The one thing worth knowing
Level 1 or Level 2?
Every fertility clinic in India is registered at one of two levels. The difference is not paperwork. It decides whether IVF can legally happen in that building.
IUI means prepared sperm placed in the womb. IVF means an egg fertilised outside the body.
What the rule says
The ART (Regulation) Rules, 2022 create two levels of clinic. Rule 3, in full, for the part that matters:
(i) Level 1 ART Clinics, where only intrauterine insemination (IUI) procedure is carried out as part of treatment;
(ii) Level 2 ART clinics, where the procedures… that attempt to obtain a pregnancy shall be carried out by any or all of the following, namely: (a) surgical retrieval of gametes; (b) handling the oocyte outside the human body; (c) use sperms for fertilization of oocytes; (d) transfer of the embryo into the reproductive system of a woman; (e) carry out storage of gametes or embryos…
That is the whole distinction. Level 2 is the list of things IVF is made of. Level 1 is not allowed to do any of them.
The word that matters is “only”. A Level 1 clinic is not a smaller IVF clinic. It is an insemination clinic. If you are quoted for IVF, ICSI, egg freezing or embryo storage, the clinic must hold Level 2.
How India splits
On the national register as we read it:
What each level must have on staff
A level is not a plaque. It carries minimum staffing, set out in Schedule 1 of the Rules. These are the things you can ask about at the desk.
| Role | Level 1 | Level 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Gynaecologist | At least one, postgraduate in obstetrics and gynaecology | At least one, plus a record of 50 egg-retrieval procedures under supervision or a fellowship in reproductive medicine |
| Anaesthetist | Not required | Required. Postgraduate in anaesthesia |
| Embryologist | Not required | Required. Postgraduate in clinical embryology, or a PhD or medical degree with the experience the Rules specify |
| Counsellor | Not required | Required. Graduate in psychology, clinical psychology, nursing or life sciences |
What each level must have in the lab
Level 1 needs a microscope, a centrifuge and a refrigerator. Level 2 needs eleven things, including two incubators, laminar airflow, cryopreservation equipment, an ovum aspiration pump and an ultrasound machine with a transvaginal probe.
The gap between three items and eleven is the gap between placing sperm and growing an embryo. It is also why the registration fee differs: ₹50,000 for Level 1 and ₹2,00,000 for Level 2.
How to check a clinic
- Look it up here. Search the clinic and read the line at the top of its page.
- Ask to see the certificate. Rule 8 requires it to be displayed at a conspicuous place. It carries the level, the registration number and the date it runs to.
- Match the number. The registration number on the certificate should be the one on this site. If it differs, one of the two is out of date.
- Check the date. Registrations run five years. If the certificate expired, ask for the renewed one.
What a level does not tell you
It does not tell you whether the clinic is any good. It does not tell you its success rates, its prices, how many cycles it runs, whether the embryologist is the person you will meet, or how it treats people. A licence is a floor, not a recommendation.
It also does not cover surrogacy, which needs a separate registration under the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, or donor gametes, which need a registered ART bank. This register lists clinics, not banks.
The sources for this page
ART (Regulation) Rules, 2022: Rule 3 (levels), Rule 4 and Schedule 1 (staff), Rule 5 and Schedule, Part 2 (equipment), Rule 7 (fees), Rule 8 (certificate and display), Rule 11 (grievance cell). ART (Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2026: Rule 8A (renewal sixty days before expiry). Form 3 of the Rules is the certificate itself.