Short answer. If you live in the USA, the UK or Canada and want an Indian egg donor (the search is often typed as “Indian egg donor USA”), the treatment has to happen in India. Under the ART Act, donor eggs cannot be sold or sent out of India (Act s.29), and eggs, sperm or embryos cannot be brought in either (Act s.33(1)(c)). So you travel, and a registered ART Bank in India matches you with a screened donor who is supplied to your family only.
Where can I find an Indian egg donor from the USA, UK or Canada?
In India, egg donors are screened and supplied only by an ART Bank registered under the Act (Act s.27(1)). There is no lawful route for an agent, a website or a broker abroad to obtain an Indian donor for you, and using an intermediary to obtain a donor is an offence (Act s.33(1)(g)). Zoi Fertility is the registered ART Bank behind the Egg Donor India programme (URN MH/AB/2022/10691/Mumbai/83). You can check that an ART Bank is registered before you share any documents.
Some families ask whether a donor bank in their own country has donors of Indian heritage. That is a question for the laws and clinics of your country, and we cannot advise on them. What we can tell you is how it works in India, under Indian law.
There is one specific Act that covers both the ART Bank and the ART Clinic. What is important to understand is that the rules keep changing with newer information, complexity and queries from patients and clinics. The Board members either tweak the rules and regulations or draft more precise rules around a clause. The intention is only to help couples and clinics follow the rules and work professionally and ethically. This post and our other posts aim to improve and give you updates on a regular basis.
Can Indian donor eggs be shipped to the USA, UK or Canada?
No. Section 29 prohibits the sale, transfer or use of gametes and embryos to any party within or outside India. The only exception is a person moving their own eggs, sperm or embryos for personal use, with National Board permission. A donor’s eggs are not your own, so they never qualify. The donor’s eggs never leave, but embryos made with them are a different matter. They belong to you, the patient, and moving them needs prior National Board permission under Rule 19 (Rules r.19). We guide you through it, but we cannot apply on your behalf. Our guide to egg donation law in India sets out the full Act.
This is the single most important point for families abroad. Anyone who offers to send Indian donor eggs to your clinic overseas is offering something the law does not allow.
| What you may want | Allowed under Indian law? |
|---|---|
| Use an Indian egg donor, with treatment in India | Yes, through a registered ART Bank (Act s.27(1)) |
| Have Indian donor eggs shipped to your clinic abroad | No (Act s.29) |
| Bring your own frozen eggs or embryos into India | No (Act s.33(1)(c)) |
| Pay an agent to find you a donor | No, it is an offence (Act s.33(1)(g)) |
Is there an Indian egg donor database or agency?
Not in the way many families expect. You will not find a public catalogue of Indian donors with photos. Details of the couple, the woman and the donor are kept confidential (Act s.21(e)), and each donor is supplied to one commissioning couple or woman only (Act s.27(3)).
After you register with our ART Bank, you see donor profiles with her basic details and health history, never her name, contact details or photo. Your coordinator goes through them with you, and your doctor and the ART Bank confirm the match. Read how egg donor matching works without photos for the full picture.
So the honest answer to “Indian egg donor agency” is this: the lawful route is a registered ART Bank, not an agency. If someone calls themselves an agency and offers donors for a fee, read our note on red flags of an egg donation racket.
Can NRIs, OCI card holders and foreign nationals use an Indian egg donor?
The Government of India has clarified that the ART Act does not bar foreign nationals from availing ART, subject to eligibility (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Department of Health Research, File No. I.11019/37/2023-HR dated 9 Mar 2023, Q1). The clinic confirms eligibility for each family at the first consultation, whether you are an NRI on an Indian passport, an OCI card holder or a foreign national.
Visas depend on your passport. Indian citizens and OCI card holders need no visa. Most foreign nationals need a medical visa, and our medical visa guide explains how the clinic supports that request.
How do families in the USA, UK and Canada get an Indian egg donor?
- A video consultation. You speak with a coordinator, then with our Medical Director, Dr Yashodhara Mhatre.
- Documents online. You share reports and identity documents online.
- Matching before you travel. The ART Bank matches a screened donor for your family.
- Your treatment in India. Egg retrieval and embryo transfer happen at our registered Level 2 ART clinic in Mumbai.
- Follow up from home. Review by video once you are back.
Two legal steps protect the donor and you. The donor gives written informed consent, and you buy 12 months of insurance for her from an IRDA recognised insurer (Act s.22(1); Rules r.12, r.13). The donor gives up all parental rights, and the child is deemed your biological child (Act s.31).
Whether you say East Indian egg donor or simply Indian egg donor, the route is the same. Most of the early work happens online, so you travel for the treatment days. Our Indian egg donor guide sets out the rest.
Book a private consultation. If you live in the USA, the UK or Canada and are thinking about an Indian egg donor, speak to our team by video first. Book a private consultation
Questions
Can I get an Indian egg donor in the USA or UK through an Indian bank?
No. Indian donor eggs cannot be sold or sent out of India (Act s.29). Families travel to India and the treatment happens here.
Can embryos made with an Indian donor’s eggs be moved to my country?
Not freely. The donor’s eggs cannot leave India (Act s.29). Embryos made with them belong to you, the patient, and moving any embryos needs prior National Board permission (Act s.29; Rules r.19). Talk to us first and we will guide you.
Is there an Indian egg donor database I can browse?
There is no public catalogue with photos. After registration with our ART Bank you see donor profiles without her name, contact details or photo (Act s.21(e)).
Can I use an agency to find an Indian egg donor?
Using an intermediary to obtain a gamete donor is an offence under the ART Act (Act s.33(1)(g)). Donors are screened and supplied only by a registered ART Bank (Act s.27(1)).
Do OCI card holders need a visa for donor egg treatment?
No. An OCI card holder travels without a visa. The clinic confirms your eligibility for treatment at the first consultation.
References
- Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021 (Act No. 42 of 2021): sections 21(e), 22(1), 27(1), 27(3), 29, 31, 33(1)(c), 33(1)(g).
- Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Rules, 2022 (G.S.R. 419(E), 7 June 2022): rules 12 and 13; rule 19 as inserted by G.S.R. 126(E) dated 24 Feb 2023.
- Government of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Department of Health Research): File No. I.11019/37/2023-HR dated 9 Mar 2023, Q1.
This page explains the law as published. It is not legal advice.
