A key question for many is where to access surrogacy. If it is legal in your country and you can afford it and can locate a suitable surrogate, surrogacy in your home country is the ideal option. (see Countries Allowing Surrogacy)

Before choosing a destination, find out

1. What legal protections if any does the jurisdiction offer to intended parents and surrogates?
2. Is transfer of legal parentage available in the jurisdiction in question?
3. What are the eligibility criteria for surrogacy (Do you need to be a citzen of that country? Is it available to single men? Gay couples? Unmarried heterosexual couples?)
4. How long are the exit requirements post birth?
5. Is surrogate compensation allowed?
6. Is Health insurance available for the surrogate and any post birth complications?
7. Are contracts legally enforceable?
8. What Neo-Natal Intensive Care Facilities are available?
9. What do these cost?
10. Can the intended parent(s) be present at the birth?

Regulatory Issues which may be relevant

1. Is there a Medical Registry for updating the medical history of the surrogates or the children?
2. Is there a registry for the surrogate and children to exchange information when the child reaches maturity?

The table below lists issues related to surrogacy in various countries which allow it.

Commercial surrogacy, Workable laws. Almaty based clinics

Country	Considerations	Eligibility	Experience
AUSTRALIA	Altruistic. No surrogate matching. Laws protect surrogates right to change her mind Advertising for surrogates not legal Ethics committee approval often required Contracts not enforceable Legal Parentage available	Australians only, access to gay couples in some states	Limited, ~40 births/year
ALBANIA	No specific laws. Surrogate recruitment difficult	All	Little
CANADA	Altruistic. Generous surrogate expenses allowed Only some Canadian provinces	Canadians and foreigners, any sexuality	15 years
COLUMBIA	COLUMBIA	Foreigners, any sexuality, fixed price guarantee programs	1 year
CYPRUS-USA	Low-cost IVF destination. Surrogate births cannot occur in Cyprus. Utilised for Hybrid programs Advantageous for EU IPs & American IP’s wanting  lower IVF costs	Foreigners, heterosexual	NA
GEORGIA	Compensated Surrogacy	heterosexual married couples, Georgians and foreigners	20 years
GREECE	Altruistic Surrogacy	heterosexual couples, single women, Greek or foreign. No surrogacy agencies. A handful of IVF clinics in Athens, Thessaloniki and Crete offer surrogacy	16 years for Greek citizens, 4 year for foreigners
GUATEMALA	Commercial Surrogacy	Accept all. No firm laws. Not recommended	<1 year
KAZAKHSTAN	Foreigners	2 years
KENYA	No surrogacy laws. Indian IVF physicians	Foreigners, any sexuality	2 years for foreigners
LAOS	No surrogacy laws	Foreigners, any sexuality	No experience
INDIA	Compensated Surrogacy. Gender selection unavailable	Indian citizens only	10 years
MEXICO	No surrogacy laws.  Hybrid programs with California emerging	Mexicans and foreigners, any sexuality	6 years
NEW ZEALAND	Altruistic surrogacy only. No agencies. Online forums	New Zealand citizens only, any sexuality	10 years
NETHERLANDS	Altruistic surrogacy only. No agencies. Online forums	Dutch citizens only	?
NIGERIA	Commercial surrogacy. Limited agencies. No specific laws	Foreigners and nationals	?
RUSSIA	Commercial Surrogacy.	Heterosexual couples and single men; foreigners and nationals	15 years
SOUTH AFRICA	Altruistic surrogacy	South Africans only, any sexuality	?
THAILAND	Altruistic surrogacy	Thai citizens only	10+ years
UK	Altruistic surrogacy. Advertising for surrogates not legal	UK Citizens domiciled there only	>15 years
UKRAINE	Compensated surrogacy	heterosexual married couples – local or foreign	15 years
USA	Compensated & altruistic	US and foreign citizens, any sexuality (depending on State)	>35 years in California