How to Choose a Surrogacy Agency Abroad: 15 Questions to Ask, with Militta’s Answers (2026)

Short answer: choose a surrogacy agency abroad by asking fifteen concrete questions and insisting on written answers. The agency must name its legal entity and the licensed clinic that performs IVF, point to the article of law that makes you the parents, show what the price includes and excludes in a written quote, explain how surrogates are screened and housed, and tell you honestly when you are not eligible. Below are the questions and Militta’s own answers for its programs in Ukraine and Georgia, updated in November 2026.

Why the questions matter more than the website

Most agency websites look alike: smiling families, “all-inclusive” packages, “100% legal”. The differences appear only when you ask for specifics. An agency that runs real programs can answer every question below in a few minutes and put the answers in writing. An intermediary that resells someone else’s program usually cannot. Use the list on your first call, and keep the answers; they become the basis of your agreement.

1. Are you an agency or a clinic, and which licensed clinic performs the IVF?

An agency recruits and screens surrogates and donors, coordinates the program and handles documents; a clinic performs IVF and embryo transfers under a medical licence. Many companies blur the line. Ask for the clinic’s name and licence number.

Militta: an agency. In Ukraine the medical part is performed by the clinic “Lita” in Kyiv (Ministry of Health medical practice licence No. 0711/17-М); in Georgia by ReproART in Tbilisi.

2. What is your legal entity and registration number?

You will sign a contract with a company, not with a brand. Ask for the registered name, number and office address and check them in the public register of the country.

Militta: ТОВ «Агентство репродуктивної допоміжної медицини „Мілітта“» (Militta LLC), EDRPOU 41552190, registered in Kyiv on 30 August 2017, office at 22/20 Hryhorenko Avenue, office 752, Kyiv. All details on Militta at a glance.

3. Which law makes us the legal parents, and what will the birth certificate say?

This is the question that decides whether you go home with a recognised child or a court case. The answer should be an article of law, not “it is legal here”.

Militta: in Ukraine, Article 123 of the Family Code and Ministry of Health Order No. 787: the intended parents are the legal parents from birth and the civil registry issues the birth certificate in their names, without a court decision or adoption. In Georgia, Article 143 of the Law on Health Care, with the same result. How your own country recognises that certificate is a separate question, covered in our guide to international surrogacy and the country pages for UK, US, Australian and Scandinavian parents.

4. Who is eligible, and will you tell us if we are not?

An agency that promises a program in Ukraine to a single parent or a same-sex couple is either uninformed or planning something that will not survive the civil registry. Ask who qualifies by law.

Militta: Ukraine accepts legally married heterosexual couples with a medical indication and a genetic link from at least one spouse. Georgia also accepts heterosexual couples who have lived together for over a year. Single parents and same-sex couples are not eligible in either country; for them Militta coordinates programs through partners in Colombia, Mexico and the USA on militta-sur.com. The 60-second eligibility check gives the answer before the first call.

5. What exactly does the price include, what is extra, and can we have it in writing?

“All-inclusive” means nothing until you see the list. Ask for the included items, the typical extras and a written quote before you sign anything.

Militta: in Ukraine the Basic program costs $41,500–$48,500 and the Guaranteed program $57,300–$68,000; in Georgia $52,500–$62,500 and $75,000–$82,500. Included: the surrogate’s compensation and monthly payments, IVF and transfers at the partner clinic, pregnancy monitoring, delivery, legal documents. Not included: your flights and accommodation, donor eggs or sperm, PGT, supplements for twins or a caesarean, apostilles for your embassy, legal fees in your own country. A written quote is issued before any agreement. Full breakdown: surrogacy cost in Ukraine and in Georgia.

6. When do we pay what?

Ask for the payment schedule tied to program stages, and for the surrogate’s compensation schedule inside it. Refuse to pay the whole program upfront.

Militta: payments are staged and listed in the written quote. The surrogate’s compensation in Ukraine is $300 at embryo transfer, $400 per month during pregnancy and $17,000–$32,200 after the birth depending on the program, plus supplements for twins or a caesarean section; it is already inside the program price.

7. How do you screen surrogate mothers?

Ask for the actual criteria, not “strict screening”. Age range, own children, medical and psychological checks, and who signs off.

Militta: candidates are aged 20–41, have at least one healthy child of their own, are Rh-positive with a BMI up to 28, no chronic diseases and no previous caesarean section, pass medical screening at the partner clinic and a psychiatric evaluation, and provide the husband’s notarised consent if married.

8. Where does the surrogate live in late pregnancy, and what happens if the situation changes?

In 2026 this question is specific to Ukraine, and a serious agency answers it without hesitation.

Militta: surrogates live in Kyiv or nearby regions and move to agency-provided accommodation in Kyiv from week 28. The agreement includes clauses for relocating the surrogate and adjusting the delivery plan if the security situation changes. The current operational picture is on the monthly status page.

9. How do we travel, and how many trips are needed?

Militta: normally two trips. To Kyiv: fly to Warsaw, Kraków or Rzeszów and continue by train or car transfer arranged by the agency (8–12 hours), 1–2 weeks for the agreement and egg retrieval, then 3–4 weeks around the birth. To Tbilisi: direct flights from many European hubs, one stop from the US, Australia and Asia. Everything in between is handled remotely.

10. Who is our contact, and how often will we hear from you?

Ask for a named coordinator, the languages they speak and the reporting rhythm.

Militta: one coordinator for the whole program, English, Russian and Ukrainian, with an update after every medical visit and availability on WhatsApp. Office hours Mon–Fri 8:00–17:00 Kyiv time; WhatsApp +380 73 172 55 99.

11. What happens after the birth, and how long until we fly home?

Militta: birth certificate within days, apostilles and translations, a DNA test if your embassy requires one, the embassy appointment and the child’s passport or travel document. Plan 2–4 weeks in Kyiv or Tbilisi; longer for UK and Australian parents because of their home procedures.

12. What does “guaranteed” mean in your guaranteed program?

Every agency sells a “guaranteed” package; few define it. Ask what is unlimited, what is replaced, and what is still excluded.

Militta: the Guaranteed program includes unlimited embryo transfers until a live birth and a replacement surrogate if needed, on top of everything in Basic. Donor gametes, PGT and your travel remain extra.

13. How long have you operated, and where can we read real reviews?

Ask for the registration date, not “years of experience”, and for reviews on a platform the agency does not control.

Militta: registered in August 2017 and working with international families since then; reviews are on the agency’s Google Business profile, and references from previous clients are available on request with their consent. Militta does not publish client stories without permission and does not quote program counts it cannot document.

14. What are the red flags?

• A program in Ukraine or Georgia offered to a single parent or a same-sex couple.
• Prices given only verbally, or a “final” price that changes after the first payment.
• No company name, registration number or office address on the contract.
• A company calling itself a clinic without a medical licence, or refusing to name the clinic that performs the IVF.
• No answer to what happens if the pregnancy or the security situation changes.
• Pressure to pay the full amount before the agreement is signed.

15. And if your country is not right for us?

A good agency says so on the first call. Militta: married couples who want direct flights, or couples who are not married, are directed to Georgia; single parents and same-sex couples to partner programs in Colombia, Mexico and the USA; couples with no genetic link to the child are told honestly that Ukraine and Georgia are not possible.

Frequently asked questions

Is it better to work with a surrogacy agency or directly with a clinic?

A clinic performs the medicine; it does not recruit surrogates, draft the agreement, house the surrogate, book your transfers or prepare the embassy file. Abroad, where you do not speak the language, an agency that works with a licensed clinic covers both parts. The key is that the agency names the clinic and its licence.

How much does a surrogacy agency charge?

In Militta’s programs the agency fee is not billed separately: the program price of $41,500–$68,000 in Ukraine or $52,500–$82,500 in Georgia covers coordination, the surrogate’s compensation, IVF at the partner clinic, delivery and documents. Ask any agency whether its fee is inside the program price or on top of it.

What is the single most important question to ask?

“Which article of law makes us the legal parents, and what will the birth certificate say?” If the answer is not an article of law and a certificate in your names, do not sign.

Can we check the agency’s company registration ourselves?

Yes. Ukrainian companies are listed in the public register by their EDRPOU number; Militta’s is 41552190. Georgian companies are listed in the public registry of the National Agency of Public Registry.

Updated 8 November 2026 by Militta. Prices in US dollars and valid for programs quoted in 2026; a written quote is issued before any agreement. Not legal advice: confirm recognition of parentage with a lawyer in your own country.