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Surrogacy is the process through which a women carries to term a child conceived with the egg of another woman. It is most often used to allow women who are unable to carry a child, but whose eggs are viable, to have a genetically-related child. Many surrogacies involve no financial considerations between the parties involved. In other cases there may be an agreement to compensate the surrogate for expenses and, perhaps, lost wages, involved while carrying the child. In still other surrogacies compensation may be agreed to that is more than compensatory.

Some countries prohibit all surrogacy arrangements. In other countries the practice is allowed, but compensation is limited to expenses, and perhaps lost wages. Still other countries have no regulations and market-like conditions prevail.

Table: National policies

The Table shows policies currently in effect regarding surrogacy.


  • PROHIBITED: This practice is prohibited by national law or policies having the force of law.
  • commercial prohibited: Commercial use of this practice is prohibited by national law or policies having the force of law, but non-commercial use is allowed.
  • commercial allowed: Commercial use of this practice is allowed by national law or policies having the force of law.
  • permitted: This practice is allowed by national law or policies having the force of law, but policies concerning compensation are unknown.
  • unrecognized: Surrogacy contracts are explicitly unrecognized by national law or by other mechanism which carries the force of law.
  • no policy: This practice is not addressed by national law or policies having the force of law.
  • ?: It is unknown whether this practice is addressed by national law or policies having the force of law.

Note: The categories defined in the key and used in the table characterize the polices in any given country in a broad manner. Consult the page for each country for more detailed accounts of current policies.

You can click the icon in any column heading to sort by that column. To sort the other direction, click it again.

  Region Surrogacy
Afghanistan Asia ?
Albania Europe ?
Algeria Africa no policy
Andorra Europe ?
Angola Africa ?
Antigua and Barbuda Latin America ?
Argentina Latin America unrecognized
Armenia Asia commercial allowed
Australia Oceania commercial prohibited; unrecognized
Austria Europe PROHIBITED
Azerbaijan Asia no policy
Bahamas Latin America ?
Bahrain Asia ?
Bangladesh Asia ?
Barbados Latin America ?
Belarus Europe commercial allowed
Belgium Europe commercial prohibited
Belize Latin America ?
Benin Africa ?
Bhutan Asia ?
Bolivia Latin America ?
Bosnia and Herzegovina Europe no policy
Botswana Africa ?
Brazil Latin America commercial prohibited
Brunei Asia ?
Bulgaria Europe commercial prohibited
Burkina Faso Africa ?
Burundi Africa ?
Cambodia Asia ?
Cameroon Africa ?
Canada Northern America commercial prohibited
Cape Verde Africa ?
Central African Republic Africa ?
Chad Africa ?
Chile Latin America unrecognized
Colombia Latin America ?
Comoros Africa ?
Cook Islands Oceania ?
Costa Rica Latin America no policy
Croatia Europe PROHIBITED
Cuba Latin America ?
Cyprus Asia no policy
Czech Republic Europe commercial prohibited
Côte d'Ivoire Africa ?
Democratic Republic of the Congo Africa ?
Denmark Europe commercial prohibited; unrecognized
Djibouti Africa ?
Dominica Latin America ?
Dominican Republic Latin America no policy
Ecuador Latin America ?
Egypt Africa no policy
El Salvador Latin America ?
Equatorial Guinea Africa ?
Eritrea Africa ?
Estonia Europe no policy
Ethiopia Africa ?
Fiji Oceania ?
Finland Europe permitted
France Europe PROHIBITED
Gabon Africa ?
Gambia Africa ?
Georgia Asia commercial allowed
Germany Europe PROHIBITED
Ghana Africa ?
Greece Europe commercial prohibited
Grenada Latin America ?
Guatemala Latin America ?
Guinea Africa ?
Guinea-Bissau Africa ?
Guyana Latin America ?
Haiti Latin America ?
Honduras Latin America ?
Hungary Europe commercial prohibited
Iceland Europe PROHIBITED
India Asia no policy
Indonesia Asia ?
Iran Asia permitted
Iraq Asia ?
Ireland Europe commercial prohibited
Israel Asia commercial allowed
Jamaica Latin America ?
Japan Asia no policy
Jordan Asia no policy
Kazakhstan Asia no policy
Kenya Africa no policy
Kyrgyzstan Asia commercial allowed
Laos Asia ?
Latvia Europe commercial prohibited
Lebanon Asia ?
Lesotho Africa ?
Liberia Africa ?
Libya Africa no policy
Liechtenstein Europe permitted
Lithuania Europe no policy
Luxembourg Europe no policy
Macedonia Europe no policy
Madagascar Africa ?
Malawi Africa ?
Malaysia Asia no policy
Maldives Asia ?
Mali Africa ?
Marshall Islands Oceania ?
Mauritania Africa ?
Mauritius Africa ?
Mexico Latin America PROHIBITED
Micronesia Oceania ?
Moldova Europe PROHIBITED
Monaco Europe ?
Mongolia Asia ?
Montenegro Europe no policy
Morocco Africa PROHIBITED
Mozambique Africa ?
Myanmar Asia ?
Namibia Africa no policy
Nauru Oceania ?
Nepal Asia no policy
Netherlands Europe commercial prohibited
New Zealand Oceania commercial prohibited
Nicaragua Latin America ?
Niger Africa ?
Nigeria Africa ?
North Korea Asia ?
Norway Europe PROHIBITED
Oman Asia ?
Pakistan Asia no policy
Palau Oceania ?
Panama Latin America ?
Papua New Guinea Oceania ?
Paraguay Latin America ?
Peru Latin America commercial prohibited; unrecognized
Philippines Asia no policy
Poland Europe no policy
Portugal Europe PROHIBITED
Qatar Asia ?
Republic of the Congo Africa ?
Romania Europe no policy
Russia Europe commercial allowed
Rwanda Africa ?
Saint Kitts and Nevis Latin America ?
Saint Lucia Latin America ?
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Latin America ?
Samoa Oceania ?
San Marino Europe ?
Sao Tome and Principe Africa ?
Saudi Arabia Asia PROHIBITED
Senegal Africa ?
Serbia Europe PROHIBITED
Seychelles Africa ?
Sierra Leone Africa ?
Singapore Asia PROHIBITED
Slovakia Europe no policy
Slovenia Europe PROHIBITED
Solomon Islands Oceania ?
Somalia Africa ?
South Africa Africa PROHIBITED
South Korea Asia no policy
Sri Lanka Asia ?
Sudan Africa ?
Suriname Latin America ?
Swaziland Africa ?
Sweden Europe PROHIBITED
Switzerland Europe PROHIBITED
Syrian Arab Republic Asia ?
Tajikistan Asia no policy
Tanzania Africa ?
Thailand Asia no policy
Timor-Leste Asia ?
Togo Africa ?
Tonga Oceania ?
Trinidad and Tobago Latin America no policy
Tunisia Africa ?
Turkmenistan Asia PROHIBITED
Tuvalu Oceania ?
Uganda Africa no policy
Ukraine Europe commercial allowed
United Arab Emirates Asia ?
United Kingdom Europe commercial prohibited
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Europe commercial prohibited
United States
United States of America Northern America no policy
Uruguay Latin America commercial allowed
Uzbekistan Asia no policy
Vanuatu Oceania ?
Venezuela Latin America ?
Vietnam Asia commercial prohibited
Yemen Africa ?
Zambia Africa ?
Zimbabwe Africa ?