Considerations for Intended Parents Pursuing Surrogacy in Argentina

Argentina is a great place for intended parents to pursue surrogacy. The country’s capital city, Buenos Aires, has a robust and growing surrogacy industry and state-of-the-art fertility clinics and agencies. And the overall cost of surrogacy in Argentina is significantly less on average than in countries like the United States. Despite these advantages, there are several considerations intended parents who are not Argentine nationals should be aware of when pursuing surrogacy in the country. Here are some of those considerations:

Language barrier

If you don’t speak Spanish, your surrogacy agency and fertility clinic will likely have staff who speak English and can help you navigate the surrogacy process, from start to finish. However, when selecting your surrogacy agency and fertility clinic, it will be a good idea to ask who will be your point person at each business and ensure they speak English. However, your surrogate may not speak English, meaning you may have a language barrier to deal with throughout your journey. While this is not an insurmountable problem, it can add an extra complication when trying to communicate and bond with your surrogate. If you will require interpretation or translation services, thi may add an extra cost to your overall journey.

Distance and travel

Another consideration in pursuing surrogacy in Argentina as a foreigner is the distance. Argentina is located at the southern tip of South America, which can be a long and expensive flight for intended parents who live in Europe or North America. Fortunately, thanks to remote technology, intended parents can conduct much of the necessary work for a surrogacy journey remotely. However, for intended parents who might enjoy being present for certain important moments during the surrogacy journey, like medical appointments, the distance can present a challenge. You will obviously need to travel to Buenos Aires at least once—for the birth of your baby! Following the birth, you can expect to stay in Argentina for up to one month while your lawyer helps secure all the documents you’ll need to travel back to your home country, like your baby’s birth certificate and passport.

Creating embryos abroad

Egg and sperm donation is widely available in Argentina, with several ways for intended parents to source the gametes. Your surrogacy agency or fertility clinic may have an internal egg donor program for you to work with. Or you may source an egg or sperm donor from one of several donor banks in the country. It’s important to make sure you are working with reputable donor banks that screen donors to the highest industry standard—which are typically those recommended by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

You may also import egg, sperm or embryos from abroad if you would prefer to select a donor closer to home. You will need to ensure your fertility clinic has a license to receive these materials. The paperwork requirements for shipping of human gametes are significant, so you also need to work with a specialist at home to help arrange for the transfer. Your surrogacy agency should be able to put you in touch with a specialist who can help you. Also, shipping can add costs to your surrogacy journey. You may also want to consider traveling to Buenos Aires to create your embryos, rather than having them shipped.

Surrogacy for single people and LGBTQ couples in Argentina

Single people and LGBTQ couples can legally pursue surrogacy in Argentina! In 2010, Argentina became the first country in South America to legalize same-sex marriage and has generally liberal attitudes towards the LGBTQ community as well as single parenthood. As such, there are no restrictions on the sexual orientation or gender identity of intended parents who wish to pursue surrogacy. There are also no requirements that intended parents be married, meaning single individuals are also able to pursue surrogacy in Argentina.