US surrogacy agencies such as Circle offer the best protection for international intended parents. Other international surrogacy agencies may not offer the same level of service and security to intended parents that a US surrogacy agency would offer.
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The cost of surrogacy depends on your personal situation, and the services needed. International parents will find that surrogacy agencies in the USA may cost more than some international agencies. Circle’s priority is ensuring you have a secure and healthy surrogacy journey. That includes your safe return home with your baby. That is not a guarantee with international surrogacy agencies (for example, agencies in the Ukraine). The additional costs with US surrogacy cover your security and safety during the process.
Any child born in the United States is a US citizen. Your baby will receive a US birth certificate and is entitled to a US passport for travel purposes (you can usually get one in 24-72 hours from application). Your surrogacy lawyers will do the legal work to establish your parentage (either via a Pre-Birth Order, post-birth order or possibly through a second parent adoption). You will be the sole legal and physical parents under American law. By establishing the rights of parentage in the United States, you can travel home safely and securely. Some countries – such as Spain, Sweden and Germany (amongst others) – accept the US Declaration of Parentage.
Conversely, a child born with an agency in the Ukraine, for example, is not considered a Ukrainian citizen. This can be challenging because you will need to establish citizenship and/or parentage under your home country prior to leaving the Ukraine, making it difficult to get travel papers or a passport to return to your home country. Your child cannot fly home without a passport.
Agencies such as Circle follow strict guidelines and screening protocols for women who are interested in becoming surrogates. Women must complete a lengthy application, undergo medical and psychological testing, and identify a primary support person for her journey. In fact, Circle only accepts 1-2% of the women who begin the surrogate application into our program.
All of Circle’s surrogates live in the United States, have strong support systems and are financially stable. They have access to the most-advanced medical care, and the world’s top hospitals. Plus, Circle’s surrogacy program is built on a relationship model: surrogates and their intended parents develop a relationship throughout the process. They meet each other and agree to be matched priorto any documents being signed. Their relationship then develops over time, as Circle encourages weekly communication.
Comparatively, women who live internationally and become surrogates for international agencies may get moved away from their homes while they are pregnant, so that they could be closer to a hospital. They are separated from their families, which can be emotionally stressful. The medical care they receive, while cheaper, may not live up the standards of medical care women in the United States receive. It is not uncommon for intended parents to not have much of a relationship with the woman who is carrying their baby; communication can be difficult, and oftentimes the parents aren’t as emotionally part of the journey as they would be in the US.
In the US, when you embark on a surrogacy journey with most agencies, your money is safe. Circle is a well-established, secure company. The money you send to the agency is secure, held in an IOLTA account (Interest on Lawyer Trust Account). IOLTA accounts are kept only at regulated and approved financial institutions.
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