Ukraine
Ukraine
Eligibility
Legally married heterosexual couples only, with an apostilled marriage certificate and a medical indication (e.g. absent/abnormal uterus, contraindication to pregnancy, recurrent loss, or ≥4 failed IVF attempts). Singles and same-sex couples are excluded (Draft Law 13683 would allow only single Ukrainian women with a medical indication).
Key risks
- Ongoing war: airspace closed since Feb 2022; significant evacuation/logistics risk; operations concentrated in central/western regions
- Draft Law 13683 (Aug 2025) would fully ban foreign surrogacy — policy could shift suddenly
- Largest provider BioTexCom has many historical controversies (2018 trafficking probe; 2020 stranded-newborns)
- 2023 illegal baby-selling ring busted in Kyiv/Kharkiv; a suspect extradited from Germany in Dec 2025
Legal status
Ukraine has long been a major cross-border surrogacy destination. Surrogacy is governed by Family Code Articles 123 and 139 and MoH Order 787/187 (amended by Order 383 in 2024), rather than a dedicated statute. Gestational, commercial surrogacy is legal and open to foreigners — but only to married heterosexual couples with a medical indication.
The law strongly protects intended parents: under Art. 123 they are legal parents from conception when their gametes are used, and Art. 139 bars the surrogate from challenging parentage. Reportedly, Ukraine has had no contested-custody surrogacy lawsuit to date.
Impact of the war (2022–)
Since the full-scale invasion in February 2022, airspace is closed, but operations continue in central/western regions (Kyiv, Lviv, etc.). ~46–51 newborns were stranded in a Kyiv hotel during the 2020 COVID lockdown; ~53 were medically evacuated to the Romanian border early in the war. Evacuation, logistics and safety risks are significant and must be weighed.
Eligibility
| Group | Surrogacy allowed | | --- | --- | | Married heterosexual couples (medical indication) | Yes | | Single individuals | No (a draft would allow only Ukrainian women) | | Same-sex couples | No |
Policy risk: Draft Law 13683 (Aug 2025)
The Draft Law 13683 (registered Aug 2025) would fully ban foreign surrogacy and restrict export of citizens' reproductive materials during martial law and for three years after. As of mid-2026 it has not passed, but policy could tighten suddenly.
Key risks
- BioTexCom, the largest provider, has numerous controversies (2018 trafficking/forgery probe; the 2020 stranded-newborns case; promotion of unproven techniques).
- 2023 baby-selling ring busted in Kyiv/Kharkiv; a suspect was extradited from Germany in Dec 2025.
- Advertised prices usually cover only uncomplicated pregnancies; C-sections and complications are typically extra.
Sources are cited. Law and the war situation change quickly; rely on the verification date. Not medical or legal advice.
Sources
Clinics & agencies in this country
ADONIS Fertility
Kyiv
BioTexCom
Kyiv
Feskov Human Reproduction Group
Kharkiv (near front, high risk)
Genesis-Dnepr
Dnipro (elevated risk)
Gryshchenko Clinic
Kharkiv (near front, high risk)
Institute of Reproductive Medicine
Kyiv
InterFiv
Kyiv
Intersono IVF Clinic
Lviv (lower war risk)
ISIDA-IVF
Kyiv
IVMED
Kyiv
Leleka Maternity Hospital
Kyiv
Mini IVF Center
Kyiv
Mother and Child
Kyiv
Nadiya Clinic
Kyiv
Ovumia Alternatyva
Lviv (lower war risk)
Parens-Ukraine
Lviv (lower war risk)
Victoria Clinic
Kyiv
Vittoria Vita
Kyiv
Yuzko Medical Center
Chernivtsi (SW, lower risk)
Related news & regulation
- Law2025-08-22Ukraine's Draft Law 13683 would ban foreign surrogacy (not yet passed)
Registered in Aug 2025, Draft Law 13683 would fully ban surrogacy for foreign intended parents and restrict export of citizens' reproductive materials during martial law and for three years after; it would also allow single Ukrainian women with a medical indication. As of mid-2026 it remains in committee, unpassed.
- Regulation2024-03-01Ukraine MoH Order 383 amends assisted-reproduction rules
In March 2024 Ukraine's Ministry of Health issued Order 383, amending the earlier Order 787 ART guidelines and adding protections — e.g. requiring maternity hospitals to keep newborns separate from surrogates after birth to reduce emotional/custody disputes.
- Scandal2023-08-01Ukraine busts an illegal baby-selling ring posing as surrogacy
In Aug 2023 Ukrainian law enforcement broke up a criminal group in Kyiv and Kharkiv selling newborns abroad under the guise of surrogacy. In Dec 2025 a suspect was located in Germany and extradited to Ukraine.
- Industry2022-03-01~53 surrogate newborns medically evacuated to the Romanian border early in the war
After Russia's full-scale invasion in Feb 2022 closed Ukraine's airspace, ~53 surrogate newborns were medically evacuated from Kyiv and elsewhere to Chernivtsi (near Romania) in March. The war sharply raised evacuation, logistics and safety risks.
- Scandal2020-05-15COVID lockdown strands ~50 surrogate newborns in a Kyiv hotel
In May 2020, ~46–51 surrogate newborns were stranded at the Venice Hotel in Kyiv, unable to be collected by intended parents from many countries (incl. China) due to COVID border closures. The case (centered on BioTexCom) drew criticism of advertising babies as "products".
- Scandal2018-07-01Ukraine's largest surrogacy clinic BioTexCom probed for trafficking
In 2018 Ukrainian prosecutors charged BioTexCom's founder and head physician with human trafficking, document forgery and tax evasion; a trigger was an Italian couple discovering their child was not genetically related and that documents were falsified. The founder was briefly under house arrest; the case later stalled with no formal prosecution.