Monday 15 July 2013

Surrogacy abroad: updated information for intended parents from the united Kingdom.

Latest news is that the Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) recently updated its guidance for couples commissioning surrogacy in India apparently to make it more accessible to commissioning parents planning on traveling to India and provides clearer information about the various immigration requirements that intended parents must master in order to navigate a safe journey home to the UK with their surrogate born child.
whilst this seems to be true on paper in reality the British consulate is the most difficult to navigate for intended parents who want to have a child by surrogacy in India.
the usual process  for getting a passport for the newborn is between 2 to 3 months and according to the several British parents who have had a baby through surrogacy at my clinic they never respond to emails,in comparison the American process is fairly simple and patient friendly and they always respond to phone calls and emails..the average processing time is also very short at 2 weeks.
British  surrogacy law applies to British parents all over the world no matter where they get the process done. The rules can seem confusing and daunting for British parents, since  a foreign birth certificate or foreign court order is not the only document enough to entitle their child to a British passport. British nationality law treats the surrogate mother (and if married her husband) as the legal parents regardless of the genetic link to the new born.
The FCO guidelines state-
  • Requirements for a medical visa for foreign nationals intending to visit India for surrogacy.
  • DNA test reports from UK organisations accredited by her Majesty’s Court.however till now none of our patients from the Uk have been subjected to a DNA test.
  • Identity documents from a surrogate mother-Birth certificate/school certificate/pass port/drvier's license/pan card etc.
  • Evidence pertaining to the marital status of the surrogate.if she is single the process is much easier post birth.