Georgia’s booming surrogacy industry draws foreign couples amid weak legal safeguards
A German couple turned to Georgia for a surrogate after surrogacy bans in Germany and Russia, finding a fast-growing market with limited regulation.
After discovering that surrogacy is illegal in Germany and that Russia no longer allows foreign couples to sign surrogacy contracts, a Hamburg couple traveled to Georgia, which has become a surrogate hub following the relocation of many agencies after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Georgia’s Public Service Development Agency reports more than 3,000 registered surrogate mothers in 2023, and the number of children born via surrogacy rose sharply from roughly 300 in 2021 to over 1,100 in 2023.
Agencies charge €45,000-€55,000 per arrangement, far lower than fees in other countries, while surrogate mothers earn between €18,000 and €28,000, with bonuses for twins. Human-rights lawyer Nino Bogveradze notes that Georgian law regulates only the relationship among mothers, parents, and clinics, leaving agencies and payment terms ungoverned, and prohibits surrogates from keeping the child or ending the pregnancy after implantation.
Critics, including Human Rights Watch and the International Women’s Health Coalition, argue the practice violates women’s reproductive rights. Feeling pressured by the agency’s haste and emotional manipulation, the couple ultimately returned to Germany and paused their surrogacy plans.
Why it matters
The story highlights how lax regulation in Georgia fuels a lucrative but ethically contested surrogacy market affecting vulnerable women and foreign parents.
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