How much does surrogacy cost?

The cost of surrogacy varies depending on where it takes place, as well as your personal circumstances. It is always important to budget carefully, and to allow some contingency.

How much does surrogacy in the UK cost?

A healthy overall budget for UK surrogacy is £20,000 to £80,000+, comprising:

• Surrogate expenses
• Fertility treatment costs
• Agency or organisation fees
• Legal fees
• A contingency

This is of course a big range and it is important to budget carefully and according to your own circumstances and preferences.  Surrogacy in the UK is less expensive than most international surrogacy options, but there is very little state funding available so funds need to be raised privately. Some of the factors which may affect your budget include: 

• whether you can find a surrogate independently (for example a friend, family member or someone you meet online) or are looking to be matched via a non-profit UK surrogacy organisation like Brilliant Beginnings (find out more about our UK Surrogacy Pathway);

• whether you want your surrogacy journey to be professionally-supported (find out more about how we help already matched teams);

• the personal circumstances and needs of your surrogate (find out more about how much UK surrogates are paid);

• how and where you conceive – some parents conceive through artificial insemination with a traditional surrogate (who is the biological mother) but most conceive through gestational surrogacy by transferring an embryo created with an egg from the intended parents or a separate donor. For the latter you will need to budget for fertility treatment costs, and the budget will depend on the clinic you choose, whether you already have embryos in storage or need to create them, whether you need the help of an egg donor, and how smoothly your treatment journey goes (find out more about the fertility treatment process for UK surrogacy); and

• whether you want to have legal representation to manage your parental order application, as well as for advice and putting wills in place (find out more about surrogacy law for UK surrogacy).

How much does surrogacy in the USA cost?

US surrogacy for UK parents currently costs £250,000 to £320,000+, comprising:

• Agency fees (in the UK and the USA, and covering both your surrogate and any donors, if applicable)
• Surrogate (and donor) expenses and compensation
• Fertility treatment costs (potentially both in the UK and the USA)
• US health insurance (both for your surrogate and newborn)
• US legal fees
• UK/other international legal fees
• Other professional fees – for example escrow management, help from a passport agent, nanny support in the USA
• Personal travel and accommodation
• A contingency

Find out more about US surrogacy costs.

Costs in other international surrogacy destinations

Surrogacy programmes are offered in other countries, and the costs are typically less than in the US. However, it is very important to make sure you understand the difference, carefully weighing up the risks, ethical challenges and potential legal difficulties which might arise, and that you are clear about how they might affect your budget. For example, it is common for British parents to have to stay in the country of birth for many months after their child’s birth resolving local legal issues and applying for UK travel documents, which can very quickly escalate costs if this is not anticipated. Although Brilliant Beginnings has chosen to actively manage international surrogacy journeys only in the US, our wider team at NGA Law has extensive experience of every international surrogacy destination and can help you.

Find out more about where in the world surrogacy is allowed.