I recently read a Spanish media report that highlighted problems and delays being faced by Spanish IPs undertaking surrogacy in Ukraine. It reported on concerns the Spanish consular staff in Kiev had with the legitimacy of some surrogacy arrangements undertaken by Spanish nationals. It was also the Spanish consular officials who had some days earlier noted problems with the conduct of a particular agency/clinic in Kiev which had been posting on social media about the closure of Ukraine to foreign IPs.
I have addressed the rumours about the exclusion of foreign IPs from surrogacy in Ukraine in earlier posts. It is important to consider international surrogacy as two elements – surrogate pregnancy/birth and the child’s return to IPs’ home.
In the first element it is important to establish that the surrogacy process is legal in that country (Ukraine here), the program is ethical (creation of embryos, relationship with and compensation of surrogate), the clinic practises at the leading edge of IVF technology, health care for the child and mother is accessible and cost effective and birth certificates are issued quickly noting the IP or IPs as parents.
In the second element it is important for the IPs to establish the documentation and practical procedures necessary in order to exit the country and return home. In some cases the citizenship or parentage process in IPs’ home country may necessitate having the surrogate mother’s name appear on the birth certificate. Each country for which you are applying for a passport (after citizenship) is different – some straightforward (USA, Australia) some very difficult (UK, Norway). We cannot give you the answer for every single country in the world but we can assist you by directing you down the appropriate avenues of enquiry. Our services are more about helping you to obtain the particular documents and certifications that your country requires after you have informed us of those requirements.
So back to the media report on Spanish couples. In simple terms for the quickest process the Spanish have previously treated the process of intended parents applying for citizenship/passport for their child as equivalent to the male getting a girl pregnant overseas. The alternative is an adoption process. As far as I can tell a number of Spanish IPs had used the clinic/agency in Kiev that has been accused of illegal activities and this has caused the Spanish authorities to apply much greater scrutiny to applications leading to delays.
So the restrictions that may apply to Spanish IPs do not necessarily apply to IPs from other countries. In any event our programs are ethical, fully comply with Ukrainian laws and are fair and reasonable to the surrogates and egg donors. Our Ukrainian lawyers are professional, very particular, careful and efficient.
Book a consultation with us to find out more about our Ukrainian programs.
