This surrogacy destination comparison puts every destination we cover on one page: who is eligible, the legal basis, typical all-in costs, timelines and how parentage works. Use your browser’s print option to save it as a PDF.
Each card summarizes one destination as of the “law last verified” date shown. “Yes” means the law or settled practice allows that profile; “Limited” means only under conditions; “Unclear” means the law is silent or contested; “No” means excluded. Costs are typical all-in ranges in US dollars, not quotes.
Surrogacy law changes quickly, and the right answer depends on both the destination and your home country. Before you sign anything, take this guide to a lawyer in your home country and read our guide to citizenship, passports and parentage.
No federal law. Tabasco and Sinaloa regulate surrogacy, Querétaro, Coahuila and San Luis Potosí do not recognise agreements, and most states are silent. Since February 2026 a binding Supreme Court criterion gives a court route to the birth certificate.
Not prohibited and widely practised, but no statute regulates it; Congress has ignored repeated Constitutional Court calls to legislate, and bills filed in July–August 2026 would ban commercial or all surrogacy.
Open to foreign heterosexual couples under a 1997 law that is still unchanged. A government bill to ban surrogacy for foreigners was withdrawn before its final reading in January 2024. It could come back.
Republic of Cyprus: altruistic, Council- and court-approved surrogacy for residents only. North of Cyprus: no recognised legal framework; UK government warns of serious risks.
Not prohibited, but unregulated. The Supreme Court (Oct 2024) held the woman who gives birth is the legal mother; no reliable route to parentage for intended parents.
Surrogacy itself remains legal and court-backed in many states, but Executive Order 14418 (6 August 2026) tells federal agencies not to issue US passports or Social Security numbers when neither intended parent is a US citizen. Litigation is ongoing. Unaffected if one parent is a US citizen.
Typical all-in cost
$170,000–$300,000
Timeline
15–30 months from signing to birth
Model
Compensated
Law last verified
Married heterosexual couplesYes
Unmarried heterosexual couplesYes
Male couplesYes
Female couplesYes
Single menYes
Single womenYes
Questions to take to your lawyer
Will my home country recognize the parentage established in this destination, and what court order or application will I need after the birth?
Can my child obtain citizenship and a passport from my home country, and is a genetic link required?
Does my home country or state make it an offence to enter a compensated surrogacy arrangement abroad?
What happens legally if the surrogate changes her mind, if we separate, or if one of us dies before the birth?
How long should we expect to stay in the destination after the birth?
