UK Surrogacy Pathway
The shortage of UK surrogates means that we are unfortunately not currently able to accept new applications from intended parents who would like our help to find a UK surrogate for them.
Our US Surrogacy Pathway, our UK pathway for those who are already matched, and our Surrogacy Consultations are immediately available.
Support as unique as you are
Our UK Surrogacy Pathway is a professional fully-managed surrogacy service.
Brilliant Beginnings and NGA Law are sibling organisations which work closely together (and alongside other professionals) to offer ‘end-to-end’ surrogacy support. Our service is tailored to your personal needs and designed to keep you safe.
Trust and honesty are at the heart. We aim to help you create a solid relationship with your surrogate which we hope will grow into a very special lifelong connection.
Preparation for parents
To recommend a match, we need to get to know you. After you send in your application form, we will arrange a face-to-face meeting to talk through your preferences and expectations for your surrogacy journey and the match you are looking for. We will also guide you on creating embryos if you have not already done so, take up references and ask you to complete some background (including criminal records) checks.
Screening and preparation for surrogates
All our surrogates must complete our screening process, which includes detailed preparation with our surrogate manager, costing expenses in detail, background checks, references, a medical assessment, a home visit, confidential surrogacy preparation counselling with a BICA counsellor, and a full psychological evaluation with a clinical psychologist.
Your match
We match with enormous personal care and on a one-to-one basis, removing the pressure on you to market yourselves. We want to ensure that you and your surrogate are a good fit before you even meet, and deal with any potentially tricky issues for you.
When we think we have a suitable match, we will give you detailed information about the surrogate we are considering for you. We do this anonymously initially, and also talk to the surrogate about you. Being a good match means not just that you are aligned on key issues in relation to the surrogacy, but also that you are a good personality fit. Matching is a careful art, designed to help you form a natural relationship which will endure in the long term and give your child a positive story.
If you would like to be introduced, we will facilitate a match call by telephone, during which we will guide you through a discussion about each other and all the key issues.
You both need to decide whether you want to move forward from there. If the fit doesn’t feel good you can tell us and we will look again (although that rarely happens). If you want to move forward, we will swap contact details so you can get in touch and start getting to know each other.
Your relationship with your surrogate
After match, you need time to establish a solid relationship with your surrogate and her partner. Surrogacy should never be rushed and should be based on trust and a strong relationship, so it is important you take your time. How long this takes is personal, but we will guide you.
Legal advice and support
The NGA Law team has more experience in managing surrogacy law than any other UK law firm. You will meet with a member of the NGA Law team so they can advise you on the legal issues in depth, and they will remain on hand throughout your journey.
We will also separately arrange independent legal advice for your surrogate.
Putting things in writing
When you are ready, we will help you put in place a written surrogacy agreement.
Our qualified in-house specialist mediator has designed (and oversees) a professionally-managed agreement process to ensure you have thought through and discussed all the issues you need to and have agreed the detail clearly in writing.
Specialist wills
Putting in place wills to safeguard everyone in the event of an unexpected death is an important part of a UK surrogacy journey. NGA Law will help you create appropriate specialist wills or update your existing wills.
We will also arrange for your surrogate (and her partner) to put in place specialist wills, working with an independent solicitor.
Conception, pregnancy and birth
We will support you through your fertility treatment and the pregnancy, steering you through each step and keeping your relationship on track. We will help you prepare for the birth, including liaising with the hospital where your baby will be born and dealing with any legal authorisations. We also arrange counselling for your surrogate before and after the birth.
And when your baby arrives we will celebrate with you!
Becoming your child’s legal parents
Our team at NGA Law will be in touch in the second half of your pregnancy to help you begin preparing for your parental order application and to answer any questions you have about the birth registration.
From there we can either manage the court process for you (which is our Premium Pathway), or give clear guidance on how to prepare your witness statement and manage the process yourselves (which is our Basic Pathway).
Being there for you
Most importantly, we are there for you through the ups and downs no matter what happens. Surrogacy involves risk and things do not always go to plan. Sadly some of our teams experience failed embryo transfers, miscarriages, difficult decisions if there is something wrong with the baby or even stillbirths, and sometimes issues can arise along the way which challenge communication or feel awkward to raise. While everyone hopes this will not happen, having access to good professional support can be crucial if it does. We provide a stabilising role and give guidance, encouragement and support throughout your surrogacy journey.
And we love to stay in touch in the longer term too. Some of our teams go on to have a sibling journey and we can help with that too.
What families we have helped create through UK surrogacy have to say
When it came to drawing up a surrogacy agreement Brilliant Beginnings spent many hours with us and our surrogate, making sure we covered every conceivable scenario, which became invaluable throughout the pregnancy.
Dads through UK surrogacy
We felt safe in the hands of Brilliant Beginnings – always professional with a rich wealth of knowledge that we would have been lost without.
Different-sex parents through UK surrogacy
Thank you so much! I’m so proud of how [our surrogate] dealt with this because it is a hard process. I love that we are going into the new phase post-birth with an extra aunty for our daughter in the shape of [our surrogate] and the absolute joy of knowing we did this as a team. Thank you for your huge part in that!
Mum through UK surrogacy
I feel like the luckiest Daddy alive. Than you for all your amazing efforts to make this happen for me.
Single dad through UK surrogacy
Thanks again for all your support and guidance this year, and getting us to where we are. We are very appreciative and it’s been lovely getting to know you.
Dads through UK surrogacy
This Christmas is certainly going to be different! Thank you for all your help and support this year – we’re so grateful to you and the team.
Dads through UK surrogacy
Costs of UK Surrogacy
We offer two options: our Premium Pathway and our Basic Pathway.
Our Premium Pathway
Our end-to-end professional service, with NGA Law’s premium legal representation for your parental order.
£22,000 plus VAT (Brilliant Beginnings) + £12,000 (NGA Law)
Our Basic Pathway
Our end-to-end professional service, with NGA Law’s basic legal representation for your parental order.
£22,000 plus VAT (Brilliant Beginnings) + £6,000 (NGA Law)
Our fee payments are staged
On application: £1,000 plus VAT (Brilliant Beginnings)
When we have a match for you: £10,500 plus VAT (Brilliant Beginnings) and £3,000 plus VAT (NGA Law)
Before your agreement meeting: £10,500 plus VAT (Brilliant Beginnings)
On your 20 week scan: £3,000 plus VAT (NGA Law)
On birth (premium pathway only): £6,000 plus VAT (NGA Law)
You will also need to budget for your surrogate’s expenses (including in screening) and your fertility treatment costs.
Need more information?
Information for intended parents
Browse our Knowledge Centre for guidance and information