Surrogacy in Greece
Altruistic surrogacy and egg donor arrangements are legal in Greece for international heterosexual couples, married or unmarried and single parents, who are not able to carry a child naturally due to fertility problems or medical health conditions. Since July 2014, those eligible do not need to be Greek nationals or resident in Greece.
Although the law provides that surrogacy must be altruistic it allows for the payment of necessary surrogate expenses for IVF, pregnancy costs and delivery in addition to lost wages and unpaid leave during the pregnancy.
There is no requirement in Greece for the embryos that are created to have any biological link with either intended parent, however where there is no genetic link, your home country may have an issue with this and not grant citizenship or recognise legal parentage.
Growing Families can help you understand Greece surrogacy, and your other international options, with an Assessment & Support Consultation. These are customised meetings that explore your options, based on your needs. If you have any queries or would like to book a meeting, please get in touch.
Who can build a family in Greece?
How does surrogacy in Greece work?
Surrogacy in Greece is coordinated by IVF clinics or independent facilitators. They help intended parents to find a surrogate and egg donor if needed, as well as arranging the IVF treatment, pregnancy medical care and legal and administrative services for intended parents.
Advertising for surrogates is prohibited, yet there are a handful of Greek IVF clinics who have a pool of surrogates to draw from. Rigorous screening of surrogates is carried out to ensure they have their own child already and meet appropriate psychological and medical criteria. Intended Parents are not able to ‘choose’ their surrogate. Instead, as in other non-English speaking countries, a surrogate is assigned to you. There is no wait time for surrogates from certain Greek clinics currently. UK citizens are matched with unmarried or divorced surrogates, as this makes UK citizenship easier.
How does surrogacy screening and egg donors work in Greece?
Greek clinics can provide screened egg donors, although donation is anonymous under Greek law, so photos of egg donors are not available. Instead, the donors physical characteristics can be specified by intended parents. You can also use your own donor if they are unrelated to you. Eggs/embryos/sperm can be shipped directly from your registered clinic to some Greek clinics with import licences. However, there can be restrictions in regard to shipping to Greece from non-EU countries.
Advertising for surrogates is prohibited, yet there are a handful of Greek IVF clinics (see Providers page) who have limited surrogates to draw from. Rigorous screening of surrogates is carried out to ensure they have their own child already and meet appropriate psychological and medical criteria. Intended Parents are not able to ‘choose’ their surrogate. Instead, as in Georgia, a surrogate is assigned to you. UK citizens are matched with unmarried or divorced surrogates, as this makes UK citizenship a given, hence a shorter exit process.
Is a prearranged court approval required?
Court approval of surrogacy arrangements must be obtained PRIOR to embryo transfer. A handful of Greek surrogacy providers & lawyers (see Providers page) will handle this entire process for you. The court process takes 3-4 months. You are not always required to be present for the court proceedings. A copy of the surrogacy agreement is submitted to the court.
If the surrogate is married, then the consent of her husband must also be provided to the court. The judgement of the court will state that the parties are eligible under Greek law to enter into a surrogacy arrangement and will say that any child conceived is the child of the intended parents and not the surrogate.
The surrogate has no capacity to change her mind once the first embryo transfer has occurred.
Surrogate in Greece
Surrogates live in their own accommodation. However, clinics provides a nurse to monitor and care for the surrogate from the time she first enters the program (this will be at least three months prior to embryo transfer) until at least two months after delivery of the child.
When the child is born it will take on the citizenship of the intended parents according to their laws. The child is not entitled to Greek citizenship. As such, it is imperative to obtain professional advice as to whether your own country will grant citizenship in such circumstances.
Given the cultural and language barriers, the opportunity for a deeper relationship with your surrogate is often limited. Make sure you feel confident that the organisation you are working with will look out for the interests of you, your child and your surrogate. Make sure your surrogate is fully informed and well supported throughout your surrogacy journey.
How much does surrogacy in Greece cost?
This is highly variable but may be between US$53,000 – $85,000. Costs have increased in recent years. Growing Families can help you plan and budget offering personal advice as part of our consultation process.
What is the wait time for a Greece surrogate match?
Typically it can take 3 months to match with a surrogate, followed by 3-4 months for the court process.
What is Greece’s healthcare system like?
Out of 191 countries on the WHO (World Health Organization) list, Greece healthcare ranks 22.
Fertility clinics in Greece
A large number of high-quality Greek clinics offer donor egg IVF services but there are few who have access to surrogates. This does limit the availability of surrogacy programs.
Embryo & Sperm Shipping to Greece
Sperm or embryos can be shipped to Greece from other countries as solo shipments or shared shipments with Growing Families.
Engage with Growing Families
Too often intended parent(s) engage in surrogacy without full awareness of the risks and how potential hurdles can be minimised. To assist, Growing Families have created support packages that inform, guide, and support your journey.
Our team have been helping intended parents with international family-building since 2012 and have assisted over 3000 parents. Drawing on our extensive experience and global contacts, we can help select the right option for you.
We offer Assessment & Support Consultation Packages to discuss your unique circumstances and provide a secure pathway that best meets your family building needs.
If you would like to discuss your situation in more detail with us, please complete this situation assessment form so we can understand your journey to date. Then, we will be in contact to arrange a 15-minute consultation.
Growing Families also host regular events featuring expert service providers, surrogates and recent parents. View our Event Schedule for an upcoming event near you.
