In this guide
UK legal framework: what you need to know
In the UK, all sperm donors used through HFEA-licensed clinics must be registered with the HFEA. Anonymous donation has not been permitted since 1 April 2005; donor-conceived people can ask for their donor's name, date of birth and last known address when they turn 18.
This is known as an identity-release or open-ID system. Donors are not anonymous, but contact is not obligatory in either direction. Clinics and sperm banks refer to UK-compliant donors as 'open-ID' or 'ID release' donors.
You can use an overseas sperm bank, but a UK clinic will only accept donors who meet UK rules, including agreeing to be identifiable when your child turns 18. Your clinic will tell you which banks it works with.
What information is available about donors
Banks publish a profile for each donor. What it contains varies by bank, and commonly includes:
- Physical characteristics: height, weight, eye colour, hair colour, ethnicity
- Education and occupation
- Motivations for donating (a personal statement)
- Medical and genetic history (screening is required before donation)
- CMV (cytomegalovirus) status
- Family availability. In the UK a donor can be used for up to 10 families, not counting their own. Donors from overseas banks may also have families abroad under that bank's own limit, so ask the bank what its global limit is. Banks usually sell UK family slots rather than showing a live count.
- Extended profiles at some banks include audio messages, staff impressions and childhood photographs
What you do not get: contact details or anything about the donor's current life. From 18 your child can request the donor's name, date of birth and last known address. Neither side has to make contact.
Sperm banks operating in the UK
You can use a UK bank or an overseas bank that ships to the UK. The main differences are cost, donor pool size and the depth of profile information available.
Examples, not recommendations; not exhaustive. Donor sperm costs roughly £1,000–£1,800 a vial at UK-facing banks, plus VAT on imports, a family-slot or reservation fee and shipping (bank price lists, September 2026). Compare banks' total costs, including slot and shipping fees.
- London Sperm Bank (londonspermbank.com): UK bank. £1,800 for one vial, £4,860 for three, all sample types (price list, September 2026). No import step.
- European Sperm Bank (europeanspermbank.com): Danish bank. ID-release straws from €1,150 excluding VAT, plus 20% VAT on UK orders, a €550 UK pregnancy-slot fee and shipping (price list, September 2026).
- Cryos International (cryosinternational.com): Danish bank. Prices vary by donor profile; check the UK price list.
- Manchester Fertility (manchesterfertility.com): UK clinic with its own donor bank.
- California Cryobank (cryobank.com): US bank. Ask your clinic whether it accepts imports from it.
How to approach the selection
There is no single right way to choose. Some people approach it analytically; others react to profiles. A few things that help:
- Decide early which attributes matter to you and which do not; this prevents decision paralysis across hundreds of profiles
- Physical resemblance to you can make donor conception conversations with your child slightly easier, but is not essential
- The personal statement is often the most informative part of a profile
- CMV matching: if you are CMV negative, some clinics recommend a CMV-negative donor. Discuss with your consultant.
- Some people buy extra vials for a possible sibling. Ask about storage costs and whether unused vials can be sold back before deciding.
Sources
- HFEA, Donating your sperm (opens in a new tab)
- HFEA, FAQs for donors, donor-conceived people and their parents (opens in a new tab)
- London Sperm Bank, sample types and prices (read September 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- European Sperm Bank, donor sperm prices (read September 2026) (opens in a new tab)
Last reviewed 13 September 2026. General information, not medical or financial advice. Your clinic and a regulated adviser can advise on your situation.