IVF in Goa from Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah: how do you plan the journey, the days and the papers?

Medically reviewed by our consultant obstetrician & gynaecologist (MBBS, MS OBG). Last reviewed: 9 November 2026.

This guide is for couples in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah weighing IVF, ICSI or IUI in Goa. Pai Hospital is a registered Level 2 ART clinic, with its theatre and IVF laboratory in one building; the medical detail is on our IVF centre in Goa page.

Which flight from the UAE lands closest to the hospital?

A non-stop flight takes about three to three and a half hours. Goa has two airports, and yours decides the last leg:

• From Dubai: look first for Dabolim (GOI), about 4 km from the hospital. Dubai-Dabolim flights were suspended in 2026, then filed to restart subject to change, so yours may be direct or one stop.
• From Abu Dhabi: a direct service to Mopa (GOX) restarted in late October 2026. Mopa is in North Goa, about 65 km or an hour and a half by road from the hospital.
• From Sharjah: flights also land at Mopa (GOX), with the same drive south.

From any of the three, the trip may be direct or one stop, for example through Mumbai; Gulf schedules changed often in 2026, so check current flights before you book. Goa is an hour and a half ahead of the UAE, with no clock change in either country: 10 am in Goa is 8:30 am in Dubai. Pick-up from either airport can be arranged in the hospital's own car.

When to land: the cycle starts with a scan on day two of your period, so if you have not met the doctor yet, arrive several days before the period is expected. Egg collection is fixed only a few days ahead, so a changeable return ticket saves stress.

Which steps can you finish while still in the UAE?

• A first conversation. WhatsApp us your ages, how long you have been trying and any treatment so far; a phone consultation with the doctor can follow.
• Reports sent ahead. An AMH test, a semen analysis, scans or earlier treatment notes done in the UAE can be sent on WhatsApp. The doctor tells you what is still needed, so less time goes on repeat tests in Goa.
• Your own language. Our doctor's fertility videos in Konkani explain IVF, IUI and low AMH. Our staff speak English and Hindi.

What makes IVF harder to arrange while living in the UAE?

IVF is available in the UAE. For couples who would rather come home for it, two points shape the plan:

• Insurance. Standard UAE health insurance generally excludes fertility treatment such as IVF, according to published guidance from a UAE insurance broker. Read your own policy.
• Leave. A cycle follows the wife's body, not the office calendar, while leave usually has to be agreed with an employer well ahead.

Which days of an IVF cycle need you in Goa?

Plan on two and a half to three weeks for a fresh cycle. Dates move with your scans; the usual shape is:

1. First visit: the consultation and a scan, if you have not met the doctor yet.
2. Day two of the period: a baseline scan and the first stimulation injection; a nurse shows you how to continue at home.
3. The next eight to twelve days: daily injections, with a short scan visit every day or two.
4. Egg collection: about a day and a half after the trigger injection: a short day-care procedure under light anaesthesia, home the same day. The husband gives his sample that day; if ICSI is needed, it is done then, so dates do not change.
5. Embryo transfer: three or five days later. It takes a few minutes and usually needs no anaesthesia.
6. A buffer: a day or two before your flight, not the same evening.

The pregnancy blood test comes about two weeks after the transfer; ask whether it can be done at a laboratory near your UAE home, with the report sent to us on WhatsApp. See the full IVF timeline.

What if only one of you can get leave?

The wife stays for the whole cycle. The husband is needed for the first consultation if possible, and on the egg collection day. If his leave does not match:

• Freeze his sample first. On an earlier visit his own sample is frozen at the hospital, kept only for his wife's treatment. Read about sperm freezing for husbands who work away.
• Freeze the embryos. Good embryos from this trip are frozen for a frozen embryo transfer on a later leave, after about two weeks of preparing the womb lining. Sometimes freezing is also the safer medical choice.

Can IUI be done during a home leave from the UAE?

Often, if IUI suits you. A few short scan visits time it to ovulation, often near mid-cycle, and the procedure takes a few minutes. It needs at least one open tube and a good enough sperm count, so the doctor decides after seeing both partners' reports. See IUI treatment in Goa.

Should you stay at the family home or a hotel near the hospital?

If your family home is in Goa, stay there: for scan visits and procedure days, our car collects you from anywhere in Goa and brings you home, at zero cost to the patient. Otherwise, hotels in Vasco and around Dabolim keep you close for visits every day or two.

Keep the egg collection day clear, and perhaps the next day. After the transfer, normal activity is fine; avoid great heat, such as very hot baths and saunas, and crowded places until the test. Read the precautions after embryo transfer.

What should be in your travel folder from the UAE?

• Indian passport: Indian citizens working in the UAE travel on it as usual.
• Portuguese or another foreign passport: you need an OCI card or a valid Indian visa; India also has an e-Medical visa category. Check the current visa rules on the official Indian government visa portal before you book.
• UAE residence visa: check it stays valid beyond your return date.
• Reports and medicines: every report, scan and treatment note, and a list of your medicines.
• Consent forms: both partners sign them at the hospital; we tell you beforehand which identity papers to carry.

How is the cost handled for a couple from the UAE?

Our fees are in rupees. One full IVF cycle is ₹1,60,000 (price list: October 2026), covering the injections, egg collection, theatre, anaesthesia, stay, doctor, laboratory and embryology fees, blastocyst culture and up to six months of embryo freezing. A frozen embryo transfer on a later leave is ₹40,000. If ICSI is needed, the full cycle is ₹2,10,000 (see the table below), and your plan and price are confirmed in writing before anything is scheduled. Every fee is on the IVF cost in Goa page.

Price list: October 2026.

EMI available, including 0% EMI for eligible couples*

*Pai Hospital 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.

How do you start from the UAE?

WhatsApp your question and reports to +91 95185 02773, or call Sheetal at our fertility reception on +91 95459 20817. Every visit is by appointment. For other countries, see treatment in Goa for Goans living abroad; couples in Kuwait can read IVF in Goa from Kuwait.

Written and reviewed by the Pai Hospital Team. This article is for education only and is not personal medical advice.

Or call +91 95185 02773

This page is for general education and is not personal medical advice. Treatment depends on your own examination and reports, so please speak to a doctor about your situation. We do not carry out or offer sex determination of any kind.