How It Works
Surrogacy Process:
Step-by-Step Timeline for Intended Parents
If you're reading this, you've already been through a lot. Here's exactly what happens — step by step.
A surrogacy journey involves many moving parts — medical, legal, emotional, logistical. Here is exactly how the process works with Novaparent, from your first enquiry to the day you bring your baby home.
12–18 months
2 visits required
No fees until you sign
Start with Free Consultation
12–18
Months from start to home
The Full Journey
From first message
to first steps
A typical program runs 12–18 months from contract to bringing your baby home — and you only need to be there twice.
Month 1
Month 18
Visit 1
Embryo transfer
Visit 2
Birth
The process below applies to all three of our destinations — see the surrogacy program in Ukraine, Georgia and Armenia in detail — Ukraine, Georgia, and Armenia. Country-specific differences are noted in the next section.
01
Week 1–2
Most regulated framework
Legal since 1997
Cross-border surrogates (since 2024)
What you do
- Reach out by form, email, or WhatsApp
- Bring your questions to the call
- Decide if it feels right — no pressure, no obligation
What we handle
- Schedule a Zoom call across time zones
- Match a specialist to your case
- Walk through all 3 country options
- Send a written summary after the call
02
Week 2–4
Kyiv & Lviv clinics
Tbilisi clinics
Yerevan clinics
What you do
- Both partners complete fertility assessments
- Share medical history with us
- Review and sign the agency agreement
What we handle
- Coordinate with partner clinics (Kyiv, Lviv, Tbilisi, or Yerevan)
- Review your results, confirm eligibility
- Recommend a program and destination
- Prepare the agency agreement, fully transparent
03
Month 1–3
What you do
- Review pre-screened surrogate profiles
- Approve the match (or decline, no explanation needed)
- Sign the surrogacy agreement before a notary
- Optional: video meeting with your surrogate
What we handle
- Draft contracts through licensed attorneys
- Arrange notarial signing
- Pre-screen surrogates: medical, psychological, background
- Psychological counseling for both sides
04
Month 2–5
What you do
- Choose your genetic-testing tier (PGD-FISH 9 or PGT-A 24)
- Optional: travel for the transfer (3–5 days)
- Wait for the 14-day pregnancy result
What we handle
- Coordinate IVF and embryo creation
- Egg donation, where the program requires it
- Prepare the surrogate’s endometrium
- Perform the embryo transfer
- Run PGD or PGT-A testing as selected
- Confirm pregnancy at 14 days
05
Month 3–12
What you do
- Receive monthly updates from your coordinator
- Optional: visits during pregnancy by arrangement
- Attend key ultrasounds remotely or in person
What we handle
- Monthly medical check-ups
- Regular ultrasound reports
- Surrogate health insurance
- Monthly compensation payments
- Psychological support throughout
06
Month 11–14
Immediate
1–2 weeks via Civil Registry
Within days
What you do
- Travel 2–4 weeks before the due date
- Be present at the birth, if you wish
- Wait through the Civil Registry process
What we handle
- Airport pickup and accommodation
- Birth at partner maternity hospital (facility selected by country/case)
- Birth certificate issued in your names
- Paediatric check-up for the newborn
- Civil Registry filing in Georgia (managed by partner agency)
07
Month 14–16
What you do
- Apply for your baby’s passport at your embassy
- Provide identity documents
- Fly home with your baby 🏠
What we handle
- Certified translations of all documents
- Embassy appointment booking and prep
- Consular documentation drafting
- Citizenship application support
- Stay in touch until you land safely
The exit process depends on your home country — see our guides for families from the UK, Ireland, Canada, the USA, Australia, Germany, France and Spain.
Honest Answers
What if something doesn't
go to plan?
Surrogacy is a long journey, and not everything is predictable. Here is what actually happens — and what we cover — when things deviate from the ideal path.
What if the first embryo transfer fails?
Embryo transfer success is never guaranteed on the first attempt. Our Standard program includes one transfer (additional transfers $2,000 each). Comfort includes up to three transfer attempts. Prestige includes unlimited transfer attempts — full protection if the first attempt is unsuccessful. We never charge for re-matching with the same surrogate.
What if there's a miscarriage during pregnancy?
Pregnancy is monitored closely from week 6 with regular ultrasounds at our partner clinics. If a miscarriage occurs, we restart the cycle with the same surrogate where medically appropriate — at no additional surrogate compensation cost. You pay only direct medical costs for the new cycle, which are also covered fully in Comfort and Prestige packages.
What if the surrogate changes her mind?
Under Ukrainian, Georgian, and Armenian law, intended parents are recognized as the legal parents from birth — the surrogate has no parental claim to the child. All surrogates sign legally binding agreements before embryo transfer, and every surrogate in our program has already given birth to at least one healthy child of her own. We have not experienced an attempted revocation in our programs.
What if there's a premature birth or complication?
All births take place at fully equipped maternity hospitals in Kyiv, Lviv, Tbilisi, or Yerevan — each with NICU capability. Additional medical care for the surrogate or baby is included in the program cost. We help you arrange urgent travel to be present, and our partner clinics coordinate directly with the receiving hospital from the moment any complication is identified.
What if there's a security concern in Ukraine?
We operate the Ukraine program only through peaceful Western and Central regions. Surrogates come exclusively from these areas, and births occur in Kyiv or Lviv at hospitals with full safety protocols, including evacuation procedures and shelter access. Four years through the conflict, no family or surrogate in our care has been harmed. See our full wartime safety approach.
What if our own circumstances change?
All programs are paid in milestones, not upfront — payments are tied to actual progress in your journey. If you need to pause or stop after a milestone (illness, finances, personal reasons), you do not pay for stages not yet reached. We discuss your options openly and never penalise honesty about changing circumstances.
If your situation involves a specific risk we have not covered here — pre-existing conditions, citizenship complexity, or anything else — please raise it during your free consultation. Honest disclosure on both sides protects everyone, and there is no scenario we will not discuss openly with you.
Country-Specific Notes
How each country differs
The process above is the same across all three destinations. Here are the key differences to be aware of per country.
🇺🇦
Ukraine
- Birth certificate issued immediately after birth
- No court hearing required
- Most clearly regulated framework
- Partner clinics in Kyiv & Lviv
- Well-established international framework
🇬🇪
Georgia
- Birth certificate issued via Civil Registry within 1–2 weeks
- Administrative process — no court hearing in standard cases
- Longest legal history — surrogacy permitted since 1997
- Partner clinics in Tbilisi
- Particularly popular with EU & US couples
🇦🇲
Armenia
- Birth certificate issued within days of birth
- No court hearing required
- Surrogates from neighboring countries (since July 2024)
- Partner clinics in Yerevan
- Modern medical infrastructure
✓ Reviewed by Andrew Khodonovych, founder of Novaparent Surrogacy and coordinator of international surrogacy programs since 2020.
Common Questions
Common questions about the surrogacy process
How long does the surrogacy process take?
Most journeys take 12–18 months from the first consultation to bringing your baby home, depending on surrogate matching time and whether the first embryo transfer succeeds.
How many trips are required?
Usually two: one short, optional visit around the embryo transfer, and the main trip for the birth — typically a 1–2 week stay. Pregnancy itself does not require your presence; everything is coordinated remotely with video updates.
When do we meet our surrogate?
During Step 3, once matching is complete: you review pre-screened profiles, approve the match, and can have an optional video meeting with your surrogate before the contracts are signed. Many parents then meet in person at the embryo transfer or the birth.
When do intended parents become legal parents?
In all three countries you are named on the birth certificate from birth. In Ukraine this is immediate under Article 123 of the Family Code; in Georgia it is an administrative civil-registry procedure, typically completed within 1–2 weeks; in Armenia parents are registered from birth with no court proceedings.
Can embryos be shipped internationally?
Yes. Frozen embryos are regularly transported between clinics by specialised cryo-couriers, and we coordinate this with your current clinic when you join with embryos already created (our Standard package). Exact requirements depend on your clinic and the countries involved.
Questions about the process?
Our specialists explain every step in detail during your free consultation — in your own language.