Written by Shweta Rathod, MD — Doctor of Medicine, clinical experience in Obstetrics & Gynecology, labour room management, and IVF. Dr. Rathod writes Surrogacy4All’s pregnancy and obstetric content.
Medically reviewed by Rashmi Gulati, MD —
- Board Certified, Internal Medicine
- Medical Advisor, Surrogacy4All
- Privileges at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Last updated: [14/09/2026]
Summary
Frozen embryos are shipped between IVF clinics in a liquid-nitrogen vapour shipper by a specialist courier, under FDA human cell and tissue rules and each clinic’s release and acceptance procedures.
The shipment itself takes one to three days, arranging it takes one to two weeks, it costs $500–$1,500 plus courier fees domestically and more internationally.
Surrogacy4All coordinates shipments under its tissue bank registrations, including from clinics abroad. Surrogacy4All is NYS-licensed (GSP220903), physician-led, operating since 2006.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Container | Dry vapour shipper, validated to hold temperature for 7–10 days |
| Courier | Specialist cryogenic courier, door-to-door, tracked |
| Domestic cost | $500–$1,500 plus courier ($300–$800) |
| International cost | $2,000–$5,000 including courier and import handling |
| Lead time | 1–2 weeks to arrange, 1–3 days in transit |
| Documents | Consent and release, embryo inventory, lab reports, infectious-disease screening records, chain-of-custody form |
| Surrogacy4All | Coordinates under FDA FEI 3021544308 and NYS Tissue Bank 1570 |
Step 1 — The Receiving Clinic Accepts the Shipment
Before anything moves, the clinic that will perform the transfer confirms it will accept embryos from the sending clinic.
It asks for the embryo inventory (number, stage, grading, PGT-A results), the lab’s freezing method and straw type, and the infectious-disease screening records for the egg and sperm sources under FDA donor-eligibility rules where a donor was used.
Acceptance is the step most likely to add time, especially for embryos from abroad.
Step 2 — Consents and Release
Both intended parents sign the sending clinic’s release and the receiving clinic’s acceptance forms.
Where a donor was used, the donor consent to transfer is confirmed. The sending clinic verifies identity against its records.
Surrogacy4All prepares and tracks these documents so they arrive together.
Step 3 — The Shipper and the Courier
The receiving clinic or the courier supplies a dry vapour shipper — a validated container charged with liquid nitrogen that holds temperature for a week or more without free liquid.
The sending lab loads the straws with a witness, seals the shipper, and hands it to a cryogenic courier that tracks it door to door.
Domestic transit is one to three days.
Step 4 — Receipt and Storage
The receiving lab checks the temperature log and the inventory against the paperwork, moves the straws into its own storage, and confirms receipt in writing.
From then the embryos are under the receiving clinic’s storage contract until the transfer.
What About Shipping From Abroad?
Possible in most cases, with two additional requirements :
- Documentation that meets FDA donor-eligibility rules where donor gametes were used. Some foreign clinics’ screening panels need to be supplemented before the embryos can be used in the US.
- Import handling by the courier.
Allow three to six weeks and $2,000–$5,000.
Embryos created abroad from the intended parents’ own gametes are the simplest case.
What Can Go Wrong, and How Is It Prevented?
Temperature excursions are rare with validated shippers and are visible on the log. The courier’s tracking and a shipper with margin prevent most problems.
Paperwork mismatches — a straw count that differs from the inventory or a missing screening report — are the common cause of delay.
That is why the acceptance step comes first and why we check the file before the shipper is ordered.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How Much Does It Cost to Ship Embryos?
A. $500–$1,500 plus courier domestically; $2,000–$5,000 internationally.
Q. How Long Does Embryo Shipping Take?
A. One to two weeks to arrange; one to three days in transit.
Q. Is It Safe?
A. Yes, with a validated dry shipper and a specialist courier; the temperature is logged throughout.
Q. Can Embryos Be Shipped From Another Country?
A. Usually, with FDA-compliant screening documentation; allow longer.
Q. Who Arranges the Shipment?
A. Surrogacy4All coordinates between the clinics and the courier.
Q. Does Insurance Cover Shipping?
A. Rarely, it is quoted separately from program totals.
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Dr. Pooja Patel
Dr. Pooja Patel is a Chief Surrogacy Coordinator at Surrogacy4all. She has 10 years of experience in Anesthesiology and critical care medicine.
She received her medical degree from Seth GS Medical College and K.E.M Hospital in India. She then completed an internship. She finished her Anesthesia residency at Grant Govt Medical College and JJ Group of Hospitals in India.
- Dr. Pooja Patel
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Rashmi Gulati
Rashmi Gulati, MD, provides innovative, individualized health care that nurtures mind, body, and spirit. Since 2004 she has been the medical director at Patients Medical, where she delivers comprehensive personalized health care, treating each patient as a respected, unique individual. Through their integrative health care center in the heart of Manhattan, Dr. Gulati and her colleagues have become premier care providers serving patients locally and throughout the world.
- Rashmi Gulati
- Rashmi Gulati
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