IVF Gender Selection in Cyprus: What's Legal, What It Costs and What to Check (2026)

By Cyprus Medical Care · Last reviewed: October 2026 · 8 min read

If you search for “gender selection Cyprus”, you will find many clinics offering to let you choose your baby's sex. Almost all of them are in the north of the island. In the Republic of Cyprus, the EU member state in the south, choosing a baby's sex is allowed only for medical reasons.

This guide explains the rules on both sides of the island and in the UK, how sex selection works medically, what it costs, and what to ask before you commit to a clinic.

Is gender selection legal in Cyprus?

The answer depends on which part of the island you mean.

Republic of Cyprus (EU)

IVF in the Republic of Cyprus is governed by the Medically Assisted Reproduction Law 69(I)/2015. Under this law, a couple cannot choose the sex of their child through IVF unless there is a medical reason. Even then, the clinic must first obtain written approval from the Council for Medically Assisted Reproduction, the national body that supervises fertility treatment.

This is in line with the Council of Europe's Oviedo Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine. Its Article 14 forbids using assisted reproduction to choose a future child's sex, except where a serious hereditary sex-related disease is to be avoided.

In practice, licensed clinics in Limassol, Nicosia, Larnaca or Paphos will not select embryos by sex for family balancing.

Northern Cyprus

The northern part of the island is administered by an entity recognised only by Turkey, and EU law is suspended there. Clinics in the north advertise IVF with gender selection for non-medical reasons, and many of their patients come from countries where it is banned.

In August 2026 the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office added a warning to its travel advice for Cyprus. It says fertility treatment in the north carries risks because clinics there are not regulated in the same way as in the UK. Earlier in 2026, BBC investigations reported cases of the wrong donor being used at clinics in the north. We cover both in detail in our guide to IVF in the Republic of Cyprus vs Northern Cyprus.

United Kingdom

The UK fertility regulator, the HFEA, states that selecting a child's sex for any reason other than preventing a serious inherited illness is strictly prohibited in the UK. The HFEA also says it has no control over treatment that takes place abroad.

Side-by-side comparison

When is sex selection medically justified?

Some serious genetic conditions are linked to the X chromosome. Women can carry them without symptoms, while sons have a much higher chance of being affected. Examples include Duchenne muscular dystrophy, haemophilia A and B, and X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy.

For families with these conditions, choosing embryos of a particular sex can prevent passing on the disease. Today many clinics prefer PGT-M (preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic conditions), which tests each embryo for the specific gene change in your family. This means healthy embryos of either sex can be used, which usually leaves more embryos available for transfer.

In the Republic of Cyprus, a medically indicated case usually follows these steps:

1. A confirmed genetic diagnosis for you or your partner, with a report from a geneticist.
2. Genetic counselling to discuss the options, including PGT-M.
3. The clinic applies to the Council for Medically Assisted Reproduction for written approval where sex selection is involved.
4. IVF or ICSI, embryo biopsy and genetic testing.
5. Transfer of an unaffected embryo, usually in a later frozen embryo transfer cycle.

How IVF with sex selection works

Sex selection is not a separate procedure. It is IVF with genetic testing of the embryos:

• Ovarian stimulation for about 10–14 days, with monitoring scans.
• Egg collection under sedation, then fertilisation in the lab, usually by ICSI.
• Embryo culture to the blastocyst stage (day 5–6).
• Biopsy: a few cells are taken from the outer layer of each embryo and sent for testing. The embryos are frozen while the lab works.
• Results usually arrive within a few weeks.
• Frozen embryo transfer of a suitable embryo in a later cycle.

Genetic testing of embryos is very accurate, but no laboratory can promise 100%. Clinics usually recommend confirming results with prenatal testing during pregnancy. Success also depends on how many good-quality embryos you have. Some cycles produce no embryo that is suitable for transfer.

What does it cost?

In the Republic of Cyprus (medical indication): a standard IVF/ICSI cycle typically costs €2,500–€4,500, plus €800–€2,500 for medication. PGT-A screening is typically €1,500–€2,500 per batch of embryos. PGT-M usually needs a preliminary “work-up” to design a test for your family's gene change. This adds cost and several weeks, and is quoted individually. See the full price table in our complete guide to IVF in Cyprus.

In Northern Cyprus (non-medical): prices published by clinics in March 2026 start from about €3,750 for IVF/ICSI, plus about €2,000 for gender selection, so from about €5,750 in total. This excludes medication, flights, accommodation and tests done outside the clinic. Donor-egg programmes with gender selection cost more.

Whichever route you consider, budget for the real total: medication, a possible second cycle if no suitable embryo is available, a frozen transfer, and travel for each visit.

Before you choose a clinic for gender selection

Many families who travel for gender selection are well informed and have thought hard about it. These are the points they most often wish they had checked earlier:

• Regulation. Outside the EU, there is no independent fertility regulator to check laboratory standards or investigate complaints.
• Traceability. The 2026 BBC reports about donor mix-ups in the north show why record-keeping matters, especially if donor eggs or sperm are involved.
• No guarantee. If no embryo of the requested sex is suitable, you may face another full cycle and another bill.
• Your home country. Treatment banned at home can complicate follow-up care. Talk to your own doctor about how pregnancy care will be handled.

How Cyprus Medical Care can help

We are an independent patient coordination service based in Limassol, and we work only with licensed clinics in the Republic of Cyprus. That means we do not arrange gender selection for family balancing, because it is not legal where our partner clinics operate.

We can help if:

• you or your partner carry a sex-linked or other inherited condition and want to explore PGT-M at an EU-regulated clinic;
• you want IVF with genetic screening of embryos (PGT-A) in an EU legal framework;
• you have quotes from several clinics and want help comparing what is really included.

We help with clinic selection, records, appointments, accommodation, transfers and interpreters. Medical decisions are always made between you and your doctor. See how our coordination works.

Important: This article is for general information only and is not medical or legal advice. Laws and clinic policies can change. Always confirm the current rules in writing with the clinic and, where needed, with a geneticist or a qualified lawyer.

Sources

• Kyprianou & Co — Medically Assisted Reproduction in Cyprus: IVF
• Council of Europe — Protection of the human embryo (Oviedo Convention, Article 14)
• HFEA — Statement on sex selection
• GOV.UK — Foreign travel advice: Cyprus
• Cyprus FAQ — IVF with gender selection in Northern Cyprus (prices as of March 2026)
• Progress Educational Trust — UK families treated with wrong donor sperm in Northern Cyprus