Entering into a surrogacy arrangement
A surrogacy arrangement is an arrangement between a woman (the birth mother) and another person or couple (the intended parents) where the birth mother agrees to become pregnant with a child for the intended parents. After the baby’s birth, the birth mother gives the baby to the intended parents.
Types of surrogacy arrangement
There are 2 types of surrogacy arrangement:
- altruistic (non-commercial)
- commercial.
Only altruistic (non-commercial) surrogacy arrangements are legal in Queensland.
Commercial surrogacy arrangements—where there is a payment, reward or any material benefit to anyone entering into a surrogacy arrangement or agreeing to a parentage order—are illegal.
Who can enter into a surrogacy arrangement
Any person, regardless of their relationship status, can enter into a non-commercial surrogacy arrangement in Queensland.
If you are the intended parent(s), you:
- may be married, a de facto couple or single
- do not need a genetic connection to the baby or birth mother
- may use any method for conception, such as in-vitro fertilisation, artificial insemination, self-insemination or natural conception.
Timeframe
You can only make a surrogacy arrangement before the birth mother becomes pregnant.
Legal requirements
You will need a court order to transfer the parentage of your baby born through a surrogacy arrangement. You must meet certain requirements under surrogacy law before entering into the arrangement.
The court may refuse the order if you don't meet these requirements.
Read more about getting a parentage order.
How to enter a surrogacy arrangement and transfer parentage
To enter a surrogacy arrangement and transfer parentage, you must complete all the following steps:
- Seek independent legal advice
- Get counselling
- Put the agreement in writing
- Conception and pregnancy
- Register the birth
- Get surrogacy guidance report
- Apply for parentage order
- Court decision
Seek independent legal advice
You must seek independent legal advice before making a surrogacy arrangement so you fully understand your rights and obligations, and the implications.
If there are intended parents, you can both seek legal advice from a lawyer at the same time. Similarly, if you are the birth mother and have a spouse, you and your spouse can seek legal advice at the same time.
However, intended parents and birth parents can't share the same lawyer.
Get counselling
Birth parents and intended parents must get counselling from an appropriately qualified counsellor before entering into a surrogacy arrangement. You can share the same counsellor.
Counselling will ensure you are aware of the social and psychological implications of the surrogacy arrangement and parentage order. For example, details of how you will conceive the child and what genetic material will be used will have long-term implications for all parties.
Counselling should help address these issues.
Put the agreement in writing
Birth parents and intended parents must agree on the terms of the surrogacy arrangement, including who will pay the legal and other costs. You will need to put this agreement in writing.
Conception and pregnancy
If you are the birth mother, you can decide how the pregnancy will occur and what genetic material will be used. During pregnancy, you have control over your pregnancy.
Read more about the birth mother’s legal rights.
Register the birth
The birth parents must register the baby’s birth with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Get surrogacy guidance report
Birth parents and intended parents must get a surrogacy guidance report from an appropriately qualified and independent counsellor after the baby is born. This must be a different counsellor to the person you spoke with before entering into the surrogacy arrangement.
According to the Surrogacy Act 2010 an appropriately qualified counsellor is someone who is at least 1 of the following:
- a member of the Australian and New Zealand Infertility Counsellors Association
- a psychiatrist who is a member of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
- a psychologist who is a member of the Australian Psychological Society
- a social worker who is a member of the Australian Association of Social Workers.
A counsellor is considered independent if they both:
- have not given counselling about the surrogacy arrangement to
- the birth mother
- the birth mother’s spouse (if any)
- an intended parent
- are not directly connected with the medical practitioner who carried out the procedure resulting in the child’s birth.
Apply for parentage order
If you are the intended parents, your baby must live with you for 28 consecutive days before you apply to the court to transfer the parentage. Your baby must be between 28 days and 6 months old when you apply.
Read more about getting a parentage order.
Court decision
If you are the intended parents and the court grants a parentage order it means the birth parent(s) no longer have a legal parental relationship with your baby and you are now your baby’s legal parents. You can register the parentage order with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages and have your baby’s birth certificate changed to show you as the parents.
Find out how to register a parentage order.
Enforcing a surrogacy arrangement
Surrogacy arrangements are not enforceable. This means you may change your mind at any time before the court makes a parentage order.
If you are the birth mother, you may decide not to give up the baby to the intended parents.
If you are the intended parents, you may decide not to permanently care for the baby.
However, a court may enforce the part of the arrangement that relates to paying the birth mother’s reasonable surrogacy costs in some circumstances, such as if the birth mother gives up the baby to the intended parents and consented to the parentage order.