About Surrogacy Beyond Borders

Who we are

Surrogacy Beyond Borders is an independent information and consultation service for intended parents who are seriously considering surrogacy outside their home country. We publish destination guides, explain legal and medical risks in plain language, and offer a free first consultation to help families narrow down options that are lawful and realistic for them.

We built this site because the information intended parents need is scattered across foreign-language statutes, court rulings, consular guidance and clinic marketing. Laws change, sometimes within months, and families often learn about a problem only when they try to bring their baby home. Our aim is to put the current position, the primary source and the date we checked it side by side, so you can make decisions with your own lawyers rather than on the strength of a sales pitch.

If you are just starting out, our overview of surrogacy abroad and the destination comparison are the best places to begin.

How we work

We work in three stages: free information on this site, a free no-obligation consultation, and — only if you choose — introductions to independent clinics, lawyers and agencies we have vetted. You remain the decision-maker throughout, you contract directly with any provider, and you can stop at any point without cost.

1. Research. Every destination page shows who is eligible, the legal basis, typical cost ranges and the date the law was last verified, with links to primary sources.
2. Free consultation. A 30-minute video call to understand your situation — relationship status, home country, medical history in broad terms, budget and timeline — and to discuss which destinations may or may not be open to you.
3. Introductions (optional). If you want them, we introduce you to providers that meet our clinic and doctor vetting standards. You contract with them directly. We always recommend that you also take independent legal advice in your home country.
4. Ongoing support. Free help with your questions while you compare providers. We do not manage programmes.

For a fuller picture of what an international journey involves, read our step-by-step process guide, and for questions to ask any provider, see how to choose an international surrogacy agency.

How we are paid

We believe intended parents should know exactly who pays us before they act on anything we say. Every source of income is listed below. If a provider pays us an introduction fee, we tell you before the introduction, state the amount or the basis for it, and state that the provider has confirmed in writing that our fee is not added to your bill.

Our commitments on money:

• Referral fees, if any, are paid by the provider. We require every partner to confirm in writing that our fee is not added to your bill.
• Payment does not buy a place in our guides, a better rating, or a destination recommendation. Our editorial policy explains how we keep commercial and editorial decisions separate.
• We will tell you if we have no relationship with any provider in a destination you are considering, and we will still help you assess it.
• We never hold intended parents' programme funds.

What we do not do

We do not give legal or medical advice, promise outcomes, work in places where surrogacy would be unlawful or unsafe, pressure anyone — intended parents or surrogates — into decisions, or take part in cash or undocumented payment arrangements. These limits protect you, the surrogate and, above all, the child.

• No legal advice. We explain the law and link to primary sources, but we are not your lawyers. Contracts, parentage and citizenship need advice from lawyers qualified in the destination and in your home country.
• No medical advice. Clinical decisions belong to you and your doctors. See our medical disclaimer.
• No guarantees. We never promise a pregnancy, a live birth, a timeline, a fixed total cost, a court order or a passport. Anyone who does should be treated with caution.
• No work where it would be unlawful or unsafe. We do not arrange or promote programmes where surrogacy is prohibited for your profile, where your home country penalises the arrangement, or where there is active conflict. For example, we do not arrange programmes in Ukraine while the war continues; our Ukraine status update explains why and covers alternatives.
• No pressure on surrogates. We do not recruit surrogates through financial pressure, do not work with providers that restrict a surrogate's movement or medical choices, and support a surrogate's right to independent legal advice and to make decisions about her own body during pregnancy.
• No cash or off-the-books arrangements. We will not take part in, or introduce you to providers who propose, cash payments, undocumented side payments, or arrangements designed to avoid courts, consulates or tax authorities.
• No misleading documents. We will never help anyone misrepresent who gave birth or who the genetic parents are on any birth, court or immigration document.

Our ethics commitments

We put the welfare of the surrogate and the rights of the child at the centre of every recommendation. We use the Verona Principles, published by International Social Service in 2021, as a reference point for children's rights, and we expect providers we work with to meet clear standards on consent, medical care, compensation and legal representation for surrogates.

The Principles for the protection of the rights of the child born through surrogacy (opens in new tab) (the "Verona Principles") were published by International Social Service in February 2021 after consultation with a large group of experts. They are guidance for states and other stakeholders, not binding law. We use them as one benchmark alongside the law of each country.

In practice, our commitments are:

• Surrogate welfare. Surrogates should give informed consent without coercion, have independent legal advice paid for by the programme, receive appropriate medical and psychological screening and support, have health and life insurance where available, and be compensated or reimbursed transparently in line with local law.
• The child's rights. We focus on routes that give the child a secure legal parentage and nationality from birth, and we encourage intended parents to keep records that preserve the child's access to information about their origins, including donor and surrogate information where the law allows.
• Medical safety. We favour clinics that follow single embryo transfer policies and publish verifiable outcomes. Read more about our clinic and doctor standards.
• Honest framing. We describe both the benefits and the ethical debates around cross-border surrogacy. Our article on whether international surrogacy is ethical sets out the arguments on all sides.

Editorial standards

Every legal claim on this site is checked against a primary source — legislation, a court ruling or government guidance — and dated. Independent legal and medical review is being set up, and a reviewer is named on a page only once they have reviewed it. Legal facts are re-checked at least quarterly, and monthly where legislation or court cases are pending.

Our full editorial policy covers our source hierarchy, review process, update schedule, how we estimate costs, how we use AI tools, and how to report an error.

Our team

Our content is written by the Surrogacy Beyond Borders editorial team, and your enquiry is handled by our client consultants. We are appointing independent legal and medical reviewers. A reviewer is named on a page only once they have reviewed it, and we do not publish credentials we cannot verify.

• Client consultants answer enquiries and run the free consultation.
• Editorial team researches, writes and updates every guide, and signs off content separately from any commercial agreement.

Contact and complaints

Surrogacy Beyond Borders is an independent surrogacy consultation and referral service. You can reach us through our enquiry form, and you can complain to us at any time.

• Complaints: use our contact form and write "Complaint" at the start of your message. We acknowledge complaints within 2 working days and send a full reply within 14 days.

To talk to us, use our contact and free consultation page.