Start with independent legal, medical and counselling advice. The 2024 Act describes a future statutory pathway, but its principal surrogacy provisions — including AHRRA applications — are not yet in force.
Note: This page provides general information only. It is not legal or medical advice. Always consult a qualified solicitor and medical professional before making decisions about surrogacy.
The Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024 contains an enacted future framework for domestic altruistic surrogacy, including eligibility, consent, advice and expense provisions.
Those principal provisions are not yet commenced. There is no operational AHRRA registration or approval process for surrogacy, so do not treat the future statutory checklist as a route that can be completed now.
The Act describes these conditions for a future pathway. They are useful planning context, not an operational eligibility decision or AHRRA approval.
The enacted future framework sets a minimum age of 25.
The enacted future framework includes a previous-birth condition.
Obtain individual medical advice about pregnancy and treatment risks.
Independent counselling can help explore the emotional and family implications.
Use your own solicitor, independent of the intended parents, before making commitments.
No operational AHRRA surrogate-registration route is currently available.
This is a research and professional-advice sequence, not an operational statutory application route.
Becoming a surrogate is a significant physical, emotional, and time commitment. Before anything formal, speak with people who have done it. Read widely. Discuss it honestly with your partner or family if applicable. Consider whether your support network understands and supports your decision.
Speak independently with a counsellor experienced in surrogacy and reproductive issues to explore motivations, expectations, family impact, pregnancy, birth and the post-birth relationship.
A fertility clinic carries out a thorough medical assessment to confirm you are physically suitable to carry a pregnancy. This includes screening for medical conditions, blood tests, uterine assessment, and review of your previous pregnancy history.
Check the Irish Statute Book commencement table and AHRRA's official information. The Act's surrogacy application and registration provisions are not yet operational.
Instruct your own solicitor, completely independent of the intended parents' solicitor. Ask about consent, parentage, decision-making, expenses and what the current law means for the proposed arrangement.
If treatment proceeds after individual medical and legal advice, agree communication and support expectations while preserving the pregnant person's control over medical decisions and care.
Plan registration, parentage, guardianship and post-birth steps with solicitors before birth. The parental-order process in the 2024 Act is not yet operational.
These practical safeguards should be discussed with your own advisers; they are not a statement that the Act's future regulatory process is in force.
Use your own solicitor and confirm who pays the cost without compromising independence.
Your consent is required at multiple points in the process, not just at the start. No one can proceed without it.
You have the right to your own GP, midwife, and obstetric care team throughout the pregnancy — independent of the fertility clinic.
Ireland bans commercial surrogacy. No one may pay you — or withhold payment from you — to influence your decisions during the pregnancy or at birth.
You are entitled to access counselling at any stage — before, during, and after the pregnancy — at the intended parents' expense.
Do not rely on an AHRRA approval or registration route unless official sources confirm the relevant provisions have commenced.
The enacted Act distinguishes reasonable expenses from payment, but those provisions are not yet commenced. Get current legal advice and document proposed costs before money changes hands.
Keep receipts and a written record of what each payment covers. Ask an independent solicitor to review the plan under the law currently in force.
Independent legal advice and specialist counselling are important safeguards. Agree funding transparently while preserving each professional's independence.
Your solicitor must be independent of the intended parents' legal team. Find firms in Ireland with AHR Act expertise.
View solicitors →Find a therapist experienced in surrogacy and reproductive issues for support before, during and after pregnancy.
View counsellors →The 2024 Act describes eligibility for a future statutory pathway, but those provisions are not yet commenced and there is no operational AHRRA application. Obtain current independent legal, medical and counselling advice.
The enacted Act distinguishes reasonable expenses from payment, but those provisions are not yet commenced. Keep records and obtain current advice before agreeing payments.
Independent advice from your own solicitor is an essential safeguard. The Act contains legal-advice requirements for its future framework, but these are not yet an operational process.
Parentage after birth is fact-specific under current law. The Act's parental-order process is not yet operational, so all parties should obtain advice before treatment and again before birth.
No operational AHRRA surrogate-registration route has been commenced. Check the official commencement table and AHRRA's website for changes.
In gestational surrogacy the person carrying the pregnancy is not the genetic parent of the embryo. Read our terminology guide and get advice on the legal consequences.
Whether you're curious, exploring, or ready to take the first step — we can point you in the right direction.
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