What is online sperm donation?
Online sperm donation works through donors and intended parents matching over the internet. There are several unique sperm donation apps, almost like dating apps, which have been set up for intended parents to find donors, and many social media platforms have groups set up for matching people together.
People often ask is ‘Is sperm donation legal in the UK?’. The answer is yes, absolutely, sperm donation is legal. Sperm donation laws in the UK mean that it is not illegal to make a private arrangement through an online forum or unlicensed clinic. Donors in these kinds of setups can be a ‘known donor’ or an ‘unknown donor’.
A known donor is sometimes a friend who you already have a relationship with, and donor and recipients together would decide the level of involvement the donor would have in the child’s life. The vast majority of online donors would be considered known donors. An unknown donor is one where the person is not known, and there is no existing relationship. Donors through licensed clinics are unknown donors.
In recent years, online sperm donation has risen in popularity because of the costs associated with going through a registered fertility clinic. According to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the number of children born from sperm donation has risen from 900 in 2006 to 2800 in 2019.
How does online sperm donation work under UK law?
HFEA regulates the process in the UK, and there are many licensed clinics across the country that can support prospective parents with their journey. Sperm donation processes done through a HFEA registered clinic are safe, as there are regulations, health checks and legal frameworks in place to protect donors, intended parents, and of course the child.
The popularity of sperm donation has increased to help single mothers by choice, and female same-sex couples to grow their family by welcoming a baby. However, online sperm donation comes with a number of risks as it is unregulated.
The legal impact
Online forums and sperm donation apps are not looked after by HFEA. This means that the process is not legally protected. In cases where a couple, or a single woman, has found a sperm donor, the birth mother would be the legal mother at birth, and if she was married her spouse. If she is unmarried then the known donor would be the legal father. This puts both parties at risk:
- The legal father can seek a relationship with the child, even if he is not named on the birth certificate
- The legal father can attempt to assert parental responsibility over the child, meaning he can make important decisions, for example about medical procedures
- The father could be liable for child maintenance payments should the other legal parent claim
Advice from one of our expert lawyers
Liza Gatrell, Managing Partner, based on in our family law office in Southampton explains:
“It’s really important to make sure you understand the legal implications if you’re going down the route of sperm donation to conceive a child. Although the cost is higher, the security for both you and your child is much greater if you proceed through a licensed clinic.
If you use a sperm donation app or online sperm donation, the donor father could be considered a legal parent. This could put you in a difficult position if they attempt to claim rights over the child.”
The medical impact
Going through online processing often means there is no proper health screening. Online donors may choose to give a medical history, but many don’t, and there is no way of forcing anyone to do so. This can put mothers and babies at risk of disease. Regulated processes screen for genetic issues and do a thorough medical history check on all donors.
Some online donors also suggest that ‘natural’ conception is the best way of ensuring a pregnancy. This can put women at risk of sexually transmitted infections.
The emotional impact
Fertility struggles can come with a huge emotional toll. Heterosexual couples may have been trying to conceive for years with no success. LGBTQ+ couples generally cannot conceive naturally themselves, and single mothers will also need donors. This can be difficult to process for many individuals who have seen themselves as parents, and for women who have envisioned pregnancies.
It can be a stressful and upsetting time, and trying to search for a donor online can add to this. Some individuals can find the process too overwhelming. There can also be negative and worrying experiences with donors who attempt to take advantage of people who are in very vulnerable emotional states. For example, by suggesting sex as the best form of conception, or by requesting involvement in the child’s life.
How does licensed sperm donation work in the UK?
The process involves a sperm donor giving their sperm to a licensed clinic for the purpose of IVF or IUI processes. The gametes are then used by heterosexual couples who are struggling with fertility issues, same-sex couples who need a donor, or single mothers by choice, to conceive a child.
This is ideally done through a licensed clinic, which can be found across the UK. It is important to seek one that is regulated by HFEA as there are safety measures in place that include screening requirements and a limit to the number of families that each donor can donate to. Sperm donors must be between 18 and 46, and they must be screened for a range of sexually transmitted and genetic diseases. This is to ensure the welfare of any potential child is protected, and minimises the risk of inherited medical conditions.
In licensed clinics, donor information is kept on record, so that the donor is identifiable to any children when they turn 18. Donors also have a right to ask whether any children have been conceived by their donation, but have no legal right to the contact information of the parents or the child.
Who is the legal parent of a child born through licensed sperm donation?
The legal parent of a child born through licensed sperm donation, i.e. the process was entirely managed through an HFEA clinic, will be the carrier of the child, i.e. the mother. If she’s married at the time the baby is born, her spouse/civil partner will be the other legal parent. If she isn’t married, her partner can still be added to the birth certificate to confirm legal parenthood if certain consent forms are completed. The donor will not be a legal parent, and won’t have any legal rights over the child.
Legal parenthood can be a complex matter in cases where other routes have been taken to conception, for example surrogacy and donor conception. It’s not often the first thing parents-to-be think about, but legally speaking there can be issues if the correct processes are not followed, which is why it’s so important to seek advice from a specialist family lawyer who has expertise in fertility law.
What is a Known Donor Agreement?
A Known Donor Agreement is a document drawn up between all the involved parties in a donation process where the parties are not using a registered fertility clinic. Involved parties would include:
- The donor
- The intended carrier
- The intended carrier’s partner, if she has one
- Other family members – if there are any who will be involved in supporting the pregnancy or birth, or caring for the child
Known Donor agreements are not legally binding, but they are a formal contract. They set out the expectations of all involved. These documents can explain the contact arrangements between the donor and the child (if there are to be any) and how and when the child will be told about their origins.
If you are using a HFEA registered clinic, you will not need a Known Donor Agreement as the donor will be unknown.
What are the rights of an unlicensed donor father?
Legally, if a man donates his sperm through a HFEA fertility clinic in the UK, he has no parental rights over any child born as a result of his donation. However, this is not necessarily the case.
A well-known donor, Robert Albon, who goes by the pseudonym ‘Joe Donor’ has, on multiple occasions, sought to have parental rights over the children he has fathered in the UK through online donation.
The most recent case, which saw a judgment handed down in April 2026, involved Albon seeking to be put on a child’s birth certificate by way of a parentage application to the Family Court. Because the donation was made privately via an online forum, the common law states that Albon was legally the child’s father. However, the mother and a guardian appointed by the court to represent the child’s interests disputed his legal rights.
The claim was overturned, despite the mother’s partner (who was identifying as a transgender male at the time of the birth) being illegally named on the child’s birth certificate as the father, on the basis that Albon’s claim was purely self-serving and not in the child’s best interests.
If you are thinking of sperm donation as a route to parenthood, the best thing to do is to get early legal advice to understand your rights as a parent, and the potential rights of any donor.
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