{"id":1808,"date":"2026-04-18T17:01:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T10:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/glossary\/ivf\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T19:33:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T12:33:41","slug":"ivf","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/ivf\/","title":{"rendered":"IVF and Assisted Reproduction under Thai Law"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p><strong>\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e17\u0e33\u0e40\u0e14\u0e47\u0e01\u0e2b\u0e25\u0e2d\u0e14\u0e41\u0e01\u0e49\u0e27<\/strong> (\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e1b\u0e0f\u0e34\u0e2a\u0e19\u0e18\u0e34\u0e19\u0e2d\u0e01\u0e23\u0e48\u0e32\u0e07\u0e01\u0e32\u0e22, <em>in vitro fertilisation<\/em>, also written <em>in vitro fertilization<\/em>) is the fertilisation of an egg outside the body and the transfer of the resulting embryo to the womb. In Thailand it falls under the Protection of Children Born from Assisted Reproductive Technologies Act B.E. 2558 (2015), the ART Act, passed after the surrogacy scandals of 2014. The Act permits IVF for a married husband and wife in a licensed clinic, fixes who the child&#8217;s legal parents are, and bans commercial surrogacy, gamete trading and sex selection.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>\u0e2a\u0e32\u0e23\u0e1a\u0e31\u0e0d<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#what-the-art-act-permits-and-forbids\">What the ART Act permits and forbids<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#practical-points-for-foreign-patients-and-parents\">Practical points for foreign patients and parents<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#where-the-law-is-moving\">Where the law is moving<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#frequently-asked-questions\">\u0e04\u0e33\u0e16\u0e32\u0e21\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48\u0e1e\u0e1a\u0e1a\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e22<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-the-art-act-permits-and-forbids\">What the ART Act permits and forbids<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p><strong>Eligibility.<\/strong> Treatment is available to a husband and wife whose marriage is registered, and the clinic asks for the marriage certificate before starting a cycle. Single women and unmarried couples cannot obtain IVF under the Act. Foreign married couples can; it is surrogacy, not IVF, that carries a nationality condition. Clinics and doctors must meet standards supervised by a committee under the Ministry of Public Health and keep records of every embryo created, stored, transferred or destroyed.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p><strong>Donation, selection and surrogacy.<\/strong> Egg and sperm donation are allowed only without payment beyond expenses, and a donor has no rights or duties towards the child. Sex selection is prohibited except to avoid a serious sex-linked disease. Sections 21 and 22 confine surrogacy to a married couple of whom at least one is Thai (three years of marriage where one spouse is foreign), using a related surrogate who has given birth before and does not supply her own egg. Section 48 punishes commercial surrogacy with up to 10 years&#8217; imprisonment and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/fine\/\">\u0e14\u0e35<\/a> of up to 200,000 baht.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"practical-points-for-foreign-patients-and-parents\">Practical points for foreign patients and parents<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>A foreign couple treated in Thailand needs a marriage certificate, translated and legalised if issued abroad, and both spouses sign consents before each transfer. Stored embryos belong to the couple, and the clinic asks for written instructions on storage, disposal and what happens on death or divorce. Couples separating after treatment should deal with stored embryos in their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/divorce-agreement\/\">\u0e02\u0e49\u0e2d\u0e15\u0e01\u0e25\u0e07\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e2b\u0e22\u0e48\u0e32\u0e23\u0e49\u0e32\u0e07<\/a>, because a clinic will not transfer an embryo without both consents.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>A child born to a married couple through IVF is their legitimate child and is registered like any other birth at the district office. Under Section 29 a child born by lawful surrogacy is the legitimate child of the intended parents, not of the surrogate. A foreign parent should also register the birth with the embassy, since the child&#8217;s passport follows the home country&#8217;s rules.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"where-the-law-is-moving\">Where the law is moving<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>The Marriage Equality Act in force since 23 January 2025 lets same-sex couples register a marriage, but the ART Act still speaks of husband and wife, so their access waits on amendment. The Department of Health Service Support put a redrafted bill out for public consultation in July 2026; it would replace &#8220;husband&#8221; and &#8220;wife&#8221; with &#8220;spouses&#8221; and open surrogacy to foreign and same-sex couples, with proof that the child will be protected at home. Until a text appears in the Royal Gazette, the 2015 rules apply.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>A foreign or same-sex couple offered a surrogacy arrangement in Thailand today is offered something the Act does not allow: the intended parents risk prosecution, the surrogate is the legal mother, and the child may leave only through a court process. IVF for a married man and woman is routine and lawful; see the full analysis of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/surrogacy-in-thailand-comprehensive-analysis\/\">surrogacy in Thailand<\/a>.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"frequently-asked-questions\">\u0e04\u0e33\u0e16\u0e32\u0e21\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48\u0e1e\u0e1a\u0e1a\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e22<\/h2>\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list\">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question\">Can foreigners do IVF in Thailand?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>Yes, provided they are a lawfully married husband and wife and treated in a licensed clinic. The nationality condition in the ART Act applies to surrogacy, not to IVF. The clinic will ask for the marriage certificate, translated and legalised if it was issued abroad, and for signed consents from both spouses.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question\">Is surrogacy legal in Thailand for foreigners?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>Not at present. Sections 21 and 22 of the ART Act limit surrogacy to a married couple of whom at least one is Thai, using a related surrogate without payment. A bill opening surrogacy to foreign and same-sex couples went to public consultation in July 2026 but has not been enacted, and commercial surrogacy remains punishable by up to 10 years&#8217; imprisonment and a fine of up to 200,000 baht.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-3\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question\">Who are the legal parents of a child born by IVF in Thailand?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>The married couple who received the treatment. A donor of eggs or sperm has no rights or duties towards the child. In a lawful surrogacy the child is the legitimate child of the intended parents under Section 30 of the ART Act, and the surrogate has no parental status once the child is born.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>\u0e14\u0e39\u0e40\u0e1e\u0e34\u0e48\u0e21\u0e40\u0e15\u0e34\u0e21: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/adoption\/\">\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e23\u0e31\u0e1a\u0e40\u0e25\u0e35\u0e49\u0e22\u0e07\u0e1a\u0e38\u0e15\u0e23\u0e1a\u0e38\u0e0d\u0e18\u0e23\u0e23\u0e21<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/legitimation\/\">\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e17\u0e33\u0e43\u0e2b\u0e49\u0e40\u0e14\u0e47\u0e01\u0e40\u0e1b\u0e47\u0e19\u0e1a\u0e38\u0e15\u0e23\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48\u0e0a\u0e2d\u0e1a\u0e14\u0e49\u0e27\u0e22\u0e01\u0e0e\u0e2b\u0e21\u0e32\u0e22<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/parental-rights\/\">\u0e2a\u0e34\u0e17\u0e18\u0e34\u0e02\u0e2d\u0e07\u0e1c\u0e39\u0e49\u0e1b\u0e01\u0e04\u0e23\u0e2d\u0e07<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/marriage-certificate\/\">\u0e43\u0e1a\u0e17\u0e30\u0e40\u0e1a\u0e35\u0e22\u0e19\u0e2a\u0e21\u0e23\u0e2a<\/a>, \u0e41\u0e25\u0e30\u0e04\u0e39\u0e48\u0e21\u0e37\u0e2d\u0e09\u0e1a\u0e31\u0e1a\u0e40\u0e15\u0e47\u0e21\u0e2a\u0e33\u0e2b\u0e23\u0e31\u0e1a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/surrogacy-in-thailand-comprehensive-analysis\/\">surrogacy in Thailand<\/a> \u0e41\u0e25\u0e30 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/same-sex-marriage-in-thailand\/\">\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e2a\u0e21\u0e23\u0e2a\u0e23\u0e30\u0e2b\u0e27\u0e48\u0e32\u0e07\u0e40\u0e1e\u0e28\u0e40\u0e14\u0e35\u0e22\u0e27\u0e01\u0e31\u0e19\u0e43\u0e19\u0e1b\u0e23\u0e30\u0e40\u0e17\u0e28\u0e44\u0e17\u0e22<\/a>.<\/p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>IVF (\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e1b\u0e0f\u0e34\u0e2a\u0e19\u0e18\u0e34\u0e19\u0e2d\u0e01\u0e23\u0e48\u0e32\u0e07\u0e01\u0e32\u0e22, in vitro fertilisation, also written in vitro fertilization) is the fertilisation of an egg outside the body and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":214,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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ThaiLawOnline","rank_math_description":"IVF in Thailand is regulated by the Assisted Reproductive Technologies Act B.E. 2558. Who may use it, who the legal parents are, and why surrogacy is limited.","rank_math_breadcrumb_title":""},"class_list":["post-1808","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1808"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1808\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6858,"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1808\/revisions\/6858"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1808"}],"curies":[{"name":"\u0e14\u0e31\u0e1a\u0e40\u0e1a\u0e34\u0e25\u0e22\u0e39\u0e1e\u0e35","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}