How to Import Embryos to the U.S.: Your Complete Guide for California Surrogacy

You created embryos abroad, or at a clinic outside California, and now you need to bring them to a U.S. fertility clinic for your surrogacy transfer. Importing embryos to USA for surrogacy is one of the least-documented parts of the international surrogacy process, and most agencies do not address it in any practical detail. That gap leaves intended parents searching for answers at exactly the moment they need clarity most.

California is the top destination for international intended parents pursuing surrogacy for a reason. Its legal framework, its fertility clinic infrastructure, and agencies with the international experience to coordinate cross-border logistics are all concentrated in one place. If you want to understand how surrogacy works from the point your embryos land in California through delivery day, this guide covers the process from end to end.

This post addresses three things: what the FDA requires before your embryos can enter a U.S. clinic, how the shipping and logistics process works step by step, and how clinic coordination fits into your broader surrogacy timeline.

Can You Legally Bring Embryos from Another Country to the United States?

Yes, you can. The United States allows the import of frozen embryos created abroad, but the process is governed by FDA regulations and requires specific documentation, infectious disease testing, and formal coordination between your originating clinic and a receiving U.S. fertility clinic.

The governing framework is the FDA’s Human Cells, Tissues, and Cellular and Tissue-Based Products (HCT/P) regulations. Under this framework, embryos are classified as human tissue and must meet the same donor screening and testing standards that apply to any reproductive tissue used in the United States.

The distinction between embryo types matters here. If your embryos were created using your own eggs and sperm, the documentation requirements are less complex than if donor eggs, donor sperm, or both were involved. Donor-sourced embryos carry additional FDA screening requirements because each donor is considered a separate tissue source. If your embryos involved an egg donor, a sperm donor, or a donor embryo transfer, each donor must have documented infectious disease testing on file before a U.S. clinic can accept the embryos for transfer.

California fertility clinics that work with surrogacy agencies are experienced in this intake process. They have established protocols for reviewing international clinic records, assessing compliance, and managing the quarantine and retesting process when records fall short of FDA standards. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) publishes guidelines on third-party reproduction and embryo transfer that California clinics follow alongside the FDA framework.

What the FDA Requires Before Your Embryos Can Enter a U.S. Clinic

The FDA requires that all donors involved in the creation of your embryos have been tested for a specific panel of communicable diseases. That panel includes HIV-1 and HIV-2, Hepatitis B surface antigen, Hepatitis B core antibody, Hepatitis C antibody, HTLV-I and HTLV-II, syphilis, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and gonorrhea and chlamydia for female donors. The full FDA donor screening requirements are outlined in 21 CFR Part 1271, which governs HCT/P establishments and their donor eligibility determinations.

If your originating clinic has complete and dated records for every donor in this panel, the receiving clinic in California can review those records and clear your embryos for transfer. If records are incomplete, outdated, or formatted in a way the receiving clinic cannot verify, the FDA may require that your embryos enter quarantine. Quarantine means the embryos are stored in a separate cryogenic tank at the receiving clinic and cannot be used for transfer until compliant testing documentation is obtained or the relevant donors are retested. This is one of the most common sources of delay in the import process, and it is almost always preventable with preparation.

Does It Matter Which Country Your Embryos Came From?

The country of origin affects the documentation burden, not the legal eligibility. Every country’s embryos can be imported; the variable is how much additional work is required to establish FDA compliance.

Embryos created at clinics in countries with established laboratory accreditation and standardized reproductive medicine protocols, including Israel, Spain, Greece, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and Australia, typically have the required infectious disease testing already on file and formatted in a way U.S. clinics recognize. Embryos from clinics in countries with less standardized record-keeping practices may require additional steps, longer quarantine periods, or direct communication between the originating clinic and the receiving clinic’s medical director to resolve documentation gaps.

Israel, Spain, and Canada represent the largest share of international embryo import cases that come through California surrogacy agencies. If your embryos were created at a well-regarded IVF clinic in any of those countries, the process is typically more predictable. The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) sets the clinical standards most European clinics follow, and U.S. receiving clinics are generally familiar with ESHRE-formatted documentation.

What Is the Step-by-Step Process for Importing Your Embryos?

The embryo import process involves five distinct stages: records preparation, receiving clinic intake, cryogenic shipping, U.S. customs clearance, and transfer readiness confirmation. From initiating contact with a receiving clinic to confirmed transfer readiness, the process typically takes 4 to 12 weeks. How close you land to either end of that range depends almost entirely on how complete your originating clinic’s documentation is before you start.

1	Confirm your embryo status and records at the originating clinic.Before any shipping or clinic coordination is arranged, contact your originating clinic and request a complete records package. That package should include your embryo grading reports, your cryopreservation records with the date of freeze and number of embryos stored, infectious disease testing results for all donors in the required FDA panel, and your clinic’s CLIA certification or its international equivalent. This is the single step that causes the most delays when skipped. Receiving clinics in California will not begin the intake process without a complete records package in hand.
2	Select a California fertility clinic and initiate the receiving process.Your surrogacy agency is the right starting point. The receiving clinic will review your originating clinic’s records, determine whether your documentation meets FDA HCT/P standards, and assess whether quarantine will be required. If everything is in order, the clinic issues a formal embryo acceptance letter. That letter is required before any shipping can be arranged. Understanding international surrogacy in California helps you see how this fits within your full surrogacy timeline.
3	Arrange FDA-compliant cryogenic shipping.Embryos must be shipped in FDA-approved cryogenic containers by a specialist reproductive tissue shipping company. Companies that specialize in this include CryoStork, ReproTech, and Cryoport. They manage chain-of-custody documentation, continuous temperature monitoring during transit, and customs clearance paperwork. Embryos travel as regulated biological specimens classified as freight. You do not personally carry your embryos on a commercial flight.
4	Clear U.S. Customs and complete clinic intake.Embryo shipments entering the United States must clear U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The shipping company manages all customs documentation. Once the shipment clears, it goes directly to the receiving clinic’s laboratory. The clinic performs an intake inspection, verifies chain of custody, and places the embryos in cryogenic storage under your name. If quarantine is required, the embryos remain in a separate tank until the FDA compliance process is completed.
5	Confirm transfer readiness and coordinate with your surrogate’s timeline.Once your embryos are cleared for transfer, the receiving clinic communicates that status to your surrogacy agency and your surrogate’s medical team. The surrogate medical screening process must also be complete before a transfer date is confirmed. This coordination stage typically takes 2 to 6 weeks from transfer clearance depending on clinic scheduling and your surrogate’s cycle.

What Does It Cost to Import Embryos to the United States?

The cost of importing embryos to the U.S. for surrogacy typically falls between $2,000 and $6,500 in total, though the range widens significantly if retesting or extended quarantine is required. These costs are separate from your IVF fees, surrogacy agency fees, and surrogate compensation.

Here is a breakdown of what is typically covered:

Cost Category	Typical Range
Specialist cryogenic shipping fee	$800 to $2,500
Receiving clinic intake and quarantine handling	$500 to $2,000
Infectious disease retesting (per donor, if required)	$500 to $1,500
Customs brokerage fees	$200 to $600
Receiving clinic storage while awaiting clearance	$50 to $150 per month
Total estimate	$2,000 to $6,500+

These figures are estimates. Your actual costs depend on your country of origin, the number of donors involved, and whether quarantine is triggered. For a full picture of what surrogacy costs as a whole, review surrogacy costs in California before your first agency consultation.

How Long Does It Take to Import Embryos from Abroad?

The process typically takes 4 to 12 weeks from the point of initiating contact with a receiving clinic to confirmed transfer readiness. The two variables that drive that range are documentation completeness at your originating clinic and whether FDA quarantine is required.

If your records are complete and compliant when you first contact a California fertility clinic, 4 to 6 weeks is achievable. The receiving clinic can review and clear your documentation quickly, the embryo acceptance letter is issued, shipping is arranged, and the embryos arrive without triggering quarantine. If quarantine is required because records are incomplete or certain donor testing is missing, 8 to 12 weeks is the more realistic expectation.

The single most effective thing you can do to shorten this timeline is request your full records package from your originating clinic before you contact a California fertility clinic or surrogacy agency. That step alone removes the most common source of delay from the process. Intended parents who arrive at their first agency consultation with a complete records package in hand almost always move through the import process faster than those who begin gathering records after matching with a surrogate.

What Documents Do You Need to Import Embryos to the United States?

You will need the following from your originating clinic: cryopreservation records including the date of freeze, the embryo grade for each embryo, and the total number of embryos in storage; infectious disease testing results for all donors dated within the FDA-required testing window; the originating clinic’s CLIA certification or equivalent international accreditation documentation; and signed embryo ownership and consent documentation from both intended parents confirming that the embryos are your property and that you authorize their transfer to a U.S. facility.

You will also need from the receiving clinic a formal embryo acceptance letter confirming that the clinic has reviewed your records and is prepared to receive the shipment. From the shipping company, you will need the chain-of-custody manifest, the U.S. Customs biological specimen declaration, and the shipping company’s temperature monitoring log covering the entire transit from the originating clinic to the receiving clinic’s laboratory.

Organizing these documents before initiating any coordination is the most practical thing you can do to keep the process moving on schedule.

Frequently Asked Questions: Importing Embryos to the USA for Surrogacy

Can you bring frozen embryos from another country into the United States?

Yes. The United States allows the import of frozen embryos created abroad. The process is governed by FDA HCT/P regulations and requires infectious disease testing documentation for all donors involved in embryo creation, cryopreservation records from the originating clinic, and coordination between a specialist cryogenic shipping company and a receiving U.S. fertility clinic. Every country’s embryos are eligible; documentation completeness determines the timeline.

What FDA regulations apply to importing embryos for surrogacy?

The FDA’s Human Cells, Tissues, and Cellular and Tissue-Based Products (HCT/P) regulations, specifically 21 CFR Part 1271, govern imported embryos. Under this framework, all donors must have documented testing for HIV-1 and HIV-2, Hepatitis B and C, HTLV-I and HTLV-II, syphilis, CMV, and gonorrhea and chlamydia. If complete testing records are not on file at the originating clinic, the receiving U.S. clinic will place the embryos in quarantine until compliant documentation is provided or retesting is completed.

How are embryos shipped internationally for surrogacy?

Embryos are shipped in FDA-approved cryogenic containers by specialist reproductive tissue shipping companies such as CryoStork, ReproTech, or Cryoport. These companies manage chain-of-custody documentation, continuous temperature monitoring, and U.S. customs clearance. Embryos travel as regulated biological specimens classified as freight. Intended parents do not personally carry embryos on commercial flights. The shipping company coordinates directly between the originating and receiving clinics throughout the entire transit.

How long does it take to import embryos to California for a surrogate transfer?

The process typically takes 4 to 12 weeks from initiating contact with a California receiving clinic to confirmed transfer readiness. If originating clinic records are complete and FDA-compliant, 4 to 6 weeks is achievable. If quarantine is required due to incomplete donor testing records, 8 to 12 weeks is more realistic. Requesting your full records package from your originating clinic before contacting a California agency is the most effective way to shorten the timeline.

Do imported embryos have to go through quarantine in the United States?

Not always. Quarantine is required when the infectious disease testing documentation for donors does not meet FDA standards under 21 CFR Part 1271, either because testing was not performed, records are missing, or the testing dates fall outside the FDA-required window. If your originating clinic has complete, dated, compliant records for all donors, quarantine can be avoided entirely. Embryos from clinics in Israel, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia typically have the required records on file.

How Does Los Angeles Surrogacy Help You Navigate the Embryo Import Process?

Embryo coordination is part of how Los Angeles Surrogacy supports international intended parents from the start of the process, not something you figure out on your own after matching. When you work with the agency, your coordinator connects you with receiving fertility clinics that have direct experience managing international embryo shipments, reviews your originating clinic’s documentation for FDA compliance before any shipping is arranged, and manages ongoing communication between your originating clinic, the receiving clinic, and the shipping company throughout the import process.

This matters because the coordination between multiple parties across different time zones and regulatory frameworks is where most delays and errors occur. Having an experienced agency managing those relationships keeps the process moving and keeps you informed at every stage without requiring you to become an expert in FDA tissue regulations.

California is the top destination for international intended parents precisely because the infrastructure is here: experienced fertility clinics, surrogacy-friendly law under California Family Code Section 7962, and agencies with the international case experience to handle the complexity. You do not have to navigate any of this alone. When you are ready to begin, start your surrogacy journey and a coordinator will be in touch to walk through next steps with you.

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