Sperm banks in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

SEJ's base fee is due when the contract is signed and is not charged again for further deliveries. Whether it is charged again for a further child is not published. Cryobank München's fee applies until the birth and is charged again for a further child. With two portions per insemination or with IVF, the totals come out differently. Ask your fertility clinic how many samples it orders for your treatment.

Fertility clinics with their own donor bank

Three fertility clinics run their own donor bank. Samenbank Ludwigsburg releases samples only to patients of the Kinderwunschzentrum Ludwigsburg, and VITRO-MED in Bochum does not ship samples to other practices. Whether SpIF in Saarbrücken, which works with IVF-SAAR, supplies other practices is not published. On single women, the statements of AKDI and of the practice there contradict each other.

• SpIF / IVF-SAAR (Saarbrücken): conflicting information on single women; female couples only if married, according to the working group
• Samenbank Ludwigsburg (Dr. Ott) (Ludwigsburg): no single women; female couples only if married
• VITRO-MED (Bochum): female couples only if married; no published information on single women

Not listed are facilities without a documented active donor program, for example Kryobank Köln, which according to its own website is still looking for donors to build up its program, and German Cryo Bank in Hagen, whose website showed only an under-construction page in October 2026. Cryobanks that only store sperm, for example for fertility preservation, are not donor banks.

Sperm banks abroad

Fertility clinics in Germany may also use sperm from other EU member states, the European Economic Area, or third countries (§ 5(1) SaRegG). Two banks from Denmark say that they deliver to German clinics. European Sperm Bank of Copenhagen is at the top of the German table because of its laboratory in Hamburg.

In Germany, only donors with identity release (ID release) are an option with foreign banks. The reason is in § 5(1), sentence 2 SaRegG: The German clinic must make sure that the foreign bank transmits the donor's name, date and place of birth, nationality, and address to the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) on request. Cryos labels the donors approved for Germany as “DE-Standard,” and European Sperm Bank lists Germany among the countries where only ID-release donors are allowed.

The Danish banks generally deliver to clinics, and Born Donor Bank only to clinics with which it formally cooperates. Prices exclude VAT, and Cryos uses dynamic prices, mostly €100 to €1,000 per straw. The family limits apply worldwide: 75 families for the majority of donors at European Sperm Bank, and 25 or 75 at Born depending on the donor.

Sperm bank by city

You do not have to travel to the sperm bank itself. The banks have the sperm brought to your fertility clinic (Cryobank München, for example, throughout Germany, and SEJ nationwide). More important than the location of the bank is which clinic near you treats with donor sperm and which banks it works with. Some banks supply only cooperating clinics: Erlanger Samenbank, for example, supplies about 55.

For other places, the clinic directory with the donor sperm filter shows all clinics that offer treatment with donor sperm.

Austria

Austria's Reproductive Medicine Act (Fortpflanzungsmedizingesetz, FMedG) ties sperm donation to the clinics. Sperm may be made available only to an authorized hospital, and a donor may always supply only the same one (§ 11, § 14(1)). The transfer must not be the subject of a paid legal transaction (§ 16(1)). Some clinics run their own donor programs, others work with sperm banks from Denmark that deliver to the clinic.

Only couples in a marriage, registered partnership, or cohabiting partnership are treated (§ 2(1)), not single women. Female couples can use donor sperm. According to the wording of the law, this applies to couples in a registered partnership or cohabiting partnership. If sperm from a third party is used, consent must be given as a notarial deed (Notariatsakt, § 8(1)). A motion by the Greens to open treatment to single women (496/A) has not been adopted.

A donor may be used for at most three marriages, registered partnerships, or cohabiting partnerships (§ 14(2)). From the age of 14, the child can inspect the records on the donor (§ 20(2)). The clinic keeps them for 30 years and then hands them over to the provincial governor (Landeshauptmann) (§ 15(3)). An anonymous donation is therefore not possible.

§ 16(2) FMedG prohibits brokering sperm and any advertising for it. For Austria, we therefore show only which clinics have their own donors or which bank they obtain sperm from, without a recommendation and without an option to order, and only publicly stated treatment prices. The IVF Fund (IVF-Fonds) does not pay for donor sperm, and inseminations are not covered by the IVF Fund Act (IVF-Fonds-Gesetz) at all. With a medical indication under that act, however, it covers a share of the costs of IVF or ICSI. For more, see cost coverage.

The list is not complete. Other clinics treat with donor sperm without publishing where they obtain it.

Switzerland

In Switzerland, donated sperm may be used only for married couples (Art. 3(3) of the Federal Act on Medically Assisted Reproduction, Fortpflanzungsmedizingesetz, FMedG), and since July 1, 2022 also for married female couples. The mother's wife is then deemed the second parent (Art. 255a of the Swiss Civil Code, Zivilgesetzbuch, ZGB). Single women and unmarried couples are excluded. The Federal Council (Bundesrat) wants to open sperm donation to unmarried couples and is having a draft prepared for the consultation procedure by the end of 2026. This is not current law.

According to the National Ethics Commission (2019), there were no independent sperm banks in Switzerland, and the professional society SGRM lists eight sperm donation centers. Donated sperm may go only to persons holding a permit for reproductive procedures (Art. 20(1)), so not to private individuals. A donor may donate at only one facility and may be used for at most eight children (Art. 19(2), Art. 22(2)). When donors are matched, only blood type and similarity of outward appearance count (Art. 22(4)). From the age of 18, the child can request information from the Federal Civil Status Office (Art. 27), and anonymous donations are prohibited.

Basic health insurance (Grundversicherung) pays for inseminations for at most three cycles per pregnancy, but not for IVF (Annex 1 of the Health Care Benefits Ordinance, Krankenpflege-Leistungsverordnung, KLV). For donor sperm, OVA IVF Clinic in Zurich writes that the insurer does not pay, and CHUV in Lausanne states its price for the case that the insurer does not pay. Clarify the costs in advance with the clinic and your health insurer.

What to look for when choosing a sperm bank

Donor profiles. Erlanger Samenbank sends a proposal list of three to six profiles within at most four weeks and deliberately does without photos and marketing in the style of an online shop. Cryobank München intentionally has no catalog, and Berliner Samenbank and SEJ do not show their donors online. European Sperm Bank, by contrast, offers profiles with baby photos, family history, hobbies, and details on voice type, and Cryos shows adult photos for €125 plus VAT for three months.

Family limit. There is no statutory cap in Germany. AKDI recommends at most 15 families per sperm donor, a voluntary recommendation from an association whose board consists mostly of sperm bank operators. SEJ and Sperm Bank Germany state 15 families as their limit, and at European Sperm Bank and Born, up to 75 families apply worldwide. Austria allows three families per donor, Switzerland eight children.

Sibling reservation. For a further child from the same donor, you can reserve samples for a fee: at Berliner Samenbank for €100 per half year, at Cryobank München up to six straws for €400 per year, at Cryostore up to six portions for €297.50 for twelve months. Erlanger Samenbank allows reorders from the same donor after a confirmed pregnancy, as long as there is stock.

Delivery and timing. Erlanger Samenbank supplies about 55 cooperating clinics, Sperm Bank Germany over 80 clinics, and Born only partner clinics. Ask your clinic which banks it works with. Berliner Samenbank needs about four weeks for the selection list, and at Cryobank München, selection and shipping together take about three weeks.

Target groups. Eight of the nine banks in the table serve single women and female couples, according to their own statements or according to AKDI. MAYA Sperm Bank does not, according to AKDI. Your clinic must also offer the treatment, and no one is obliged to do so (§ 10 of the Embryo Protection Act, Embryonenschutzgesetz).

Testing and registry. The required measures include tests for HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, and chlamydia, plus a quarantine of at least 180 days (TPG Tissue Ordinance, TPG-Gewebeverordnung). The banks handle genetic testing differently. With foreign banks, make sure the donor is approved for Germany as ID release.

How treatment with donor sperm works

1. Choose a clinic: It must offer donor sperm and treat you as a single woman, female couple, or couple. You can find clinics in the clinic directory, and the Fertility Clinic Finder helps you get your bearings.
2. Choose the bank and donor: together with the clinic, depending on the bank via a proposal list, a conversation, or online profiles.
3. Order: The clinic places the order, and the bank sends the samples there deep-frozen.
4. Treatment: depending on your starting point, an insemination (IUI), IVF, or ICSI. How an IUI works is explained under IUI treatment.
5. After the birth: In Germany, you inform the clinic no later than three months afterward, and it reports the data to the sperm donor registry.

You can find all the steps in detail in the sperm donation guide.

What does donor sperm cost?

familienplanung.de gives €700 to over €1,000 per sperm sample and €150 to over €300 for shipping. The price lists of six German banks come to €864 to €2,476.30 for a first insemination. Treatment comes on top: according to Erlanger Samenbank, about €200 to €400 per insemination cycle and €2,000 to €4,000 per IVF or ICSI cycle. Health insurance funds do not contribute to the cost of donor sperm. For tax purposes, the Federal Fiscal Court (Bundesfinanzhof) recognized the treatment costs including the donor sperm as an extraordinary burden, in the decided case for an infertile woman in a same-sex partnership. A prerequisite, among other things, is that the treatment is consistent with the guidelines of the professional codes of conduct for physicians (VI R 47/15). For single women, there is so far only one ruling, by the Münster Fiscal Court (Finanzgericht Münster) from 2020, which recognized the costs, and the appeal to the Federal Fiscal Court was allowed (1 K 3722/18 E). For more, see donor sperm cost, deducting fertility treatment costs from your taxes, and cost coverage.

The law in brief

Since July 1, 2018, Germany's Sperm Donor Register Act has governed sperm donation in medically assisted fertilization, and the donor data are kept at the BfArM for 110 years. The donor cannot be established as the father if the child was conceived through medically assisted fertilization in a medical care facility with sperm from a sperm bank (§ 1600d(4) of the German Civil Code, BGB). This does not apply to a private sperm donation. No law excludes single women or female couples; with female couples, the second mother so far becomes a parent only through stepchild adoption. Details in the sperm donation guide.

Frequently asked questions

What does a sperm bank cost?

You pay for the samples, shipping, and, depending on the bank, one-time fees. For a first insemination, the published prices of six German banks come to €864 to €2,476.30, see the worked example above. The treatment at the fertility clinic comes on top, and statutory health insurance does not pay for donor sperm. All items are explained in the article Donor sperm cost.

Which sperm banks are there in Germany?

With headquarters or laboratory in Germany: Berliner Samenbank and SEJ Samenbank Berlin, Erlanger Samenbank, Cryobank München, Sperm Bank Germany in Düsseldorf, Cryostore in Essen, 77 35 Kryobank and the laboratory of European Sperm Bank in Hamburg, as well as MAYA Sperm Bank in Hürth near Cologne. In addition, there are clinics with their own donor bank in Saarbrücken, Ludwigsburg, and Bochum. From Denmark, Cryos and Born Donor Bank also deliver to German clinics.

Can single women get donor sperm from a sperm bank?

In Germany, yes. No law excludes single women, and eight of the nine banks in our table serve them. The exception is MAYA Sperm Bank, according to AKDI. Of the clinics with their own donor bank, Samenbank Ludwigsburg does not release samples to single women. Your fertility clinic must also treat single women. In Austria and Switzerland, this is not permitted. More in the sperm donation guide for single women.

Can I order donor sperm to my home?

Not from a German sperm bank: It may release sperm only to medical care facilities, otherwise a fine of up to €30,000 applies (§ 3(1), § 12 SaRegG). European Sperm Bank does not deliver to private addresses, and Born only to clinics. Important: The donor's protection from a paternity determination under § 1600d(4) BGB requires medically assisted fertilization in a medical care facility, and according to the wording of the law, it does not apply to an insemination at home. In Austria and Switzerland, sperm may likewise go only to clinics. More on the risks in the article on at-home insemination.

How do I find a sperm bank in Berlin?

Berliner Samenbank and SEJ Samenbank Berlin are based in Berlin, and prices and shipping costs are in the table above. You do not pick up the sperm yourself: Your fertility clinic orders it, and the bank has it brought there. Berlin clinics can also use sperm from banks in other cities or from Denmark. You can find clinics with donor sperm under Sperm bank by city.

How do I find a suitable sperm donor?

At a sperm bank, you choose the donor, depending on the bank, from a proposal list, in a conversation, or from online profiles, and your clinic then orders the samples. The testing and quarantine of a sperm bank do not apply to donors found privately, and the donor can be established as the father. According to the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof), a private donor who handed over sperm in a cup can also contest an existing paternity. More on the cup method and private sperm donation.

Will the child find out who the donor is?

Yes, if the child wants to. In Germany, every child conceived since July 1, 2018 through medically assisted fertilization with sperm from a sperm bank has a right to information from the sperm donor registry at the BfArM. There is no minimum age, and from age 16, only the child itself can assert the claim. Parents have no right of their own to the donor's identity. For a child under 16, however, they can assert the claim as legal representatives if the child has the necessary maturity. The donor is informed four weeks before the information is given. In Austria, the child can inspect the records from age 14, in Switzerland from age 18.

What is the difference between ID release and non-ID?

An ID-release donor agrees that the child can later learn the donor's identity, at Cryos, for example, from the child's 18th birthday. With a non-ID donor, the bank does not release the identity. In Germany, only ID-release donors are an option because the data must go into the sperm donor registry, and information is then provided through the BfArM. In Austria and Switzerland, an anonymous donation is likewise excluded. Since January 2025, European Sperm Bank has accepted only ID-release donors as new donors.

Sources

Sperm banks in Germany

• Trying to conceive: prices, Berliner Samenbank, price sheet in effect since November 24, 2023, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Donor-conceived children, Berliner Samenbank, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Fertio Group acquires Berliner Samenbank, press release by European Sperm Bank, March 19, 2026
• Process and costs, SEJ Samenbank Berlin, retrieved October 4, 2026
• FAQ, SEJ Samenbank Berlin, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Home page, SEJ Samenbank Berlin, retrieved October 4, 2026
• For physicians, SEJ Samenbank Berlin, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Cost of a treatment, Erlanger Samenbank, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Course of a treatment, Erlanger Samenbank, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Home page with partner clinics, Erlanger Samenbank, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Wished-for child from abroad, Erlanger Samenbank, May 2026
• Price list 2026, Cryobank München, as of 2026
• Sperm donor selection, Cryobank München, retrieved October 4, 2026
• At the fertility clinic of your choice, Cryobank München, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Costs, Sperm Bank Germany, prices since April 1, 2026
• Trying to conceive with donor sperm, Sperm Bank Germany, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Home page, Sperm Bank Germany, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Costs, Cryostore, price list valid from October 1, 2022
• Finding a sperm donor, 77 35 Kryobank, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Prices for donor sperm, European Sperm Bank, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Donor profiles, European Sperm Bank, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Family Limits, European Sperm Bank, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Contact, European Sperm Bank, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Sperm banks, Working Group for Donor Insemination (AKDI), retrieved October 4, 2026
• Recommendation on the family limit, AKDI, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Association and board, AKDI, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Donor sperm, IVF-SAAR Saarbrücken, retrieved October 4, 2026
• From the wish for a baby to a wished-for child, Samenbank Ludwigsburg, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Sperm bank, VITRO-MED Bochum, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Sperm bank, Kryobank Köln, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Sperm donation, Freya IVF Hagen, retrieved October 4, 2026

Sperm banks in Denmark

• Prices and payment, Cryos International, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Shipping and delivery, Cryos International, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Donor sperm from Cryos: 8 questions and answers, Cryos International, retrieved October 4, 2026
• ID release and non-ID release sperm donors, Cryos International, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Basic profile or extended profile, Cryos International, retrieved October 4, 2026
• No ID Release and ID Release sperm donors, European Sperm Bank, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Donor sperm prices, European Sperm Bank, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Ordering and shipment, European Sperm Bank, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Donor profile information, European Sperm Bank, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Our story, Fertio, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Prices, Born Donor Bank, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Home page with family limits, Born Donor Bank, retrieved October 4, 2026
• SellmerDiers is now Born, Born Donor Bank, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Partner clinics, Born Donor Bank, retrieved October 4, 2026
• FAQ, Born Donor Bank, retrieved October 4, 2026

Law and costs in Germany

• Sperm Donor Register Act (SaRegG), Federal Ministry of Justice, last amended May 12, 2026
• § 1600d BGB, Federal Ministry of Justice, retrieved October 4, 2026
• § 27a SGB V, Federal Ministry of Justice, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Embryo Protection Act, Federal Ministry of Justice, retrieved October 4, 2026
• TPG Tissue Ordinance, Annex 4, Federal Ministry of Justice, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Sperm donor registry, Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), retrieved October 4, 2026
• FAQ sperm donor registry, BfArM, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Parentage law, Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Taupitz J: Donor insemination, Hesse Medical Journal 09/2021, Hesse State Medical Association
• BGH XII ZR 49/11, press release 89/2013, Federal Court of Justice, May 15, 2013
• BFH VI R 47/15, judgment of October 5, 2017, Federal Fiscal Court
• Assisted reproduction of a single woman (1 K 3722/18 E), press release, Münster Fiscal Court, August 3, 2020
• Sperm donation, familienplanung.de (Federal Institute for Public Health), January 7, 2026

Austria

• Reproductive Medicine Act (FMedG), Federal Legal Information System (RIS), version of October 4, 2026
• We would like a baby (IVF Fund), Austrian Ministry of Social Affairs, as of July 25, 2025
• Parliamentary Correspondence No. 917, motion 496/A, Austrian Parliament, October 17, 2025
• Sperm donation, egg freezing, and egg sharing, Kinderwunsch Institut Dr. Schenk, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Sperm or egg donation, Kinderwunschzentrum an der Wien, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Sperm bank, Wunschbaby Institut Feichtinger Baden, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Sperm bank, Babywunsch-Klinik Dr. Zajc, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Home page, Tiny Feet Kinderwunschkliniken, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Fertility, LKH-Univ. Klinikum Graz, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Sperm donation, Next Fertility IVF Prof. Zech Bregenz, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Costs, Next Fertility IVF Prof. Zech, valid from April 1, 2025
• Sperm donation, Kinderwunschklinik Dr. Pavlik, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Sperm donation, Kinderwunschzentrum Döbling, retrieved October 4, 2026

Switzerland

• Federal Act on Medically Assisted Reproduction (FMedG, SR 810.11), Fedlex, as of August 1, 2025
• Swiss Civil Code (ZGB), Fedlex, as of July 1, 2026
• FAQ marriage for all, Federal Office of Justice, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Marriage for all, Federal Department of Justice and Police, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Donor data registry, Federal Office of Justice, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Federal Council decides key parameters for the authorization of egg donation, Federal Office of Public Health, January 30, 2025
• Opinion No. 32/2019 on sperm donation, National Ethics Commission in the Field of Human Medicine, December 12, 2019
• KLV Annex 1, Federal Office of Public Health, edition of July 1, 2026
• Sperm donor centers, Swiss Society for Reproductive Medicine (SGRM), retrieved October 4, 2026
• fertisuisse, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Insemination with donor sperm, OVA IVF Clinic Zurich, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Costs, OVA IVF Clinic Zurich, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Sperm donation, CHUV Lausanne, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Costs, CHUV Lausanne, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Insemination with donor sperm, CPMA Lausanne, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Fertility brochure, University Hospital Basel, September 2020
• IVF expertise, Lindenhofgruppe Bern, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Seed bank, EOC Centro cantonale di fertilità Locarno, retrieved October 4, 2026
• Tariff sheet ODL_I-ENDO-046, EOC Locarno, undated
• Treatments for female couples, Next Fertility Procrea Lugano, retrieved October 4, 2026