Surrogacy doctors abroad: how we vet clinics and doctors

How we vet doctors and clinics

We start with the basics that are easiest to fake and most important to check: is the doctor registered and in good standing with the national or regional regulator, and is the clinic licensed for assisted reproduction? We check both against official registers ourselves, record the date, and give you the link to re-check.

1. Identity and registration. Full legal name, registration or licence number, and the regulator that issued it, checked on the regulator's public register.
2. Specialist qualification. Evidence of specialist training in obstetrics and gynecology or reproductive medicine, and any board certification, checked with the issuing body where possible.
3. Clinic licence. Confirmation that the clinic holds the licence required for IVF and embryo storage in that country.
4. Disciplinary history. Any sanctions shown on the public register, or reported by the regulator.
5. Medical practice standards. Policies on embryo transfer, genetic testing, surrogate care and outcome reporting (see below).
6. Date and re-check. We record the date of each check and repeat it at least every 12 months.

Official registers by country

Each country regulates doctors and fertility clinics differently. The table lists the official registers we use for the destinations we cover. Some are searchable online by name or number; where we could not confirm a public online search, we say so and explain what to ask for instead.

Registers and websites change. If a link no longer works, search the regulator's name or let us know through our corrections process.

What we look for in a clinic

Beyond registration, we look for clinics whose medical choices protect the surrogate and the baby, and who are honest about results. That means a default single embryo transfer policy, transparency about genetic testing of embryos, outcome figures that are published and clearly defined, and proper care and consent processes for surrogates and donors.

• Single embryo transfer (SET) policy. Multiple pregnancy raises risks for surrogates and babies. We favour clinics that transfer one embryo by default and explain their exceptions in writing.
• PGT-A transparency. Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) is offered widely, but professional bodies have cautioned that its benefit is not established for all patients. Clinics should explain the evidence, the cost, the laboratory used and the risk of discarding embryos that could have developed normally — not sell it as a guarantee.
• Published, defined outcomes. Live birth rates per embryo transfer, by age group and egg source, with the year and number of cycles. We treat unpublished or undefined "success rates" with caution.
• Surrogate care. Independent medical and psychological screening, informed consent in the surrogate's own language, insurance and clear protocols for pregnancy complications.
• Donor practices. Lawful donor recruitment, limits on the number of families per donor, and records that preserve the child's access to information where the law allows.
• Laboratory quality. Accreditation or external quality assessment where available, and willingness to share embryology lab details.

For the medical side of the journey, see our guide to gestational surrogacy. For how doctors fit into a whole programme, read the international surrogacy process guide.

Questions to ask any doctor

A good fertility doctor will welcome these questions and answer them clearly in writing. If a clinic avoids them, guarantees results, or pressures you to transfer more than one embryo, treat that as a warning sign and consider other options.

1. Registration. What is your registration number, and which regulator holds it?
2. Experience. How many gestational surrogacy cycles have you managed for intended parents from abroad in the last three years?
3. Outcomes. What is your clinic's live birth rate per transfer for my age group or egg source, for which year, and is it published?
4. Embryo transfer. What is your policy on the number of embryos transferred, and who decides?
5. Surrogate care. Who is the surrogate's obstetrician, where will she give birth, and what happens if complications arise?

Our guide to choosing an international surrogacy agency covers the equivalent questions for agencies and lawyers.

Doctor profiles

We are preparing verified profiles of fertility doctors in our destination countries. Each will show the doctor's registration number with a link to the official register, the clinic, specialisms and languages, and outcome figures only where they are published and verifiable. No doctor pays to be profiled.