Surrogacy in the UK
UK surrogacy legal information, advice and news from expert surrogacy lawyers
Learn more about UK surrogacy law from expert surrogacy solicitors. Find legal guidance, advice and the latest news of UK surrogacy law.
Surrogacy in the UK – from the UK’s leading surrogacy lawyers
Surrogacy is both legal and possible in the UK, even if the laws are outdated and fail to reccognise the right people as the legal parents when a child is born.
Our UK surrogacy content hub gives free information and resources on UK legal issues for UK surrogates and for parents conceiving children through surrogacy in the UK.
Expert UK law guides from our Knowledge Centre
How the law regulates UK surrogacy
UK law makes surrogacy agreements unenforceable, and restricts the ways in which intended parents and surrogates can find each other. Find out more about what the law says and how it affects UK surrogacy on the ground.
Parental orders
UK parents who have a child through surrogacy are expected to apply for a UK parental order after their child is born. Find out why you need one, what the court is assessing and how the process works
Legal rights in the post-birth period
What really happens on the ground if parents are caring for their child without being the legal parents? Find out more about how UK law works in practice, and what rights everyone has
Surrogacy disputes in UK law
What if a surrogate changes her mind? It happens very rarely, but read more about how such cases have played out on the ground, and how the UK family court has managed them.
UK law and surrogacy law reform
Where did UK surrogacy law come from, and why does it need to change? Read more about how UK surrogacy law got written, and the reasons why it needs to be modernised.
Latest news about UK surrogacy
Read our most recent updates about what’s going on with UK surrogacy
‘Maternity leave’ for surrogacy starts today
From today, parents in the UK expecting a child through surrogacy have the same rights to time off work as other new parents. Reforms under the Children and Families Act 2014 come into force on 5 April and extend adoption leave to surrogacy, so that gay dads and...
NGA quoted in the Telegraph – How a father became the brother of his son
NGA has been quoted in today's Telegraph, on the case of Kyle Casson, the single dad through surrogacy who was granted an adoption order to secure his legal parenthood. Natalie was quoted about the law's failure to allow single parents to apply for parental orders....
Single Dad through surrogacy granted adoption order in legal first
The UK High Court has awarded an adoption order to a single dad through surrogacy, in the first case of its kind in the UK. Describing the law as a ‘minefield’, Mrs Justice Theis said she was satisfied that an adoption order was in the best interests of the baby. The...
NGA on BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour reflecting on 30 years of UK surrogacy
NGA has been interviewed by today's BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour, reflecting on 30 years since the birth of baby Cotton, the UK's first well-known surrogacy baby. The media storm around the 1985 case involving Kim Cotton led to the rushing through Parliament of the...
High Court deals with legal mess after parents through UK surrogacy separate
A three year old boy born through surrogacy has been left in legal limbo after his parents separated without getting a parental order. The boy had been born through a UK surrogacy arrangement involving the intended mother’s friend. She offered to act as a surrogate...
New HFEA rules on surrogacy come into force today
The HFEA’s new Code of Practice, which comes into force today, contains new guidance for UK fertility clinics dealing with surrogacy cases. The changes affect how clinics deal with the forms which allocate legal parenthood in surrogacy cases. Cases where the...
NGA advises Corrie on surrogacy
We have been working with Coronation Street on their surrogacy storyline (the first in a mainstream UK soap) which has come to a head this week, with surrogate Tina making the emotional decision about whether to hand baby Jake back to his biological parents Gary and...
Guide for gay men: surrogacy in the UK – Article published in We Are Family magazine
Natalie and Helen have writte an article for We Are Family, a magazine for LGBT+ parents, about surrogacy for gay men in the UK. covering both UK and international surrogacy options the article gives a concise snappy guide to where to start if you are gay dads...
HFEA gets into gear on surrogacy – Article published in Bionews
Natalie has written a comment piece in this week's Bionews about the HFEA's decision to amend its Code of Practice to cater more explicitly for those going through treatment for surrogacy in the UK. With a new set of surrogacy-specific consent forms, and clearer...
HFEA to update surrogacy guidance to UK clinics
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has voted to update the guidance it gives to UK fertility clinics on surrogacy. The new Code of Practice will: clarify what UK clinics should say to surrogacy patients, and update clinic procedures and forms for...
How we can help you with UK surrogacy
Top tier legal advice and representation
NGA Law has more experience of surrogacy law than any other UK lawyers. With everything you need in one place, we can help with early UK legal advice (including support with clinics), parental order applications, British passports, wills, and more.
Practical help through Brilliant Beginnings
Our directors founded non-profit Brilliant Beginnings in 2013, and we work closely alongside the BB team to support surrogates and intended parents who want experienced, thorough professional support for a safe, ethical surrogacy journey.
The Brilliant Beginnings Knowledge Centre
Our sibling organisation, Brilliant Beginnings, is a non-profit surrogacy agency, founded by the NGA Law directors in 2013 to support safe ethical surrogacy.
It has a free online Knowledge Centre with a wealth of information and resources about the practicalities of surrogacy in the UK.
Still have questions?
If you need legal advice or want to make an appointment, feel free to get in touch. We offer meetings in-person in London or in the New Forest, as well as online.
We are here to help however we can.