Stage 1: information and independent advice
Clarify the intended route, the relevant jurisdictions and the medical background. Intended parents and a prospective surrogate should have access to separate legal advice and counselling. International arrangements require independent advice in Ireland and the destination or birth jurisdiction.
Planning range: allow weeks or months to identify advisers, gather records and understand whether a proposed route is viable. Do not pay a large non-refundable programme fee before these checks.
Stage 2: relationships, screening and documentation
Discuss expectations, medical autonomy, communication, expenses, pregnancy decisions, birth, post-birth contact and what will be explained to the child. Clinics may require medical assessment, infection screening, consent forms and counselling. Legal documents should reflect current law rather than promise an uncommenced approval.
Stage 3: embryo creation and transfer
IVF can include ovarian stimulation, egg collection, fertilisation, embryo culture, testing where clinically appropriate, storage and transfer. More than one cycle or transfer may be needed, and none can guarantee pregnancy or birth.
Planning principle: budget time and money for unsuccessful cycles, pauses for medical reasons and clinic scheduling.
Stage 4: pregnancy
Pregnancy is approximately nine months, but care and timing belong to the pregnant person and medical team. Agree how appointments, travel, lost income and support will be handled without treating the arrangement as control over medical decisions.
Stage 5: birth and immediate documents
Plan the hospital, communication, accommodation, birth registration and who can consent to care. For a birth abroad, confirm local documents, Irish citizenship evidence, guardianship consent and travel-document steps before the expected date. Build in a contingency for neonatal care or an extended stay.
Stage 6: parentage and longer-term records
The applicable parentage or guardianship route must be confirmed by a solicitor using the law then in force. Preserve clinic, donor, consent, legal and birth records for the child. The 2024 Act describes future parental-order and register processes, but their availability must be verified at the relevant time.
Milestones worth recording
- Date each official source was checked.
- Written Irish and foreign legal advice received.
- Clinic licence and consent documents verified.
- Expense policy and contingency budget agreed.
- Birth, citizenship and travel-document plan confirmed.
- Post-birth advice appointment scheduled.
Source review: 31 July 2026. Timings are planning considerations, not promises.