How Can Someone Who Wants to Become Surrogate Find the Right Surrogacy Agency?
Ⅰ. Surrogacy State Laws and Agency Locations
1. List of Legal States and Legal Environment
• Fully legal states: 41 states including California, Nevada, Illinois, and Washington D.C. allow commercial surrogacy, with California having the most comprehensive legal system, supporting same-sex, LGBTQ, unmarried couples and single parent by choice, and allowing pre-birth parental right establishment.
• Restricted states: Although New York State legalizes commercial surrogacy on February 15, 2025, attention still should be paid as there are some restrictions regarding the qualification of surrogacy agency and international intended parents; • Lack of clear legal provisions: 16 states lack clear legal provisions, and feasibility needs to be judged through case studies.
For more detailed legal information regarding surrogacy law in different states, please check the article of Surrogacy Laws by States.
2. Areas that Surrogacy Agencies Concentrated
Generally speakng, surrogacy agencies are located where the IVF medical services are well developed, e.g. east and west coast. Take California for an example: Los Angeles serves as a medical center, while San Diego has a high concentration of surrogacy agencies and abundant Chinese resources, making it suitable for Chinese clients.
Ⅱ.Types of Surrogacy Agencies and Screening Criteria
1. Classification of Surrgacy Agencies
• Commercial surrogacy agencies:
Typical case: Growing Generation, Circle Surrogacy and etc.
Qualification requirements: Must be recognized by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and hold a state-level license.
• Public welfare organizations: rare, mostly non-profit, with limited resources, usually through cooperation with medical institutions.
2.What should be considered when you choose to work with a surrogacy agency?
Legal compliance: Confirm that the state where the institution is located allows commercial surrogacy and understand local judicial procedures.
ASRM certification: Priority should be given to surrogacy agencies that have been audited by ASRM to ensure compliance with ethical guidelines.
Success stories and word-of-mouth: Obtain authentic reviews through third-party platforms such as Reddit and Facebook communities to avoid relying on advertisements.
Ⅲ. How to connect to the right surrogacy agency?
1. Online resources
• Official website: Visit the ASRM official website to obtain a list of certification bodies, or directly check the official websites of a reputable surrogacy agencies (such as The Fertility Solutions Surrogacy).
• Forum and Community: Participate in r/surrogacy (Reddit), surrogacy support groups (Facebook), etc. to gain experience sharing and agency recommendations.
2. Offline channels
Recommended by IVF clinics: Contact IVF clinics to obtain a list of surrogacy agencies that they recommend to work with.
Legal and intermediary services: Contact lawyers specializing in fertility laws to obtain surrogacy agency referral.
3. Word of mouth and recommendations
The Fertility Solutions Surrogacy also launched community events on regular basis. You can attend the events, hear the recommendation from the families which completed their surrogacy journey with us.
