Federal Law No. (7) of 2019 Concerning Medically Assisted Reproduction
Federal Law No. (7) of 2019
The law regulates assisted reproductive technology and fertility centres in the UAE, including licensing, treatment eligibility, consent, permitted and prohibited techniques, preservation of gametes/embryos, confidentiality, research, professional duties, inspection and penalties.
Overview
What this legislation covers
The law regulates assisted reproductive technology and fertility centres in the UAE, including licensing, treatment eligibility, consent, permitted and prohibited techniques, preservation of gametes/embryos, confidentiality, research, professional duties, inspection and penalties.
Who or what it applies to
- Licensed fertility/assisted-reproduction centres in the UAE.
- Patients and other legally relevant parties receiving assisted reproduction services.
- Physicians, embryologists, laboratory professionals and centre staff.
- Federal and local Health Authorities and inspectors.
- Research involving reproductive cells/material where permitted.
Key points
Important points at a glance
Issued on 19 December 2019 and published in Official Gazette No. 669.
The law regulates medically assisted reproduction and fertility-centre licensing across the UAE, including free zones after the 2023 amendment.
Federal Decree-Law No. (17) of 2023 amended major provisions of the 2019 law.
Each Emirate may have local legislation, with the federal law applying within the amended federal allocation of powers.
Requires a health-authority licence to establish, operate or manage a covered fertility centre.
Regulates centre categories, facilities, medical/technical staff and operating requirements.
Requires informed written consent before assisted-reproduction procedures.
Sets eligibility and medical-assessment requirements for treatment.
Contains detailed prohibitions on third-party fertilisation and other unauthorised uses of reproductive material.
Regulates preservation, use and disposal of sperm, eggs and fertilised eggs/embryos.
Sets statutory limits/controls for preservation periods and renewal where permitted.
Regulates research and experiments involving reproductive material and prohibits specified activities.
Requires confidentiality and secure handling of patient/reproductive data.
Authorises regulator inspection and judicial enforcement mechanisms.
Cabinet Resolution No. (64) of 2020 is the Executive Regulation and is active as amended.
Current clinical practice must use the 2023 amended law, current Executive Regulation and Health Authority fertility-centre standards.
Practical explanation
Understanding the law
Purpose and practical effect
The law regulates assisted reproductive technology and fertility centres in the UAE, including licensing, treatment eligibility, consent, permitted and prohibited techniques, preservation of gametes/embryos, confidentiality, research, professional duties, inspection and penalties.
Who and what the law applies to
- Licensed fertility/assisted-reproduction centres in the UAE.
- Patients and other legally relevant parties receiving assisted reproduction services.
- Physicians, embryologists, laboratory professionals and centre staff.
- Federal and local Health Authorities and inspectors.
- Research involving reproductive cells/material where permitted.
Important definitions
- Medically Assisted Reproduction: regulated medical techniques used to achieve pregnancy outside ordinary natural conception.
- Centre: a licensed facility providing assisted reproduction/fertility services.
- Health Authority: the competent federal/local authority regulating health services.
- Reproductive Material: sperm, ova and fertilised ova/embryos as regulated by the law.
- Consent: informed written agreement required under the law for relevant treatment and preservation steps.
Main rights, duties and legal consequences
- Patients are entitled to information, consent processes, confidentiality and treatment in licensed centres.
- Centres must follow authorised techniques and approved clinical standards.
- Reproductive samples may be used, preserved or disposed of only within the legal framework.
- Health Authorities may inspect centres and enforce licensing/clinical compliance.
Practical compliance / procedure checklist
- Confirm the centre holds the appropriate current fertility-centre licence.
- Complete medical assessment and verify treatment eligibility.
- Obtain the required written informed consent before each regulated procedure.
- Use only approved techniques and comply with embryo-transfer/preservation controls.
- Maintain secure laboratory traceability and confidentiality.
- Document storage-renewal and disposal decisions in accordance with the amended law.
- Apply Federal Decree-Law No. (17) of 2023 and the current version of Cabinet Resolution No. (64) of 2020.
- Check Emirate-specific Health Authority standards before treatment.
Important dates and deadlines
- Issued: 19 December 2019.
- Official Gazette: No. 669.
- The law's commencement clause is tied to Official Gazette publication; the exact calendar effective date is intentionally not entered here because secondary metadata reviewed was not sufficiently consistent.
- Storage/preservation and consent-renewal periods are specific to the amended statute and should be checked directly in a live treatment case.
- Executive Regulation No. (64) of 2020 became effective on 16 October 2020 and has one recorded amendment.
Enforcement and legal exposure
Assisted reproduction is a highly regulated clinical area. Unlicensed operation, prohibited fertilisation arrangements, unlawful handling of reproductive material, confidentiality breaches or unauthorised research may create serious administrative, professional and criminal exposure. Clinical decisions require the exact current law and Health Authority standards.
Practical scenarios
- A fertility centre must confirm its licence and staff approvals before adding a new assisted-reproduction technique.
- A patient consent signed for one procedure should not be assumed to cover later preservation or different treatment steps.
- Frozen reproductive material must be handled under current statutory storage/renewal/disposal rules.
- A research project involving fertilised ova requires the specific approvals and must not fall within prohibited research categories.
Current-law interaction
Federal Decree-Law No. (17) of 2023 amended major provisions of the 2019 law, including scope, eligibility/consent, techniques, preservation and enforcement. Cabinet Resolution No. (64) of 2020 is active as amended.
Research status
Legal-status and source verification for this package was carried out on 2026-09-07. UAE federal legislation often operates together with Cabinet resolutions, Executive Regulations, ministerial decisions, local Health/competent-authority rules and later amendments. The current official source should be rechecked before a live filing, licence application, clinical decision, enforcement step or court submission.
Practical notes
- Use the current official Arabic text for interpretation and application; the English package is a structured legal-information rendering.
- Verify the latest consolidated law, Executive Regulation, Cabinet/ministerial decisions and relevant Emirate-level rules immediately before case-specific reliance.
- Exact penalties, thresholds, exceptions, consent rules and procedural deadlines must be checked against the current article and implementing instrument.
- The supplied cover artwork is editorial artwork and does not constitute an official UAE Government publication or legal-status certificate.
Legislation text
Text and provisions
Official-text notice. This file is a comprehensive structured English legal-information rendering based on the sources listed in this package. It is not represented as the controlling verbatim English text. The official Arabic text prevails for interpretation and application. Exact offences, penalties, thresholds, exceptions, licences, consent requirements and deadlines must be checked against the current official article and implementing instrument.
Federal Law No. (7) of 2019 Concerning Medically Assisted Reproduction
Verified legislative metadata
| Instrument | Federal Law No. (7) of 2019 |
|---|---|
| Issued | 2019-12-19 |
| Effective | Commencement rule verified; exact calendar date intentionally not entered |
| Status | Active / in force, as amended |
| Official Gazette | Official Gazette No. 669 |
| Official source | UAE legislation source |
Purpose and scope
The law regulates assisted reproductive technology and fertility centres in the UAE, including licensing, treatment eligibility, consent, permitted and prohibited techniques, preservation of gametes/embryos, confidentiality, research, professional duties, inspection and penalties.
Structured legislative map
Definitions and scope
Defines assisted reproduction, centres, reproductive material, health authority and related concepts.
Objectives and regulatory powers
Sets policy goals and gives health authorities licensing, supervision and enforcement functions.
Centre licensing
Requires authorisation for establishment, operation and management of fertility centres.
Clinical eligibility and consent
Regulates medical need/eligibility, documentation, counselling and written consent.
Permitted techniques
Allows only techniques approved under the statutory and regulatory framework.
Prohibited practices
Prohibits unauthorised third-party fertilisation, mixing/misuse of samples and other specified reproductive practices.
Gamete and embryo preservation
Regulates freezing, storage, renewal, use and disposal of sperm, ova and fertilised ova.
2023 amendments
Updated scope, free-zone application, consent, techniques, preservation and judicial-enforcement provisions.
Research and experiments
Restricts experiments/research and prohibits reproductive cloning, impermissible genetic selection and other specified activity.
Centre professional duties
Requires qualified staff, scientific/professional standards and quality/safety procedures.
Confidentiality and records
Requires protection of patient and sample data and reliable traceability.
Inspection and enforcement
Allows authority inspection and judicial-officer action.
Penalties
Creates criminal/administrative consequences for serious unlawful reproductive practices or unlicensed operations.
Executive Regulation
Cabinet Resolution No. (64) of 2020, as amended, supplies detailed centre and clinical requirements.
Final provisions
Contains repeal, implementation and publication/commencement rules.
Key statutory points
- Issued on 19 December 2019 and published in Official Gazette No. 669.
- The law regulates medically assisted reproduction and fertility-centre licensing across the UAE, including free zones after the 2023 amendment.
- Federal Decree-Law No. (17) of 2023 amended major provisions of the 2019 law.
- Each Emirate may have local legislation, with the federal law applying within the amended federal allocation of powers.
- Requires a health-authority licence to establish, operate or manage a covered fertility centre.
- Regulates centre categories, facilities, medical/technical staff and operating requirements.
- Requires informed written consent before assisted-reproduction procedures.
- Sets eligibility and medical-assessment requirements for treatment.
- Contains detailed prohibitions on third-party fertilisation and other unauthorised uses of reproductive material.
- Regulates preservation, use and disposal of sperm, eggs and fertilised eggs/embryos.
- Sets statutory limits/controls for preservation periods and renewal where permitted.
- Regulates research and experiments involving reproductive material and prohibits specified activities.
- Requires confidentiality and secure handling of patient/reproductive data.
- Authorises regulator inspection and judicial enforcement mechanisms.
- Cabinet Resolution No. (64) of 2020 is the Executive Regulation and is active as amended.
- Current clinical practice must use the 2023 amended law, current Executive Regulation and Health Authority fertility-centre standards.
Amendments and interaction with other legislation
Federal Decree-Law No. (17) of 2023 amended major provisions of the 2019 law, including scope, eligibility/consent, techniques, preservation and enforcement. Cabinet Resolution No. (64) of 2020 is active as amended.
Legal-reading rule
This package is designed for website publication, internal research and client-facing orientation. It maps the law's operative subject matter and current regulatory context, but a paraphrase cannot replace the statutory wording. Where the outcome depends on a defined term, licence category, medical condition, consent requirement, penalty, exception, transition rule or deadline, open the current Arabic article and the relevant Executive Regulation or competent-authority decision before relying on it.
Verification
Official source & references
Official legislation sourcehttps://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1438Open ↗Official Gazette: Official Gazette No. 669
This page is a research and educational resource. Legislation can be amended, repealed, supplemented by regulations or interpreted by courts and authorities. Obtain advice before relying on it for a live matter.