Both countries have egg donation programmes that are heavily geared towards foreign patients. The laws differ: the Czech Republic treats heterosexual couples up to the age of 49; Greece also accepts single women up to the age of 54.
Egg donation in the Czech Republic or Greece: both countries receive thousands of patients from abroad every year, with young donors recruited locally, and donation that cannot be paid for. The differences between them boil down to three legal points: the age limit, access for single women, and anonymity.
If you are in a relationship with a man, are aged up to 49, and are happy with strict anonymity, the Czech Republic is a serious option, and I won’t claim otherwise. If you are single, aged 50 or over, or if you wish to keep open the possibility that your child may one day learn the donor’s identity, Greek law is a better fit. Here are the details.
In the Czech Republic, assisted reproductive technology (ART) is governed by Act No. 373/2011 on specific healthcare services. It is reserved for an infertile couple consisting of a woman and a man, who must apply jointly and in writing; the application is valid for six months. The woman may undergo treatment provided she is not over 49 years of age.
In Greece, Law 3305/2005, amended in 2022, authorises assisted reproductive technology (ART) up to the age of 54, subject to authorisation from the National Authority for Medically Assisted Reproduction from the age of 50 years and one day. It covers couples, whether married or not, and single women, whose consent must be given by a notarised deed. Egg donors must be under 35 years of age, and sperm donors under 40.
Donation may not be paid for: the law only permits the reimbursement of expenses and compensation, the amount of which is set by the National Authority. Sex selection is prohibited under the same terms as in the Czech Republic. The full framework is explained in the article on the Greek law on egg donation.
| Criterion | Czech Republic | Greece |
|---|---|---|
| Age limit for the recipient | must not exceed 49 | 54, with authorisation from the age of 50 |
| Single woman | no (draft bill under discussion) | yes, consent by notarised deed |
| Female couple | no | not as a couple; one of the two may undergo the process as a single woman |
| Age of donors | 18 to 35 | under 35 |
| Anonymity | strict and reciprocal | anonymous by default; non-anonymous arrangements possible since 2022 |
| Payment to the donor | prohibited; reimbursement of justified expenses | prohibited; costs and compensation set by the National Authority |
| Sex selection without medical grounds | prohibited | prohibited |
The Czech Ministry of Health has drafted an amendment to the law to ‘allow women without a male partner to use assisted reproduction techniques’. The draft has been submitted to other ministries, which had until 23 July 2026 to submit their comments.
At the time of writing, in October 2026, it has neither been approved by the government nor tabled in Parliament, and there is no indication as to whether or when it will be adopted. A single woman cannot therefore receive treatment in the Czech Republic at present; in Greece, her journey is described in assisted reproductive technology (ART) for single women. Another draft bill, presented in 2024, proposed capping compensation for egg donors and limiting each donor to six egg retrievals in her lifetime; the current law still does not contain these limits.
Official data show just how international egg donation is in these countries. In the Czech Republic, the Institute for Health Information and Statistics recorded 5,663 cycles involving the use of donor eggs in 2023: in 84.6 per cent of these, the recipient was resident abroad, whilst 98.5 per cent of the donors were resident in the country.
In Greece, the National Authority recorded 2,472 women of foreign nationality who received donor eggs in 2025, alongside 3,227 recipients of Greek nationality; for 2,083 of these foreign patients, the donation had taken place in Greece. The two figures do not measure exactly the same thing – cycles and country of residence on the one hand, and individuals and their nationality on the other – but they describe the same reality: local donors and recipients who, for the most part, come from abroad.
This is the least obvious difference, and perhaps the most enduring. In the Czech Republic, anonymity is total and reciprocal: your child will be able to obtain health information, but never the donor’s identity.
In Greece, donation is anonymous by default; since 2022, the law has also provided for non-anonymous forms of donation, but these remain rare in practice. The Civil Code stipulates that the donor’s identity may remain anonymous, be known, or be disclosed to the child once they reach the age of majority. In May 2026, the National Authority clarified that an identified donor may donate to recipients she already knows. If you live in a country where children born through donation have access to their origins, or if you think your child will want to know, ask yourself this question before choosing the country, not afterwards.
For a woman aged between 50 and 54, the matter is quickly settled: only Greece can treat her, with the authorisation of the National Authority. Between the ages of 43 and 49, both countries are options, and egg donation often becomes the most realistic route; see IVF after the age of 43.
Both laws require young donors; success rates then depend mainly on the quality of the embryos obtained and the laboratory. Figures from European registers can be found in the article on egg donation success rates. I have not found any official data on waiting times in the Czech Republic. In Greece, you should generally allow two to four months between the initial contact and the transfer, followed by two to four days on site for an egg donation transfer, with endometrial preparation taking place at home.
I do not think that either country is better in absolute terms. The Czech Republic is suitable for a heterosexual couple where the woman is aged up to 49, who accept strict anonymity, and who live closer to Prague than to Athens or Thessaloniki. Greece is suitable for single women, women aged 50 to 54, and those who wish to keep open the possibility of non-anonymous donation. For Spain, the other popular destination, see the comparison between Spain and Greece; for an overview, which country to choose for IVF abroad.
If you would like us to look together at what each country’s laws allow in your situation, please write to me.
Czech law permits treatment provided the woman is no older than 49. In Greece, the limit is 54, with authorisation from the National Authority from the age of 50.
No, not as of October 2026: the law restricts assisted reproductive technology (ART) to couples consisting of a woman and a man. A proposal from the Ministry of Health aims to extend this to women without a partner, but it has not yet been passed. In Greece, single women are accepted.
Yes, strictly so: the donor, the couple and the child remain anonymous to one another, and only health-related information may be disclosed. In Greece, donation is anonymous by default; since 2022, the law has also provided for forms of non-anonymous donation, but these remain rare in practice.
No, donation cannot be paid for in either country. Czech law provides for the reimbursement of justified expenses; in Greece, costs and compensation are set by the National Authority for Medically Assisted Reproduction.
Source: https://fertilitegrece.com/en/blog/czech-republic-vs-greece-egg-donation/ — Triada Baloukoudis, IVF patient coordination in Greece. General information, not medical or legal advice. Printed on
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