2024 and are paid against receipts:

The scheme also gives up to 35 gonadotropin injections free for up to four cycles. Women aged over 35 and up to 43 can also claim a subsidy for egg retrieval and freezing.

How many subsidies you get depends on your children: up to four if you have none, three if you have one child, and two if you have two.

Who qualifies: couples and single women who are permanent residents of Cyprus and GESY beneficiaries. For a couple, at least one partner must be a permanent resident and the other a resident with a temporary permit. The published criteria are about residence and GESY cover rather than nationality, so EU citizens, UK nationals and other non-EU residents with permanent residence and GESY cover appear to be in the same position; confirm your case with the Ministry before you start. Visitors on a pink slip who are not GESY beneficiaries do not qualify.

How to apply

1. Have the treatment at a licensed unit in Cyprus. Treatment abroad is not subsidised.
2. Download the form for couples or single women from the Ministry of Health.
3. Complete it with your treating doctor and the embryologist, and attach receipts and supporting documents.
4. Submit it to the Ministry of Health within four months of the treatment date.

Changes on the way: in October 2026 the Ministry said it was proposing €4,500 for every complete treatment and up to five subsidies instead of four, and that it was building an online application platform. As of early November 2026 this still needed Cabinet approval, so check the Ministry page before you apply.

Which clinics offer IVF in Cyprus?

Every unit must hold a CMAR licence, renewed every three years and displayed prominently on the premises. CMAR does not publish an online list of licensed units, so if you are unsure about a clinic, email the Council at cmar@cmar.org.cy before you pay anything.

Pedieos also posts updates on Instagram. If you live in Limassol, Larnaca or Paphos, ask your gynaecologist which licensed unit they work with, and confirm its CMAR licence yourself; our guide to private hospitals and clinics in Cyprus can help you find specialists near you.

How much does IVF cost?

Clinics in the Republic rarely publish a full price list. The cost of a cycle depends on the protocol, the medication, ICSI, freezing, genetic testing and whether donor eggs or sperm are used. Ask for a written, itemised quote that separates the clinic fee, lab work, medication, freezing and annual storage. Then subtract the subsidy you expect to receive.

How do you choose a clinic? Questions to ask

• Can you show us your current CMAR licence, and when does it expire?
• Who is the medical director, and who will actually do the egg collection and embryo transfer?
• What are your pregnancy and live-birth rates for women of the patient's age, and how are they measured?
• What exactly is in the quote, and what costs extra (medication, ICSI, freezing, storage, PGT)?
• Will you help with the Ministry of Health subsidy form and issue receipts that meet its rules?
• How do you match and screen donors, and how is the donor's identity recorded?
• Do you offer counselling, and is there a doctor who speaks English?

Fertility treatment can be hard emotionally. Our guide to mental health support in Cyprus explains where to find support.

What to do next

1. Check you are registered with GESY and that your residence status meets the subsidy rules.
2. Book a first appointment with a gynaecologist or a licensed fertility unit and ask for an itemised quote.
3. Confirm the unit's CMAR licence, and keep every receipt for your subsidy claim within four months.
4. When the time comes, read our guides to giving birth in Cyprus and registering your baby's birth.