Is surrogacy legal in South Africa?
Commercial legal
Surrogacy is legal and regulated, allowing commercial arrangements with court validation.
South Africa is one of 8 countries classified “Commercial legal” for surrogacy — 18% of the 45 with data.
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Surrogacy laws by country
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Kenya
- Unregulated There are no specific legal regulations or laws governing surrogacy in Kenya.
- Nigeria
- Unregulated Surrogacy is unregulated in Nigeria, though contracts may be enforceable and a regulation is being considered.
- Saudi Arabia
- Banned Religious authorities prohibit the use of gestational carriers in Saudi Arabia.
- Israel
- Commercial legal Surrogacy is legal in Israel, with recent expansions allowing same-sex couples and single men.
- Iran
- Commercial legal Both commercial and altruistic surrogacy are legal and popular in Iran.
- Turkey
- Banned Surrogacy is effectively banned nationwide under the Civil Code and related health laws.
Other laws in South Africa
- Abortion
- Legal on request
- Suicide Laws
- Not a crime
- FGM Laws
- Specifically banned
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.