Surrogacy in Vermont for International Intended Parents
You have decided to grow your family, and are considering surrogacy in the United States Now what do you do to get this process started?
The first step would be seeing if surrogacy is allowed where your potential surrogate lives! There are actually states that are not surrogacy-friendly. Fortunately, all of the states where New England Surrogacy works are surrogacy-friendly-these states are Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Next, it’s important to understand the process to be recognized as the legal parents of your baby. When you get to the legal phase of your journey, your attorney will walk you through all of this in detail. But here’s some basic information to know when you are starting out.
If you live outside the United States and plan to come to the U.S. for to find a surrogate, it is critical to understand the laws in your home country and have an experienced and knowledgeable attorney that can navigate the surrogacy process with you. Make sure they can answer questions such as: how you will be recognized as parents of your child in your home country and region? Will there be any issues with your child’s registration or citizenship? Will one of you need to adopt the child in your home country? And, what needs to be done in the United States to make sure you get the desired legal results back home. This means that your attorney will need to be in touch with your U.S. attorney about how to structure the legal end of the surrogacy arrangement.
Good news though! Surrogacy is going in a positive direction in the United States. Many states permit compensated surrogacy arrangements to take place. Vermont is one of these states, with a law on the books specifically authorizing surrogacy. In Vermont, the names of both intended parents can be placed on the birth certificate, even when an egg donor was used or if the intended parents are a gay couple.
Just remember, if your surrogate is in the United States, it’s important to know the laws of the surrogate’s state of residence since your child will likely be born in that state and that is where the baby’s birth certificate will be issued. All six New England states, including--Vermont, --are surrogacy friendly and court orders (like pre-birth orders) are granted easily, thus making New England a great place to find a surrogate!
Now, let’s say you have picked one of our great states, like Vermont, to find a surrogate! If you are international intended parents, you now need to know the laws in your home country because many countries around the world do not permit surrogacy or have a lot of restrictions that make it surrogacy inaccessible, and affecting intended parents from that country, even if their surrogate and the arrangement are in another country!! Even in some European countries, you may have trouble establishing parentage in the home country if your surrogacy was done elsewhere.
This is why it is so important to have a good lawyer in your home country as well as in Vermont in order to establish parentage for yourself and citizenship for your little bundle of joy once you return to your country after a surrogate birth. Don’t worry—we can refer you to a Vermont attorney who can handle the Vermont side of the process for you. And not only is Vermont surrogacy-friendly, but the legal process in Vermont is easy-peasy. That’s why New England Surrogacy works with Vermont surrogates.
Another hurdle for international intended parents is distance Intended parents that are international and planning to work with a surrogate in the states must consider how involved they want to be during the surrogacy process. Domestic intended parents typically attend the embryo transfer, several obstetrician visits and are there for the birth of their child. International intended parents may not be able to be as involved with the pregnancy as they desire. This is particularly true for the birth It can be very hard to plan for the baby’s birth due to the unpredictability of labor. Make sure you plan ahead of time and establish expectations for both the gestational surrogate and the intended parents on involvement during the pregnancy and communication! And we’re here to help make this a smooth process. One of the benefits of working with a local agency like New England Surrogacy is that we have a staff member available within driving distance of any location in Vermont so we can be in Vermont in short order should you need us for anything.
Additionally, international intended parents should plan to be in the United States for a few weeks after the birth of your child. Your Vermont attorney can tell you the time frame to plan to stay in Vermont. This is so you can obtain the birth certificate and passport for the baby so you can return home with your new little arrival (pun intended!). Fortunately, Vermont is located close to the international airport in Boston, so you will have a short drive to the airport and then can fly home from Boston (including direct flights to most European countries).
Don’t forget--you will also need to budget for your newborn’s health insurance as they receive medical care in the United State at and after the birth. Always make sure you budget for extra costs as well. There may be additional fees for translation and the process can take longer due to language, time zones and other cultural differences!
New England Surrogacy works with international intended parents and we would love to help you through the surrogacy process in Vermont or any of the other New England states!!