Georgian laws about surrogacy and egg donation
The Republic of Georgia is one of the few countries located in Europe where surrogacy is legal. Particularly, the law that regulates this third-party assisted reproduction treatment came into force in 1997. The cost and the favorable conditions for both residents and non-residents are the main reasons why childless couples from all around the world pursue surrogacy in this country.
According to Article 143 of the legislation of Georgia, in particular, the law "On Health", extracorporeal fertilization is allowed. Even though, as we have just read, Article 143 makes reference only to women without a uterus as potential candidates to have a baby via surrogate, actually, the Georgian government accepts cases of Müllerian duct anomalies or medical inability to carry a child until birth as reasons as to why a couple may need a gestational carrier as well.
According to Article 144 of the aforementioned law, egg and sperm donation are also allowed, in case the couple needed any of these options. In fact, the identity of donors can be disclosed to the intended parents. As long as they agree, they can even get to know her in person.
As mentioned above, once the child is born, the IPs will be deemed as parents, having all the legal responsibilities and rights derived from it. The surrogate shall not have any rights to the child, and by no means will be recognized as the legal mother of the child.
The following are other aspects to keep in mind:
• The birth certificate is issued within 5 days from childbirth.
• The names of the IPs will be put on the child's birth certificate following birth.
• The IPs do not need consent from the surrogate to be registered as the child's legal parents.
These are major advantages in comparison with other surrogacy destinations, as in most of them it is necessary for the surrogate to relinquish her parental rights in order for the commissioning parents to be considered the legal parents of the child. Although further formalities will be required by their home country, this definitely speeds up the process.
Cyprus law about surrogacy and egg donation
All surrogacy programs are done in Northern Cyprus. There is no regulation on surrogacy therefore clinics allow embryo transfers to a surrogate without any legal challenges. This is important to ensure that when a couple is dealing with an agency, all parties are happy with the terms of the surrogacy laws in Cyprus including the treatment options and the costs associated.
By law on both the Northern and Southern sides of Cyprus, egg donors are anonymous however details of appearance, ethnicity, and area of study are given, along with a brief message from your donor. The legislation in Cyprus allows prospective parents to choose the characteristics of the donor but without revealing the identity of the donor.
Eligibility
Surrogacy procedures are available to single intended parents or couples. Intended parents may be heterosexual or gay. There is no age limit for intended parents.
Birth Certificates
The surrogate and the intended father appear on the Cypriot birth certificate in the case of a single male patient. In the case of a couple, the intended mother and father appear on the birth certificate, the surrogate is never mentioned as a mother in documents.
The birth certificate is issued in 3 days by Northern Cyprus, but it’s accepted by the South also. All embassies are located in the European part and parents can submit birth certificates and retrieve travel documents for the baby.
The total process after birth takes a maximum of 10 days when parents can return to their country of origin with their baby.