Surrogacy in Ukraine: Real Costs, Legal Risks, and What the War Means for Intended Parents

Here’s the thing nobody tells you about surrogacy in Ukraine: it’s the only major destination where you’re legally the parents from the moment of conception. Not after paperwork. Not after a court date. The second that embryo transfer is done, the law sees you as the parents.

Your names go on the birth certificate from day one. And the surrogate has no legal claim to your child if she changes her mind.

That’s a big deal. Because when you’re about to hand over a year of your life and tens of thousands of dollars, knowing you can’t be held hostage by someone else’s second thoughts matters.

I’m not a lawyer and I’m not a consultant. I’m a parent who spent too many late nights researching this after the kids were in bed, because I needed to know exactly what I was walking into. Here’s what I found.

Why Ukraine became the go-to destination

Ukraine has been a popular surrogacy destination for more than 20 years, and it’s now the world’s second commercial surrogacy hub behind the United States. That reputation didn’t come from nowhere.

The legal foundation is the main draw. Surrogacy is tightly regulated, which sounds intimidating until you realize it means your rights are protected in writing, not left to chance. Intended parents are recognized from conception. The surrogate signs away parental rights before the medical process even begins.

There’s no post-birth custody fight waiting for you. Clinics also offer preimplantation genetic screening (PGS), which allows intended parents to select the sex of the embryo for family balancing, a service that’s allowed under the law.

The second draw is cost. Commercial surrogacy in the US runs $150,000 to $250,000. In Ukraine, standard programs land between $50,000 and $65,000. That’s not a small difference, that’s the difference between “we can do this” and “we’ll never afford this.” And while Ukraine doesn’t actively promote itself as a destination, it does support those who choose to go, the legal framework recognizes intended parents from conception, so you’re not fighting for parental rights after the fact.

And the third draw is the medical care. Ukraine offers European-standard fertility treatment, and the World Health Organization rates the country as having low incidence of low birth weight and infant mortality. For parents who’ve been through rounds of IVF at home, that’s reassuring.

There’s also a practical detail that surprised me: about 95% of Ukraine’s population is of European descent, which means if you’re looking for an egg donor, the pool is likely to match your background more closely than you might expect. Donor costs are also a fraction of what you’d pay in the US, international agencies routinely charge $15,000, $20,000 more per cycle.

What the law actually says

Surrogacy in Ukraine is governed by Clause 123 of the Family Code, along with Orders 24 and 771 from the Ministry of Health. Here’s the part that matters for you:

From the moment of conception, the intended parents are the legal parents. Not the surrogate. Not “we’ll figure it out later.” The surrogate has no parental rights, which means she also has no standing to sue for custody.

That’s not the case in several other countries where surrogates can change their minds after birth. Ukraine doesn’t work that way.

Surrogacy is also gestational only. That means the surrogate carries an embryo created from your egg and sperm (or donors’), and she has no genetic connection to the child. This isn’t just a preference, it’s written into the law, and it’s one of the reasons the legal framework is so clean.

Registration works the same way. The birth certificate is issued based on the surrogacy agreement, and there’s no court order or adoption step required. It’s about as close to a seamless legal process as this world gets.

The proposed law that could change everything

Before you start celebrating, you need to know what’s sitting in the Verkhovna Rada right now. Parliament is considering Bill No. 15507, and if it passes, it would reshape the industry completely.

The bill proposes restricting surrogacy to married Ukrainian citizens who have had continuous residence for at least three years. Foreigners would be banned, except in cases where one partner is a Ukrainian citizen. It would also create a Unified State Registry of surrogacy contracts and impose criminal liability for violations.

Supporters argue that Ukrainian women shouldn’t be carrying babies for foreigners at a time when the country’s own birthrates are struggling. Critics say it would gut an industry that brings in significant revenue and leaves thousands of intended parents stranded.

Here’s the important part: this bill is proposed, not law. It hasn’t passed. Nothing has changed yet. But if you’re starting your research now, you need to factor in that the landscape could shift while you’re in the process. If you want the full breakdown of how this could affect foreign intended parents, I’ve covered it in more detail in my guide to Ukraine’s surrogacy laws for foreigners.

Who qualifies: eligibility requirements

Here’s where I have to give you some bad news, depending on your situation. Surrogacy in Ukraine is only available to married heterosexual couples.

Ukraine doesn’t recognize same-sex marriages, and there’s no legal path for single parents through the surrogacy framework. If that describes you, I’d recommend reading my breakdown of surrogacy options for single parents in Ukraine before you get too deep into planning. Some agencies have alternative structures, but the legal foundation is genuinely restrictive here.

Beyond the marriage requirement, you also need to be genetically connected to the embryo. Ukrainian law requires that at least one of the intended parents has a genetic link to the child. That’s not negotiable, it’s written into the regulations.

You’ll also need a doctor’s letter stating that the intended mother cannot carry a pregnancy to term. The acceptable reasons include:

• At least four failed IVF attempts
• Absence or deformation of the uterus
• Other medical conditions that make pregnancy a health risk

One thing I didn’t realize at first: that doctor’s letter isn’t just for the clinic. It’s to satisfy the government. The requirement is designed to ensure surrogacy is only used when medically necessary, not as a convenience option. Some clinics are flexible about the details, others aren’t. Ask your coordinator upfront what they require.

Who the surrogates are

Surrogates in Ukraine must be between 18 and 36 years old, have at least one healthy child of their own, and pass medical and psychological screening. They also sign a notarized agreement waiving all parental rights before any medical procedure begins. The screening is genuinely thorough, no agency with a reputation on the line is going to cut corners on this, though ukraine surrogacy laws for foreigners detail the specific eligibility criteria and documentation required for intended parents.

How the process works

Once you’re matched with an agency, the process looks roughly like this, though the exact steps vary by provider:

1. Consultation and legal agreements. You sign the surrogacy contract, which includes the notarized agreement from the surrogate.
2. IVF and embryo creation. Your eggs and sperm (or donor materials) are used to create embryos.
3. Embryo transfer. The embryo is transferred to the surrogate. After this point, you’re legally the parents.
4. Pregnancy and oversight. The surrogate receives regular medical care, and most agencies provide weekly check-ins.
5. Birth and paperwork. You’re present for the birth, and the birth certificate is issued in your names.
6. Travel home. You’ll typically need to stay in Ukraine for three to six weeks after the birth to complete passport and visa paperwork.

Two agencies came up repeatedly in my research, and they represent two different models.

Nova Espero is a coordination-focused agency that’s been in the family-building space since 1999, originally through adoption work. They maintain a database of over 500 egg donors and more than 600 surrogate candidates, and they work with intended parents from North America, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and Europe. Their team includes an in-house licensed Ukrainian lawyer, which brings a level of legal security I appreciated. They encourage direct communication between intended parents and their surrogate, which matters more than you’d think, one parent described it like this: “They’ve made us a family,” and you can’t put a price on that kind of relationship.

ADONIS operates differently, they’re a full medical center with their own IVF laboratory, maternity hospital, and cryobank in Kyiv. They’ve been operating since 2012, and they handle everything in-house: legal, coordination, and clinical. International intended parents are assigned a personal English-speaking coordinator, which removes a lot of the logistical stress. If you want a deeper dive on how they operate, I’ve written a full review of Adonis Ukraine surrogacy.

What it actually costs

This is where you need to be careful, because the numbers you see advertised are rarely the numbers you actually pay.

The official range for standard programs is $50,000 to $65,000. Guarantee programs, which cover unlimited IVF cycles and embryo transfers until a healthy pregnancy and birth are achieved, run $60,000 to $65,500.

One agency, SENSIBLE, publishes its pricing transparently, which I found refreshing:

Those figures include the essentials: consulting, donor costs, clinic fees, prenatal care, surrogate compensation, and delivery. But they don’t include the things nobody wants to think about.

ADONIS publishes tiered pricing as well:

The price differences between tiers come down to how many transfer attempts you’re covered for and what level of donor support you need.

The real total: one family’s story

Here’s the reality check. The Guardian followed one Australian couple, Ethan and his wife, through their surrogacy journey in Ukraine. They paid $125,000 for the program itself, above the base range because they needed additional medical support. Then they paid another $60,000 in travel, accommodation, legal fees, and other expenses.

That’s a real-world total of $185,000. And that doesn’t count the years they spent trying to conceive at home first. Ethan went through nine IVF cycles in Melbourne and two more in Spain before they traveled to Ukraine. (One of those cycles failed because sperm collection went wrong: “I think the issue happened during the sperm collection,” he said.)

I’m not telling you this to scare you off. I’m telling you because nobody prepared me for how the costs add up beyond the sticker price. For a full breakdown, including which expenses catch people off guard, check out my detailed guide to the cost of surrogacy in Ukraine.

Surrogacy in Ukraine during the war

Yes, this needs its own section. And the honest answer is: it’s complicated, but the industry is still operating.

When the conflict with Russia began, many clinics in Kyiv closed. But reputable agencies relocated their surrogates to safer western areas. Lviv and other cities further from the front lines. SENSIBLE, for example, moved its entire surrogate program westward and has continued supporting families throughout the conflict, showing how surrogacy in Ukraine during war has adapted through safety measures, travel logistics, and legal continuity for intended parents.

The BBC reported that surrogacy in Ukraine has nearly recovered to pre-war levels, which is remarkable given the circumstances. Most western and central areas are safe for travel, and many programs continue without interruption. Europeans and Americans don’t need a special visa to enter Ukraine for surrogacy purposes, and those weighing their options can compare it with the safest country for surrogacy across other popular destinations.

But you need to understand the specific ways the war can disrupt your process:

• Biomaterial transport. One intended parent told us his embryos were trapped in Kyiv when the conflict began. An Australian couple’s embryos were lost entirely in a power outage when clinic backup systems failed.
• Sperm collection. Another family had their sperm sample stuck in transport for two to three years before it could be moved to a safer location.
• Travel disruption, you may need to route through Poland or other neighboring countries to reach your clinic.
• Power outages. Clinics have backup systems, but materials stored on-site can still be affected during extended outages.

If you’re considering moving forward while the conflict continues, read my guide to surrogacy in Ukraine during the war before you make any commitments. The agencies have adapted, but you need to go in with your eyes open about the risks.

The ethical side: what critics say and what the records show

This is the part that kept me up at night. Because surrogacy in Ukraine has a dark side, and you need to know about it before you decide.

Critics accuse clinics of exploiting poor, vulnerable women, and some of the evidence is genuinely disturbing. BioTexCom, the country’s largest surrogacy clinic, ran a “Black Friday sale” in 2021, offering discounts on surrogacy packages. Then in January of the following year, they released an AI-generated promotional video that critics called grossly insensitive. The clinic’s owner, Albert Tochilovsky, was investigated in 2018 on suspicion of human trafficking, though the case was suspended.

Then there’s the question of what happens when things go wrong. There are documented cases of babies being abandoned after birth when intended parents change their minds or can’t complete the process. One case that’s haunted me: Wei, a five-year-old boy born prematurely in 2021, was abandoned by both his intended parents and his surrogate. He lives in a state-run home now.

Fifteen families have been shown his file. None have adopted him.

Under Ukrainian law, the intended parent bears legal responsibility for the baby once born. But when the intended parents are in another country and the agency can’t reach them, or the baby has medical needs the family can’t afford, enforcement across borders is genuinely difficult.

I’m not telling you any of this to make you feel guilty. I’m telling you because if you’re going to be an intended parent in this system, you need to understand what you’re participating in. The good agencies, and there are good ones, treat their surrogates well, provide weekly oversight, safe housing, and full medical and psychological support. But the industry is not uniformly ethical, and you need to choose your agency as carefully as you’d choose a surgeon.

One surrogate’s story

To understand what surrogacy in Ukraine actually looks like for the women carrying these babies, you need to hear from someone who’s done it.

Karina Tarasenko is 22 years old, from Bakhmut, a city that has been on the front lines of the war. She became a surrogate because the war destroyed her family’s income, and surrogacy paid more than twice what she could earn anywhere else. Her original contract was for £15,500, though after one of the twins she was carrying didn’t survive, her payment was reduced to £12,500, roughly $17,000.

Karina’s perspective isn’t the one you hear from Western critics. She describes the arrangement as consensual and non-exploitative, and she insists the choice was hers. At first, I was angry and disappointed, but now I’ve just accepted it, she told the BBC.

She lives in agency-provided housing, receives weekly visits from a social worker, and has access to housekeeping and childcare as needed. When she experienced complications during the pregnancy, the agency covered her medical care. From her view, the system gave her a way to support her family when nothing else could.

I’m not going to pretend I know what Karina’s experience was really like. But I think her story matters because it reminds you that “surrogacy” isn’t an abstraction, it’s a relationship between you and a woman who is carrying your child through an incredibly difficult time. The agencies that treat their surrogates like human beings, not contractors, are the ones you want to work with.

Getting your baby home: citizenship and passports

You’ve made it through the pregnancy. You’re holding your baby. Now you need to get home. This part has its own challenges.

For US parents, the newborn passport process is relatively straightforward, you can typically get a US passport issued within three weeks. The US and UK make it relatively easy for citizens to establish citizenship for children born abroad through surrogacy.

But some countries genuinely complicate this. Italy and Switzerland have refused to recognize surrogacy arrangements at all, which means citizenship for the baby can be exceptionally difficult if you hold citizenship in those countries. If that’s your situation, you need specialized legal advice before you commit to a Ukraine program.

The Bajwa family, a UK couple, used BioTexCom and paid £65,000 for their program. They ended up spending three months in Ukraine waiting for their baby’s travel documents. Three months. That’s the kind of timeline nobody budgets for.

You’ll typically need to stay in Ukraine for three to six weeks after the birth to complete the paperwork. Plan accordingly, you’ll want to bring enough money for an extended stay, and you’ll need someone who can help you navigate the embassy requirements in your home country.

How Ukraine compares to other destinations

If you’re still weighing your options, here’s how Ukraine stacks up against the alternatives:

The United States is the gold standard, comprehensive legal protections, excellent medical care, and you’re the legal parent from day one. But you’re looking at $150,000 to $250,000, and in many states the process is more administratively complex. If you can afford it, it’s the safest option. Most people can’t.

Mexico became more viable after a 2021 Supreme Court ruling made surrogacy a protected medical procedure. But the US still doesn’t automatically recognize Mexican surrogacy arrangements, so you can face significant legal hurdles getting your baby home.

Georgia operates under essentially the same legal framework as Ukraine, intended parents are recognized from conception, with no court step. It’s become a popular alternative for couples who are wary of the situation in Ukraine. The main question mark is political stability.

Canada is altruistic-only surrogacy, which means surrogates can only be reimbursed for expenses, not paid. That makes it cheaper to find a surrogate, but it also means you might wait years for a match.

Australia has made commercial surrogacy illegal, which is why hundreds of Australian couples go abroad. But the Australian government has estimated about 5% of children born through surrogacy to Australian parents are abandoned, a statistic that should give every prospective parent pause. That estimate translates to more than 18 babies per year, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Australian Law Reform Commission is currently reviewing the surrogacy framework, and its discussion paper contains 41 proposals for reform, with advocates like Sarah Jefford, a lawyer and former surrogate, pushing for a safer, more regulated system.

And then there’s Colombia, which has emerged recently as an option. One report documented a couple who paid $65,000 and waited over three years without a successful birth. I’ll let that speak for itself.

The honest bottom line, from someone who’s done this research: Ukraine still offers the best combination of legal protection, cost, and medical quality for international intended parents. That could change if Bill 15507 passes, or it might not, depending on how the final version is written. But right now, with the right agency and the right expectations, it remains the most viable path for most couples. For UK readers, the contrast is stark: the UK allows only altruistic surrogacy, and the surrogate stays legally responsible for the child until a parental order is granted, the exact risk Ukrainian law eliminates.

Just go in with your eyes open. Read the contracts. Ask the hard questions. And never forget that behind every statistic is a woman like Karina, and a family like the one you’re trying to build.

That’s what makes it worth getting right. If you’re still comparing destinations, I’ve put together a fuller comparison of the safest countries for surrogacy to help you decide.

Frequently Asked Questions