Previously, Ukraine had been a favored surrogacy destination for foreigners. However, the ongoing military attacks and the resulting strain on services and borders have raised significant concerns about the safety and ethical considerations of engaging in surrogacy in Ukraine.
Gestational surrogacy in Ukraine
Is surrogacy in Ukraine safe? The short answer is “no.” While some agencies in Ukraine now offer programs in other countries, it is crucial to explore alternative paths that minimize risks and safeguard your family-building journey.
Several foreign governments have issued warnings, indicating that they cannot provide necessary support such as citizenship, passports, and travel documents to citizens who choose to pursue surrogacy in Ukraine since the military conflict began in February 2022.
In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the legal aspects, cost considerations, and other important details surrounding surrogacy in Ukraine. Our goal is to equip you with the knowledge and understanding needed to make informed decisions on your surrogacy journey.
Key takeaways:
- Once Ukraine offered a Legal and Secure surrogacy within Europe, but not anymore due to war with Russia.
- Legal marriage is required for surrogacy in Ukraine.
- Surrogate mothers have no rights to the baby and cannot keep the child.
- The birth certificate includes the names of the intended parents.
- Embryo donation is allowed in Ukraine.
- Gender selection is permitted without prioritizing therapeutic goals or family balance.
- Surrogacy in Ukraine is legal, safe, and regulated.
- Surrogacy contracts are legally binding under federal and state legislation.
- The Family Code of Ukraine (Clause 123) governs surrogacy and defines the legal relationship between parents in cases of medically assisted reproduction.
Safe Alternative to Surrogacy in Ukraine
Due to ongoing military activities, intended parents are advised to find other safe and secure alternative to surrogacy in Ukraine.
Here we would like to give list of international countries/destinations offering secure alternatives to surrogacy in Ukraine awaits couples seeking parenthood. These countries, much like Ukraine, enable the Intended Parents to be named on the birth certificate without the need for an adoption process.
Surrogacy in Georgia: With a legal framework similar to Ukraine, Georgia grants surrogacy to married heterosexual couples facing infertility, with the Intended Parents automatically designated as the legal parents. The birth certificate does not mention surrogacy or the surrogate. However, recent bureaucratic changes in Georgia have resulted in some delays in bringing the baby home. Only married couple and de-facto couple who can prove their partnership for mother than one year can participate for surrogacy in Georgia.
Surrogacy in Armenia: As there is a fear of closing surrogacy for forign couples in the coming time, so this nearby country is gaining attention of some of the surrogacy agencies in Georgia and already in the process of set up their operation in Armenia.
Surrogacy in Mexico: In late 2021, Mexico witnessed significant changes as the Supreme Court recognized surrogacy as a protected medical procedure. This ruling allows Intended Parents to be listed on the birth certificate immediately upon the birth of their surrogacy babies. All family types, single parents, same-sex couples, and married hetero couples can do surrogacy in Mexico.
Surrogacy in Colombia: Colombia as a surrogacy country have already become popular in last few years. Gay surrogacy in Colombia is most popular due low cost and secure legal framework for them. So, if you are a single male or gay couple who need safe, reliable and affordable surrogacy country, then Colombia is the answers.
Surrogacy in the United States: The United States is one of the most organized and legal surrogacy country for surrogacy. However, high cost of surrogacy may make it out of reach for many intended parents.
Surrogacy in the Argentina: Surrogacy in Argentina is gaining popularity slowly as ti si a good option for gay couples and single male who are looking for affordable, safe, secure surrogacy services to build their families.
The Benefit of Surrogacy in Ukraine
Ukraine has emerged as a prominent surrogacy destination for several reasons. Let’s explore the advantages that make Ukraine an appealing choice for intended parents:
- European Standards of Medical Care: Ukrainian IVF clinics adhere to European medical protocols and boast modern equipment. The medical staff is often trained in Europe and the United States, ensuring high-quality care.
- Supportive Surrogacy Laws: Ukraine has established the most supportive surrogacy laws worldwide. Intended parents benefit from a legal framework that recognizes their rights from the moment of conception and simplifies the process of establishing legal parentage.
- Affordable Surrogacy Costs: Surrogacy programs in Ukraine are known for their competitive pricing. Unlike other destinations, Ukrainian clinics offer a variety of services at a reasonable cost, allowing intended parents to tailor their journey based on their needs and circumstances.
- Stable Democracy and European Environment: Ukraine is a stable democracy that provides a secure and welcoming environment for intended parents. The country offers a European lifestyle and adheres to modern legal traditions. However, due to current military conflict it is hard to say when the peace will be restored.
- Availability of Caucasian Egg and Sperm Donors: Ukraine is home to a population where approximately 95% have European ancestry. This makes it easier for intended parents, especially Western couples, to find Caucasian egg and sperm donors.
- Positive Health Indicators: Ukraine has relatively high living standards and boasts low incidents of low birth weight and infant mortality compared to other countries in the region. This demonstrates the country’s commitment to ensuring the well-being of its.
Is surrogacy legal in Ukraine?
The legal framework for surrogacy in Ukraine is most favorable. Surrogacy in Ukraine is not only legal but also well-regulated. The Ukrainian government has established legislation that supports and enforces surrogacy contracts, providing a secure and stable environment for intended parents.
Once the baby is conceived, the child legally belongs to the intended parents from that moment. The birth certificate issued after the birth of the baby reflects the names of the intended parents, and the surrogate has no parental rights. This applies even when egg and sperm donors are involved, ensuring the intended parents’ rights are protected.
Compared to other European countries, Ukraine has a more comprehensive legal framework for surrogacy. While many countries either prohibit surrogacy or only allow unpaid arrangements, Ukraine recognizes and regulates compensated surrogacy.
The surrogacy laws in Ukraine prioritize the rights of the intended parents and provide a clear path to establishing legal parentage.
Surrogate Mothers in Ukraine
Requirements for Surrogate Mothers in Ukraine are outlined in Order 24 issued by the Health Ministry of Ukraine. These guidelines aim to safeguard the well-being of the surrogate and maximize the success of the surrogacy process. The qualifications for surrogate mothers are as follows:
- Age: Surrogates must be between 25 and 35 years old.
- Prior Birth: They should have previously given birth at least once.
- Physical and Mental Competence: Surrogates must be physically and mentally capable of fulfilling their role as surrogate mothers.
- Marital Status: The marital status of the surrogate’s parents is not a determining factor.
- Legal Contract: A legally binding surrogacy contract must be signed by the intended parents and the surrogate.
Requirement for Intended Parents in Ukraine:
By Ukrainian legislation, prospective parents are subject to specific criteria:
- They must be a legally married heterosexual couple.
- The female partner must have medical evidence indicating her inability to conceive.
- The embryo intended for transfer must be genetically related to at least one of the intended parents.
- The surrogate mother must have no genetic connection to the child she will carry.
How much does surrogacy cost in Ukraine?
On average, the total cost of surrogacy in Ukraine ranges between $40,000 to $65,000. This estimate typically covers the following aspects:
- Surrogacy agency or clinic fees: This includes the administrative and legal services provided by the agency or clinic, matching you with a surrogate, managing the surrogacy process, and coordinating medical appointments. The agency fees can range from $10,000 to $20,000.
- Surrogate compensation and medical expenses: The surrogate mother’s compensation and medical expenses are usually covered in the overall cost. This includes her base compensation, medical examinations, prenatal care, delivery expenses, and postnatal care. Surrogate compensation can vary, but it generally ranges from $15,000 to $25,000.
- Egg donor compensation in Ukraine: It is easy to find good European type egg donor in Ukraine and most of the surrogacy agencies and surrogacy clinics offer good egg donor database to the intended parents. The cost of egg donor in Ukraine varies but generally lies in the range of $3000 to $5000.
- Legal fees: Legal services are required to ensure all necessary agreements and contracts are in place and that the intended parents’ rights are protected. Legal fees typically range from $2,000 to $5,000.
- IVF and medical procedures: The cost of in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures, including the retrieval and fertilization of eggs, embryo transfer, and any necessary fertility medications, can amount to approximately $10,000 to $15,000.
- Additional expenses: There may be additional expenses associated with travel, accommodation, and other logistical aspects of the surrogacy journey. These costs can vary depending on individual circumstances.
Unlike other destinations, Ukrainian surrogacy clinics provide customizable services at highly competitive prices. They also offer additional “concierge” services tailored to the preferences and circumstances of the Intended Parents. Special pricing options are often available, and some clinics even offer “guarantee” programs. These programs involve unlimited IVF cycles and embryo transfers until a healthy pregnancy and birth are achieved.
Conclusion
Although Ukraine has been a fantastic country for surrogacy with affordable surrogacy programs, high quality medical services and explicit legal framework. However, due to political unrest, it is not recommended for any sort of medical procedure. In future, if things to back to normal, you might consider it if you are a married hetero couple.
If you’d like to learn more about IVF, Egg Donation, or surrogacy services globally, check out the rest of our website at Complete Surrogacy. We offer legally secure and affordable surrogacy consulting services for FREE.
Our team has over 13 years of experience facilitating surrogacy arrangements, egg donation, and serving as an advocacy resource for infertile couples and LGBTQ individuals seeking to build families.
Our founder and chief surrogacy consultant, Neelam Chhagani, passionately help couples struggling with fertility challenges. Since starting our surrogacy consulting agency in 2013, we’ve helped welcome over 500 babies for intended parents nationwide.
Our team includes experts from diverse backgrounds with leading reproductive attorneys, professionally trained top fertility doctors, former surrogacy case managers, experienced and kind surrogate mother and egg donor coordinators, mental health professionals specializing in infertility counseling, and logistic support team to assist you in your chosen surrogacy country.
FAQs
Is Ukraine safe for intended parents?
Prior to military conflict, it was a safe country to travel for medical tourism and for surrogacy services. However, now it is not safe to travel and it is highly recommended to find a safer alternative to surrogacy in Ukraine.
Is surrogacy legal in Ukraine?
Yes, commercial gestational surrogacy is legal in Ukraine. Ukraine has a more favorable legal environment for surrogacy compared to other Western nations like the United States. According to Ukrainian law, the intended parents are recognized as the sole legal parents of the child from the moment of conception.
How much does a surrogate cost in Ukraine?
On average, the total cost of surrogacy in Ukraine ranges between $40,000 to $65,000. Guarantee programs are available at around $65,000 USD, which provide unlimited egg donations, IVF cycles, and embryo transfers until a successful birth is achieved.
Is gender selection available in Ukraine?
Yes, gender selection is allowed in Ukraine. Clinics in Ukraine offer gender selection for family balancing purposes. While they cannot guarantee the gender of the baby, the gender of each embryo can be determined through preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) analysis. During the embryo transfer procedure, most clinics allow the intended parents to choose which embryo to use based on their preferred gender.
Why is surrogacy so popular in Ukraine?
Ukraine was a popular surrogacy country due to favorable legal framework, affordable surrogacy cost, and many good Ukrainian surrogacy clinics typically offer a variety of services. Beside this, it is easy to find surrogate mother in Ukraine and there is a good number of fertile European type egg donors.
Is it safe to do surrogacy in Ukraine?
Previously Ukraine was safe, legal and secure surrogacy country within Europe. However, due to war like situation it is better to look out for other cheaper and legal surrogacy countries. Contact us to help you guide through available international surrogacy options worldwide.
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Neelam Chhagani, MA (Counselling Psychology), PGD (Mental Health), and Holistic Infertility and Third-Party Reproduction Consultant.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Surrogacy laws and regulations vary significantly across countries and even within different states or regions. It is crucial to understand and comply with the legal framework governing surrogacy in the intended jurisdiction to ensure a smooth and legally protected surrogacy journey.
The duration of the surrogacy process typically ranges from one to two years, encompassing various factors that contribute to its timeline. These factors include the waiting period for egg donor, surrogate mother, the time required for the surrogate to conceive or number of IVF attempts, and other relevant variables.
The costs associated with surrogacy can vary widely depending on various variable and unpredictable factors such as the location, the chosen surrogacy agency, medical expenses, legal fees, and compensation for the surrogate.
That being said, intended parents can expect to pay somewhere $130,000 to $150,000 if you are looking for surrogacy in US. In case you are planning to do international surrogacy, the surrogacy price is between $50,000 to $70,000 depending upon the country and types of services taken.
Surrogacy has become an important option for LGBT+ couples who desire to have children biologically related to them. It provides an avenue for same-sex male couples or single men to become fathers and for same-sex female couples or single women to become mothers. Surrogacy has played a significant role in expanding the possibilities of family-building for the LGBT+ community. We recommend and assist you with surrogacy for gay couple in Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina. Similarly, for single parents surrogacy, above options are available.
Surrogacy success rates can vary depending on various factors, including the age and health of the intended parents, the quality of the embryos, and the experience and health of the surrogate. According to recent studies, the success rates of surrogacy can range from 40% to 70% per embryo transfer.
Surrogacy laws and regulations differ significantly from country to country. Some countries have embraced surrogacy and established clear legal frameworks, while others have banned or restricted the practice. It’s essential for intended parents to understand the legal landscape of surrogacy in their desired location and consider factors such as availability, cost, and legal protections. We will advise to consult a experienced surrogacy professional become engaging surrogacy abroad.
No, surrogacy laws vary from country to country. Some countries have banned or heavily restricted surrogacy, while others have well-defined legal frameworks. Countries like USA, Georgia and Ukraine allow commercial surrogacy. However, other countries like Canada, Australia and UK allow only altruistic surrogacy arrangements. Beside this most of the European countries do not recognise any form of surrogacy like Germany, France, Belgium, Sweden etc. Latin American countries like Colombia and Argentina only allowed affordable altruistic surrogacy.
The primary reason for preference for international surrogacy is the prohibition or restriction of surrogacy, or the allowance of only altruistic surrogacy, in the intended parents’ home countries.
In altruistic surrogacy, which involves finding a surrogate without any financial compensation, often presents challenges in terms of finding a suitable surrogate.
However, opting for international surrogacy not only reduce the overall average surrogacy cost but give opportunity to find a surrogate quickly and options to choose from many candidates.
Why Our Intended Parents Choose Us- Testimonials
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J&C
This whole journey has been absolutely wonderful. And I have such a beautiful daughter today. I have such an amazing army of family and friends surrounding me. She’s brought so much joy to everyone Especially me. I’m grateful that we moved forward I don’t know what I would do without her. So please let Mark now we made the right decision and yes I’m thinking about a second journey. I think it’s important to raise a child with a sibling. So two children seems like the right thing. Will make a final decision in the next 3 to 4 months.
S
Thank you so much for your handholding and for connecting me with everything. I am so grateful for the role that you’ve played. I’m the happiest father alive. Thank you so much for your guidance along the way. She’s adorable and I’m all gushy in love!!!
SE
Hoping to have wonder babies, we initiated the process with Neelam at IVF Conceptions. Her warm concerns and dedicated helps drive this process moving through frustrated change of surrogacy policy in India. Finally, the surrogacy was smoothly transferred to Russia and now, we saw our baby growing already. We greatly thank Neelam, who sincerely helped us to achieve our baby dream. There is no doubt that both IVF conceptions and IVF Sunrise provided excellent surrogacy service with transparent fund transactions.
PH
We are so glad to inform about arrival of twins for our single Intended Parent.. This was his first attempt with Asian egg donor and he was successful in first round of embryos transfer with twins. The pregnancy term was eventless and during routine visit on 34 weeks- doctor decided to CS as surrogate was 4 cm dilated. Babies are so cute and adorable and surrogate- doing well. It goes without saying J L is very delighted and busy dad!!!
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I was introduced to Neelam by a friend who worked with Neelam for surrogacy. Neelam is absolutely wonderful. I am a single male and the journey to fatherhood is not that easy. Neelam connected me to a program ideal for my circumstances. She was with me throughout the pregnancy providing advice and guidance along the way. I am so grateful I found her and am thrilled today that I have a beautiful daughter. I highly recommend Neelam to anyone who is on a journey to become a parent. Having a child has changed my world for the better. I wish others success with their own journey and recommend you connect with Neelam to find a path that is best for you.
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