Surrogacy in Ukraine and Georgia – from the UK’s leading surrogacy lawyers
Ukraine and Georgia have legal frameworks supporting surrogacy for heterosexual couples.
Until 2022, Ukraine was the second most popular international surrogacy destination for UK parents, with many agencies offering surrogacy and egg donation services for married couples. Since Russia invaded in February 2022, the UK Foreign Office has advised against engaging in surrogacy in Ukraine, and there are significant risks associated with conceiving a child in a warzone.
Georgia has a similar legal framework (again supporting surrogacy only for heterosexual parents), although there are fewer surrogacy agencies in Georgia and the war in Ukraine has placed considerable strain on the system. Care is needed to follow the Georgian legal requirements carefully, and to navigate surrogacy safely and ethically.
Our Ukraine and Georgia surrogacy content hub gives free information and resources on UK legal issues for intended parents conceiving children through surrogacy in Ukraine or Georgia.
Expert UK law guides from our Knowledge Centre
International surrogacy and UK law
Why do you need to think about UK law if you are going to Ukraine or Georgia for surrogacy? Find out what to ask at the planning stages, how to bring your baby home and what you need to do to become a family under UK law
Parental orders
UK parents who have a child through surrogacy in Ukraine or Georgia 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
Latest news about surrogacy in Ukraine and Georgia
Read our most recent updates about what’s going on with surrogacy in Ukraine and Georgia
Media coverage of our work to support Ukraine surrogacy families
We have been speaking to the media about what help we need from the UK government to support British parents with or expecting babies through surrogacy in Ukraine following Russia's invasion . The Times (6 March 2022) writes: Desperate British families are asking the...
Ukraine surrogates and their families to be given special visas to come to the UK
The Home Secretary Priti Patel will issue special discretionary visas to any pregnant Ukraine surrogates carrying British children who wish to come to the UK. Writing personally to Natalie and immigration lawyer Barry O'Leary who has supported us this week, the Home...
Emergency help for UK parents through Ukraine surrogacy
In response to the war in Ukraine, our team has been working to support British parents with or expecting babies through surrogacy. If you are need our help, please contact us at hello@ngalaw.co.uk. What we are doing to support surrogacy families With 42...
Getting surrogacy families home during COVID-19 – NGA and the families we are helping in the news
On 20 March 2020 the US Passport Office closed its doors to in-person passport applications as a result of the escalating COVID pandemic, meaning that a number of our parents with newborn surrogate babies (who usually rely on the US passport to travel back to the UK)...
NGA on the BBC Today Programme today – surrogacy babies stranded due to COVID
Natalie Gamble was interviewed on this morning’s BBC Radio 4 Today Programme (here at 7.14am) about the problems faced by surrogacy families in the current coronavirus crisis. Natalie spoke to the BBC Radio 4 Today programme this morning about the crisis work we are...
Will my child through surrogacy be born British? And how do I apply for a British Passport?
If you are expecting a child through surrogacy, one of your top questions may be how you get a British passport for your baby, particularly if they are born outside the UK. British nationality can be complicated in surrogacy cases, and what you need to do depends on...
NGA quoted in the Guardian: Unregistered surrogate-born children creating legal timebomb, warns judge
Today's Guardian has reported comments made by High Court judge Mrs Justice Theis at a conference last week about her concerns for children born through international surrogacy whose parents have not applied to properly resolve their legal status in the UK. ...
New Foreign Office guidance for parents planning international surrogacy
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has today published updated guidance for parents planning international surrogacy arrangements. We have been working with the FCO on this new guidance as part of our campaigning and policy work and are proud to have helped with...
High Court judge warns ‘loud and clear’: international surrogacy parents need a UK court order
In a High Court ruling published today (a case in which we represented the parents), Mrs Justice Theis has warned parents of children born through international surrogacy that they must apply to court in the UK if they want to be the legal parents of their children....
Re X and Y: a trek through a thorn forest – Article published in Family Law
Natalie has co-written an article with Lucy Theis QC for Family Law about the leading surrogacy case of Re X and Y (2008), the UK's first parental order to be granted following an international commercial surrogacy arrangement, and in which NGA represented the...
How we can help you with surrogacy in Ukraine or Georgia
Top tier legal advice and representation
NGA Law has extensive experience of supporting parents through surrogacy in Ukraine and Georgia, since the very first Ukraine surrogacy case in 2008. With everything you need in one place, we can help with early UK legal advice, parental order applications, British nationality and passports, wills, and more.
Campaigning and policy work
We have a long history of championing parents through surrogacy. We worked with the UK government and the entire group of British parents expecting babies in Ukraine when the war broke out in 2022, winning emergency measures, and ultimately helping to rescue all 46 British babies to safety. Those families still have a very special place in our hearts.
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.