How to find a surrogate mother in India?

Surrogacy is a type of treatment in assisted reproductive technology (ART) which is considered very long and its whole process is rigorous. From legal things to understanding the need to How to find a surrogate mother in India who is willing to actually be ready to carry your child, for you. Many people also have doubts about what actually is surrogacy and how it is different from IVF treatment. So, understand that first.

IVF and surrogacy are both types of fertility treatment. Both IVF and surrogacy are done for individuals who are having a hard time conceiving a child or getting pregnant. Before actually moving forward, we must understand how they are different. IVF is a type of medical treatment for couples or individuals having fertility issues. On the other hand, surrogacy is an arrangement that happens among the involved parties.

People get confused because they are both connected somehow. So, let’s understand this in a normal and simpler example. A man has kidney damage, and he urgently needs a kidney transplant. Everyone he knows gets tested to find out who is perfectly matched with him. He found the match. He talked with that kidney donor, and they came to an understandable arrangement. Transplant surgery takes place. He is healthy and out of critical condition.

Now, in the context of fertility, his arrangement with the donor is a surrogacy, the transplant is IVF, and the doctor who actually performed the treatment is from Go IVF Surrogacy Clinic. Still, many people have doubts regarding the actual process of surrogacy and, in general, we are gonna start from the very bottom of it. And find out How to find a surrogate mother in India.

Is surrogacy legal in India? Is Surrogacy mother legal in India?

Is surrogacy legal in India? Yes, surrogacy is legal in India; however, it is a very restricted and highly regulated area. The only type of surrogacy India has allowed is altruistic surrogacy. To understand how the law affects your choices of How to find a surrogate mother in India, we have to understand the difference between the different types of surrogacy, let’s go through them one by one. The types of surrogacies are actually based on two different things: first, on monetary benefits, and second, on the genetic link between the surrogate mother and the baby itself.

There are two types of surrogacy in the category of monetary benefits.

Commercial surrogacy: If the surrogate mother is getting paid because of her services in money or in compensation, then it would be called commercial surrogacy. This is not the method you can use when looking at how to find a surrogate mother in India.

Altruistic surrogacy: The second type of surrogacy is altruistic surrogacy. This is the only type of surrogacy that comes under Indian legal protection. This type of surrogacy is only one which answers the question ”How to find a surrogate mother in India?”.

In this type of surrogacy, a mother would not get any monetary compensation, so she has to provide her surrogate benefits because of her compassion. This is the only type of surrogate you can find in India.

Let’s go through another type of surrogacy based on the biological connection of the surrogate mother with the baby.

Gestational surrogacy: One of them is gestational surrogacy. In this surrogacy, both gametes, meaning both the egg and the sperm, are from the intended parents. So the surrogate mother would not have any biological connection or genetic link with the baby. This is the standard procedure recommended when learning how to find a surrogate mother in India.

Traditional Surrogacy: The next type of surrogacy, based on this type, is traditional surrogacy. In this case, if the intended mother or the intended father cannot provide their own gametes, they have to go through the donor program; due to this, they use the method known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection ICSI.

In this method, the doctor actually collects only healthy sperm from when directly injected into a healthy egg. In this, the surrogate mother can actually become the real biological mother of the baby as well if she donates her own egg, but this is the most unused method right now in the world.

So let’s go through what type of surrogacy is actually legal in India?

In all of the surrogacies, only Altruistic surrogacy is the only type of surrogacy which is legal in India through the gestational surrogacy method. In simple words, it means that the surrogate mother will have no connection with the baby, and she will not receive any monetary compensation either. She has to provide her surrogate services out of her own heart’s compassion.

In the past, commercial surrogacy has been one of the biggest reasons for India’s medical tourism. Many people from foreign countries came to India to have a child, but due to the exploitation of vulnerable women, India completely banned commercial surrogacy under the surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021.

Is Surrogacy mother legal in India?

For the intended parents who have doubts on How to find a surrogate mother in India? This is your answer. And yes, you can also become a surrogate mother in India; it is a legal procedure as well, but you have to meet certain eligibility criteria. The rules that she has to go through are that

She has to be a married woman between the ages of 25 and 35 years.
Another criterion you have to know is that she must have her own child.
And she could actually just be a surrogate only once in her lifetime.
And the surrogate mother cannot use her own egg; this is the last eligibility criterion you have to match before acting as a surrogate mother in India.
When the first law came into existence, there was a law that the surrogate mother must be a close relative of the parents; however, in March 2023, the amendment relaxed this, allowing any willing, eligible woman known to the couple to act as the surrogate. This update expanded the options for families figuring out how to find a surrogate mother in India.

Who can opt for surrogacy in India?How to find a surrogate mother in India?

As the only altruistic type of surrogacy is legal in India, surrogacy is treated as a medical necessity rather than a personal choice. For couples who are choosing to go on a path of surrogacy in India, there are certain rules and regulations they have to follow. Knowing these groups is essential to understanding how to find a surrogate mother in India legally.The first of them is who can actually opt for surrogacy in India right now.

Married heterosexual couple:

Legally, only heterosexual married couples are allowed to choose surrogacy. Additionally, if they meet all the following conditions, such as the age limit.

The wife must be between 23 and 50 years of age, while the husband should be between 26 and 55 years of age.
The second thing they should keep in mind is their citizenship; both must be Indian citizens, including NRIs and OCI card holders. Foreign nationals without OCI status are entirely banned from opting for surrogacy in India.
Another thing they must keep in mind is that the couple must not have any living biological, adopted, or any surrogate child of their own. However, this rule also has one very important exception: if the child has a certified life-threatening physical or mental illness.
For married Indian heterosexual couples, they must have a certificate of essentially from a district medical board certifying that they suffer from primary infertility or a medical condition that makes it difficult to carry a full-term pregnancy, medically impossible, or life-threatening.

Single women

For single women who want to opt for surrogacy in India, there is another set of criteria they should go through.

1. One of them is that she has to be a widow or a legally divorced woman.

What is the age limit for surrogate mothers? She must be between 35 and 45 years of age, and she must comply with the same medical essentiality and childless criteria as a married couple.

NOTE: Unmarried single women in India cannot undergo surrogacy in India.

Other communities (older people, LGBTQ+, same sex, unmarried couples, live-in couples, single men)

The LGBTQ+ communities, same sex couples, and living partners are not allowed to choose surrogacy in India. Let’s go through them one by one.

Older people

For older individuals, under the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act 2021, there is a strict age bracket for the intending parents. And that is limited to 50 years for women and 55 for men. Currently, in India, older individuals are still very restricted according to the law from actually undergoing surrogacy in India because there are very high complications with the pregnancy. However, there is a window you can actually apply. Meaning that the older individuals who have crossed the strict age bracket can apply to the court in appeal, and then they could actually opt for surrogacy after the court’s permission.

LGBTQ+, same sex, unmarried couples (live-in partners)

The next is LGBT Q +, same sex couples, and unmarried partners under the current text of the 2021 act, all these communities are not allowed to access surrogacy. They are completely barred.

Single men

Currently, according to the Government of India’s constitution, single men are not allowed to have surrogacy treatment in India. Because the surrogacy act strictly defines the intended parents as a married heterosexual couple, divorced, or a widowed single woman. So, there are no certificates, no forms, no legal pathways in India that accept applications from single men or LGBTQ +couples.

Medical conditions to apply to the district medical board?

A major phase of learning how to find a surrogate mother in India involves gathering the necessary legal and medical paperwork to secure government approval:

If a uterus is absent
If there is a severely damaged or abnormal uterine cavity which is considered a very high risk to carry a pregnancy.
Next is whether there are multiple unexplained IVF failures or recurrent pregnancy losses.
The next thing you can get a medical certificate is if there are life tracking conditions such as severe heart disease or advanced renal disease, where actually carrying a child could result in a mother’s death.
The married couples have to use their own egg and their own sperm. If, due to any medical condition which day, they cannot use their own gametes, at least one parent has to provide their own gamete, and only one donor (egg and sperm) is allowed

Current status of surrogacy in India: Altruistic surrogacy

The medical treatment for surrogacy in India is regulated and closely examined by the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act 2021 and the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Act 2021. These are the two bodies that are making ongoing amendments in the field of surrogacy and assisted reproductive technology in India.

In the past, before 2021, commercial surrogacy was the top choice and the top reason for medical tourism in India from all around the world. However, from 2024, it has been completely banned. Now, before we get into it, a lot of you must not know what commercial surrogacy actually is.

Commercial surrogacy was a type of surrogacy in which any willing woman would give birth to a suffering couple or individual in exchange for monetary compensation. In simpler terms, you give birth to someone else’s child, and then you get a bunch of money for that act. In 2024, the government of India banned and completely prohibited commercial surrogacy due to the exploitation of vulnerable women from poor backgrounds.

What documents do you have to submit for surrogacy and why?

There are five types of categories we are considering. In this, we will tell you what documents each of these categories needs. First of all, let’s discuss some core basic documents everyone needs according to the Surrogacy law in India.

Medical proof for the intended parent/s

Certificate of infertility or medical essentiality from a government or an officially recognised district medical board.
Next, you need detailed proof of all the previous failed IVF treatment reports or records showing the absence of a uterus or any other severe disease that is stopping the couple from having a natural pregnancy. This is the legal proof that the intended parents have an absolute medical inability to carry a child. Thus, they are opting for convenience surrogacy.

Surrogate mother

The surrogate mother must also provide her marriage certificate
She must also prove that she has an existing biological child, so she must give the birth certificate of that child.
Reports of her test proving that she is medically fit to carry a child. A certificate from a registered Art specialist.
The last thing the surrogate mother should submit to the court is her written, notarised consent form signed by both her and her husband.

Financial protection

Financially 36 months comprehensive health insurance policy copy should be bought in the name of the surrogate mother. It is to ensure that if during the whole surrogacy treatment, the surrogate mother suffers any medical complications or any postpartum health issues within the time limit of 3 years, she would be covered financially by the intended parents. This is the most heavily portioned Surrogacy cost in India.

Identity Status

The last and most important thing is to verify that both have a surrogate mother and that the intended parents are from India. This could be provided through the Aadhaar card, PAN card, and passport. And marriage certificates for the couples. Or any divorce decree or spouse’s death certificate for single women.

Surrogacy V/S IVF V/S test tube baby

Contrary to popular media terms, IVF and test tube are not the same thing. Due to the media’s use of the term ‘test tube baby,’ many people believe that, in assisted reproductive methods, babies are made in a tube. It is not true that in IVF, babies are actually made in the uterus; they are just grown in a laboratory in the initial phases, then transferred to the uterus.

How to get permission for surrogacy in India?

To get permission for surrogacy in India, it is a very hard legal and medical path. And it is done under the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021. First of all, you have to manage multiple Government clearances and court orders before moving forward with any medical procedures like IVF or embryo transfer.

Clearance certificate from the medical expert?

First of all, you have to get an initial test done and get a clinical clearance from any surrogacy clinic or any clinic that is officially registered with the National ART and Surrogacy Registry. This is done to make sure that a fertility specialist will review your medical history, including all previous IVF treatments, for any uterine issues or any left-right medical conditions, to determine if the SURROGACY is legally or medically possible.

Medical board certificate

Then after that, you have to get a certificate of medical indication, which you can get from the district medical board. This is to actually make sure that you prove that all your medical conditions meet the medical criteria the law has set for surrogacy.

It will be done through your registered clinic. They will send your medical files to the district medical board, also known as DMB. If the board is satisfied that the natural pregnancy is medically impossible, they will issue the medical indication, stating that there is a necessity for gestational surrogacy.

Order of parentage

After that, you have to secure an order of parentage and custody from a magistrate court. It is to make sure that those who will have the child. You, intended parents, and the surrogate mother must file separate applications before a magistrate of the first class or higher. You’re to legally acquire legal parental rights over the baby, and the surrogate mother is abandoning her rights.

This is to ensure that the court will pass an order of parentage and custody to legally bind you, meaning the intended parents, as actual parents from the moment of the birth of the baby, and to ensure that the birth certificate will also list your name as a parent.

Insurance policy

The next thing you have to do is to find an insurance policy for the surgical mother, and you must buy that insurance policy from any IRDA-recognised company. The policy must be for 36 months after the delivery of the baby.

Certificate of essentiality and eligibility

After that, you should also apply for a certificate of essentiality and eligibility. After getting your medical board certificates, magistrate court order, and 36-month insurance policy, you must apply to the appropriate authority. In this, you will get 3 certificates.

The certificate of essentiality, which is issued to the intending parents.
The second eligibility certificate for the intending parents is to ensure that the parents have met all the eligibility criteria.
Third is an eligibility certificate for the surrogate mother to ensure that the surrogate who is opting to become a surrogate mother is meeting all the eligibility criteria as well.

Which state is best for surrogacy?

Metropolitan cities like delhi, banga,ore are considered best choices on how to find a surrogate mother in India.

What is the medical process of surrogacy in India?

The medical procedure of the surrogacy clinic in India has almost the same steps as those of other clinics. However, only here do the doctors pay all their attention to each of the steps. This is the reason behind the high success of this centre.

Initial tests

The first step of any kind of reproductive treatment is that doctors prescribe you a list of medical tests that you have to take. These tests are done to determine exactly what kind of treatment you need. Even though the treatment for every patient is the same on a basic level, some changes could be made based on the demographics of the patient. Below is the list of all the initial testing for the surrogate mother:

Pelvic ultrasound and saline infusion sonohysterogram (SIS)

It is a specialized ultrasound where the uterus is filled with saline solution. The uterine cavity is the place where the embryo attaches itself to the mother’s uterus. The uterine cavity actually provides nutrients and essential oxygen levels to the baby. Through the blood of the mother. Doctors do this test to find out if everything is healthy for the embryo implantation, so it does not cause a miscarriage.

Hysteroscopy

This is another type of test to actually check the uterine lining of the uterus. Doctors do this to measure the thickness of the endometriosis. If it is below seven millimeters, then it is not a good thing.

Hormonal tests

Like mAh, FSH, LH, and estradiol. These tests are done to measure the egg reserve the woman has, and it carries out the prediction how well her ovaries will respond to these medications. Not only are many screenings done for HIV, hepatitis, and syphilis to protect the labor and laboratory environment, but they are also done to prevent transmission during embryo creation and fertilization.

Semen analysis

It evaluates sperm count, motility (movement), and morphology (shape) to ensure successful fertilization during the IVF process.

Medical counseling

After all the tests are done, doctors will counsel the couple and the intended surrogate mother. This is done so that all the parties know what they are getting themselves into. Surrogacy, pregnancy, and going through this process are very daunting tasks. The healthcare providers do a special kind of Psychological test for the intended surrogate mother. They do this to evaluate her mental health status or whether she is ready to go through this whole process.

Ovary stimulation

This is the process in which the eggs of the female partner are stimulated through a series of injections so that her ovaries can grow multiple eggs at once. Usually, a female’s body only releases one egg per month, but because of these drugs, such as FSH, also known as follicle-stimulating hormone, and LH, luteinizing hormone, all of which are encouraged to produce and release more than one egg, preferably 8 or 10.

Egg retrieval

In the egg retrieval process, doctors perform a small surgery known as transvaginal oocyte retrieval (TVOR). It is a very minor surgery, so you can go home on the same day. Doctors use the ultrasound device so that they can see the actual image inside your body.

At first, they insert a thin, hollow needle, which is attached to the ultrasound device. This needle is gently passed through your vaginal wall and enters directly into Your Ovaries. Then the doctors gently vacuum the follicle fluid containing the eggs. This process takes about 45 minutes.

Whereas if the men’s sperm is needed, they are extracted through masturbation. However, if there is a problem with male fertility, doctors could perform surgery to retrieve the sperm directly. The names of the surgeries are PESA, MESA, and many more.

Fertilisation

The next process is actually fertilizing the collected egg and the collected sperm. There are two methods. The first is the conventional method, where thousands of sperm are placed in the same spot with or without only one egg. The second method is Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).

Embryo culture and development

The fourth stage in the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF) is embryo culture and development. After fertilization has occurred, the embryo phone so the doctors will now transfer it into the incubator. An incubator is a device that behaves as an artificial woMB or uterus.

Till the embryo has reached a state where it is healthy and strong enough to be transferred to the actual uterus of the intended mother. Some people actually freeze their fertilized, healthy embryos for future use.

In some cases, when the timing is not right and when individuals want to focus on their careers or due to any medical conditions, they could actually use this frozen embryo for further embryo transfer when they want to have children in the near future.

Embryo transfer

The last stage in this process is embryo transfer, in which the embryo is healthy enough. The doctors actually transferred this embryo to the actual uterus. There are two types of embryo transfer: the first is Fresh embryo transfer, and the second is frozen embryo transfer, which we have talked about earlier.

In the fresh embryo transfer process, first of all, doctors prepare the bladder so they can actually see the full display, so the doctors can actually see the uterus in full display through the ultrasound device. Then, a very thin, flexible plastic tube known as a transfer catheter is used. This catheter has embryo liquid.

This tube is inserted into the vaginal wall and passes directly through the cervix till they reach the uterine cavity. The uterine cavity is the place where the embryo attaches itself to the mother’s uterus. The uterine cavity actually provides nutrients and essential oxygen levels to the baby. Through the blood of the mother.

When doctors actually reach the uterine cavity, they gently release the embryo’s liquid inside the uterine cavity. This surgery is a very low-impact surgery. After the surgery is done, the patients typically rest for about 10 to 15 minutes before heading home.

Delivery

After nine months of pregnancy, the surrogate will give birth; however, if there are any complications, then the doctors will have to use a cesarean delivery.

So this was the whole process of surrogacy in India.

How to find the surrogate cost? Do surrogates get paid? Who pays for surrogacy?

When calculating your budget and researching how to find a surrogate mother in India, you must account for both medical procedures and mandatory legal costs.

You, or the intended parent/s pay for the surrogate’s whole care during the whole treatment.

Legally you can just pay for her medical insurance, and any antenatal care.

Surrogacy cost is ₹15,00,000 to ₹22,00,000 not only includes the cost of the whole process, but also the cost of the 36-month-long health insurance for the surrogate mother. It is a mandatory process; otherwise, there could be legal penalties.

Surrogacy Stage	What happens in this stage	Estimated Price Range
Initial testing and consultation	blood tests, reproductive hormone tests, semen analysis for the father, and baseline ultrasounds for the mother and surrogate.	₹25,000 to ₹50,000
Medical counselling	Mandatory psychological evaluation and counselling sessions for the surrogate to ensure emotional readiness and legal comprehension of handing over the baby.	₹15,000 to ₹30,000
Ovarian/gametes stimulation	Hormonal daily injections (like gonadotropins) and oral medications are given to the intended mother to develop multiple healthy eggs, alongside regular monitoring scans.	₹60,000 to ₹1,00,000
Egg retrieval / Sperm retrieval	A minor surgical outpatient procedure (under sedation) using ultrasound guidance to harvest the eggs. Includes basic processing of the father’s semen sample.	₹80,000 to ₹1,20,000
Fertilisation of gametes	Combining the eggs and sperm in the embryology lab petri dish. Often involves ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection), where a single sperm is directly injected into an egg for higher success.	₹1,00,000 to ₹1,50,000
Embryo culture/development	Incubation and monitoring of the embryos in the lab until they reach the strong blastocyst stage (Day 5). May also include short-term freezing charges.	₹15,000 to ₹40,000
Embryo transfer	The minor clinical procedure to carefully place the selected healthy embryo into the surrogate mother’s prepared uterus.	₹45,000 to ₹70,000
Legal Documentation & Board Approvals	Drafting the legally binding altruistic agreement, processing the Order of Parentage from the Magistrate Court, and obtaining permissions from the District and State Surrogacy Boards.	₹1,00,000 to ₹2,50,000
Mandatory 36-Month Health Insurance	It provides an overall sum insured of ₹6 Lakhs to ₹9 Lakhs covering pregnancy and postpartum complications for 3 full years.	₹50,000 to ₹1,50,000
Antenatal Care & Surrogate Support	9 months of specialized pregnancy nutrition, regular diagnostic fetal anomaly scans, prescribed daily medications, and routing check-ups.	₹1,50,000 to ₹3,00,000
Delivery & Hospitalization	Actual hospital charges for birth (Normal or C-Section delivery), routine room stay, and initial basic neonatal care.	₹2,00,000 to ₹4,00,000

How to become a surrogate mother for celebrities

You can not choose to become a surrogate for the celebrities. Many people assume if you become the surrogate for the celebrity you can have the

Is surrogacy 100% successful?

No medical clinic can actually guarantee 100 percent surrogacy success. However, it has a higher success rate than standard IVF.

Surrogacy with Advanced Treatments	Success Rates
Surrogacy with self eggs and sperm	65% to 70%
ICSI with surrogacy	66% to 69%
PGD with surrogacy	62% to 68%
SSR with surrogacy	60% to 66%
Surrogacy with normal delivery	67% to 70%
C-type delivery surrogacy	65% to 69%
Twins surrogacy	48% to 56%

In surrogacy, who is the biological mother? Whose egg is used in surrogacy?

A biological mother is one who has given her egg. If it is intended mother then she is the biological mother, if it is surrogate mother then the surrogate mother is the biological mother ./

Can a baby look like a surrogate mother? Is there any DNA in a surrogate mother?

Since this is surrogacy, there is a high chance that the baby born might look like the intended parents due to genetic traits inherited from the surrogate mother. Studies have shown that epigenetics might be affected based on the surrogate mother’s uterine environment.

Surrogacy mother contact number

To contact through email, the ID is: Info@IVFSurrogacy.in, and for a call: +91 9899293903

How risky is surrogacy? Best clinic in India for surrogacy?

Medical risk

Preeclampsia and Hypertension
Postpartum Hemorrhage
Preterm Labor
Increased C-Section Rates

Emotional/ Psychological risks

Post-Delivery Disorientation
Performance Anxiety
Family and Marriage Strain

Legal and Financial Risks

Custody and Parentage Disputes
Exploitation by Shady Agencies

Is the husband’s sperm used in IVF?

In surrogacy, the use of the husband’s sperm in IVF is based on the health demographics of both partners. For example, in some cases, if there is a problem where the male fertility means there is a problem with a man’s fertility, such as low sperm count, low movement in his sperm, or there is a problem with the shape of his sperm, then in these cases, most of the doctors actually recommend a sperm donor.

But of course, there are a lot of ways we could actually work around it. For instance, when there is a low sperm count, doctors actually perform surgical operations to retrieve the sperm from the testicles or testes, and then choose the best and healthiest sperm. In these cases, the method of ICSI is used.

How to find a surrogate mother in India