Ireland's 2024 AHR Act is the law that finally put surrogacy on a clear footing. Here's what it does — in plain English.
Before the Act, surrogacy in Ireland operated in a legal grey area with no dedicated framework. The 2024 Act created clear rules, a statutory regulator, and — importantly — a route to legal parenthood. Our full Act explainer walks through it section by section.
The Act established the Assisted Human Reproduction Regulatory Authority to oversee the sector. Surrogates and intended parents engage with AHRRA's process before an arrangement proceeds. See our AHRRA guide and the official site at ahrra.ie.
The Act sets safeguards: a surrogate must generally be at least 25, have previously given birth, be in good physical and mental health, complete medical and psychological assessment and mandatory counselling, receive independent legal advice, and register with AHRRA. Thinking about it? See becoming a surrogate.
The surrogate is the legal mother at birth; intended parents apply to court for a parental order to transfer legal parenthood, usually within six months.
It is the Irish law that regulates assisted human reproduction, including surrogacy, for the first time. It established AHRRA as the regulator and set out rules for both domestic and international surrogacy on an altruistic basis.
Altruistic gestational surrogacy — domestic and international — subject to screening, counselling, independent legal advice and AHRRA oversight.
Commercial surrogacy and paying a surrogate a fee domestically, traditional (genetic) surrogacy, and arrangements that bypass the required safeguards.
Under the Act a surrogate must generally be at least 25, have previously given birth, be in good health, complete medical and psychological screening and counselling, have independent legal advice, and register with AHRRA.
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