Learn about surrogacy in Georgia, including legal regulations, costs, and available programs. A valuable resource for intended parents considering surrogacy in Georgia.
What is gestational surrogacy?
- Gestational surrogacy is a type of surrogacy where a woman (the gestational surrogate) carries and delivers a child that is not genetically related to her. Instead, the child is typically conceived using the eggs from the intended mother or an egg donor and the sperm from the intended father or a sperm donor. The surrogate does not have rights to the baby.
How does the surrogacy process work?
- Surrogacy is an incredible family-building option, particularly for the LGBTQ community and those struggling with infertility, which has exploded in popularity in recent years. Today, surrogacy is more accessible, safer, and more effective, than ever before. Still, that doesn’t mean a surrogacy journey doesn’t come with its own set of challenges! Before choosing surrogacy, then, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of this family-building process.
- Intended parents are spending a lot of time on research to select the best destination for their international surrogacy journey. The legal frameworks of countries where surrogacy is legal are constantly changing, making tracking a bit challenging. We are supporting intended parents who must be aware of all developments and keep an eye on every trend and change in the industry. Guiding Intend parents properly, and being available for your calls or questions is the key to making you feel calm and confident.
Key steps you need to know if you plan your surrogacy journey in Georgia
- Surrogacy programs in Georgia
- Surrogacy law in Georgia
- Eligible courtiers for intended parents to engage in surrogacy in Georgia
- Birth certificate issuing process in Georgia
- Exit procedure for babies born through surrogacy in Georgia
- Whose egg is used in the surrogacy process in Georgia?
- Surrogate matching period in Georgia
- Does insurance cover surrogacy in Georgia?
- Questions to ask before starting Surrogacy in Georgia
- How much does surrogacy cost in Georgia?
Surrogacy programs in Georgia
- Live birth egg donation surrogacy– the form of surrogacy journey when you create embryos with donor oocyte and own sperm, and you have unlimited embryo transfer attempts until there is a live birth of your baby.
- Own egg and sperm surrogacy- in this case, your biological materials are used to create embryos via the IVF cycle. The embryo will be transferred to a surrogate and usually number of embryo transfers per package is limited to 3. Before starting your own egg and sperm surrogacy journey, you will need to run several tests and the doctor plans your visit to Georgia to start ovarian stimulation and preparation for egg retrieval.
- Double-donation surrogacy– this form of surrogacy is not common in Georgia, but it is possible to do. It means during the creation of the embryo both oocytes and sperm are donated. In this form of surrogacy, journey Intended parents do not have a genetic linkage with the embryo, and paperwork after delivery may need more time than the regular period
- Frozen embryo shipped surrogacy- in this type of surrogacy journey embryos are shipped to Georgia for surrogacy journey from different countries and transferred to a surrogate. Shipping has its own paperwork, which is time-consuming, and with the support of the GS consulting legal team, it is manageable. Once embryos are safely reached the clinic we need time to match you with a surrogate. We are accepting PGT-A and non PGT-A embryos (genetically tested) but we are not accepting day 3 embryos.
- Double-journey surrogacy (program with 2 surrogates)- this program includes 2 surrogate matching for your journey in Georgia. This is not a popular program in Georgia but if Intended parents have enough embryos and are willing to have 2 surrogates, this can be organized. However, we always inform parents that there may be a substantial gap between pregnancies, and despite attempts to have parallel transfers still in advance it is unknown when the first or second pregnancy will be achieved It means parents need a lot of patience with this type of surrogacy journey.
- HIV + patients are possible but have an extra charge– we are welcoming HIV+ Intended parents to start their surrogacy journey in Georgia. HIV is no longer considered a contraindication for IVF treatment. The only requirement we have is that the Intended parent’s HIV load should be zero in a consecutive 2-year testing period. The test must be repeated here in Georgia and if all parameters are in the range we can start the process. Some clinics are requesting additional sperm washing and if that is the case extra cost applies to this service, Furthermore, you have to be ready the surrogate will need extra compensation too.
Surrogacy law in Georgia
- Surrogacy is legal in Georgia under Article 143 of the Law on Health Care (1997), permitting embryo transfer via extracorporeal fertilization. Intended parents after the surrogacy journey are recognized as legal parents at birth, with the surrogate mother holding no parental rights.
- A notarized surrogacy contract is mandatory, requiring the surrogate mother’s presence. Supporting documents include medical confirmation, proof of the intended parents’ relationship (marriage or cohabitation), and identification. Both forms are permitted, governed by the principle of contractual freedom under the Georgian Civil Code, allowing financial arrangements based on mutual agreement.
- A surrogate must, according to law, follow all medical instructions given by the medical staff. Surrogates must have at least one child and be willing to stick to all recommendations and medical appointments. A genetic link between the intended parents and the embryo is not mandatory for surrogacy in Georgia.
Eligible courtiers for intended parents to engage in surrogacy in Georgia
- Hetero-married and non-married couples, being in a marriage or in a relationship at least one year before starting the surrogacy journey.
- Medical indication for egg donation and surrogacy is requested by most of the clinics. Considering in Georgia we can serve only hetero couples, in most cases Intended parents have many years of struggle with infertility, and presenting such documentation (previous treatment plans for infertility) is not an issue.
Birth certificate issuing process in Georgia
- The intended parents are listed on the child’s Birth Certificate as parents. The surrogate mother or donor cannot be named as a parent and their names are not on the birth certificate of the baby born through surrogacy in Georgia.
- Birth certificate is Issued 10-15 days after the baby is registered in the governmental system. This usually happens before the baby is discharged from the maternity hospital, and the following steps are managed by coordinators and lawyers of GS Consulting. Needs to be considered that if the weekend is the delivery date baby can not be registered.
Exit procedure for babies born through surrogacy in Georgia
- Exit procedure depends on each embassy and the country of residence of the intended parents. Approximately up to 6 weeks from the moment of having the birth certificate until the passport of the baby is available, but as mentioned it highly depends on the embassy process flow.
- Based on Georgian regulations baby is not granted with Georgian passport or citizenship unless the home country declines to grant a child a citizenship/passport It means that based on the issued birth certificate parents start the process with their embassy. This part of the surrogacy process is managed by the Intended parents, our team can only support them with needed papers. Translation of additional files is up to parents.
Whose egg is used in the surrogacy process in Georgia?
- Egg donors are anonymous, young women of 21-28 years old, parents do not know the name or last name of the egg donor but can see adulthood photos available in their profiles. Usually up to 5 profiles are shared with the intended parents to select the egg donor.
- Some intended parents for their surrogacy journey in Georgia, wish to have their relative or friend. This is possible however initially requested tests must be performed to ensure the person fits to an egg donation criteria.
Whose egg is used in the surrogacy process in Georgia?
- Egg donors are anonymous, young women of 21-28 years old, parents do not know the name or last name of the egg donor but can see adulthood photos available in their profiles. Usually up to 5 profiles are shared with the intended parents to select the egg donor.
- Some intended parents for their surrogacy journey in Georgia, wish to have their relative or friend. This is possible however initially requested tests must be performed to ensure the person fits to an egg donation criteria.
Surrogate matching period in Georgia
- Surrogate matching period varies from 3-5 months in Georgia.
- Why it takes time is one of the most frequently asked questions from Intended parents, The team matches one-to-one rather than by a waiting list, so the goal is to find the right surrogate considering the expectations that Intended parents may have from the candidate. Initial profiling is the key, which means each candidate should be from 25-38 age (recommended age range based on our and the field experts’ experience), their BMI (Body mass index) should not exceed 28, they should have at least 1 own child, not more than 1 C section, must live in the country (preferable city) where the program is implemented and obviously, they should be approved by a psychologist to engage in this long and emotional journey. Quite a large number of candidates dropping out at this stage.
- While practicing surrogacy worth considering ethical standards. ESHRE task force have declared importance of following ethical standards you can check more information.
Does insurance cover surrogacy in Georgia?
- Since 2022 Insurance for surrogates and babies born through surrogacy journey in Georgia has been available in the country, created by GS consulting founder in collaboration with the insurance company “medi L”.
- We included this insurance as a mandatory part of our surrogacy programs, giving peace of mind to Intended parents. We had cases when we used this service and those IPs who had such situations were grateful to have this as part of their surrogacy journeys.
Questions to ask before starting Surrogacy in Georgia
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- What are the success rates of surrogacy? The success rate of surrogacy depends on the program. With egg donation surrogacy process success rate is higher
- How well is the law regulated? – corresponding law regulating surrogacy in Georgia exit from 1997
- Is the medical team multi-language? – yes, clinics practicing the surrogacy process have multi-language speaking teams, however, the most frequently used language is English.
- Is the destination safe? – yes Georgia is a safe place and more information about Georgia you can find on the following website: https://georgiastartshere.ge/
- Is it affordable to do surrogacy in Georgia? – yes, Georgia is one of the most affordable destinations for your surrogacy journey, however before starting the process please check these 10 things that you need to consider before starting international surrogacy.
- What is the feedback from IPs?- you can find numerous numbers of feedback from Intended parents since thousands of parents completed their journeys in Georgia
- What embassies are in Tbilisi? – there are many embassies available in Tbilisi, however, there are cases when embassies may not be there, in this case, Ankara is the closest destination for the paperwork. Before starting the process check with your surrogacy agency this information.
- Is a Georgian passport granted?- no, Georgia does not grant passports to babies born via the surrogacy process.
How much does surrogacy cost in Georgia?
Guaranteed egg donation with live birth surrogacy starting at 72000 USD
- Carrier Genetic Screening (CGT) of the donor for up to 2,000 genes
- Surrogates aged 25-38, with no more than one C-section, residing in Georgia (please note that GS consulting policy does not support traveling surrogates and has only local surrogates in the programs) and having at least one biological child
Frozen embryo surrogacy is available for 58000 USD
- Acceptance of PGTA or non-PGTA day 5 embryos
- Legal team support for the preparation of all necessary documents by Georgian regulations
- Coordination of procedures with shipping companies
- Individual and combo shipments are permitted
- Sperm, oocytes, and frozen embryos can be shipped to Georgia for surrogacy