Is surrogacy legal in the United Kingdom?
Altruistic only
Altruistic surrogacy is legal, but commercial arrangements are prohibited by the Surrogacy Arrangements Act 1985.
The United Kingdom is one of 9 countries classified “Altruistic only” for surrogacy — 20% 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
- Ireland
- Unregulated Surrogacy is unregulated in Ireland, with no specific legislation governing the practice.
- Netherlands
- Altruistic only Altruistic surrogacy is legal while commercial surrogacy is illegal in the Netherlands.
- Belgium
- Altruistic only Only altruistic surrogacy is permitted, with parents paying only pregnancy-related expenses.
- France
- Banned Surrogacy arrangements are void and illegal in France, with intermediaries facing legal sanctions.
- Germany
- Banned Surrogacy is completely prohibited in Germany under the German Civil Code.
- Switzerland
- Banned Surrogacy is illegal in Switzerland under the Federal Act on Medically Assisted Reproduction.
Other laws in United Kingdom
- Abortion
- Legal on request
- Euthanasia
- Illegal
- Suicide Laws
- Not a crime
- FGM Laws
- Specifically banned
- Organ Donor Consent
- Opt-out (presumed consent)
Every law in the United Kingdom → · Where is surrogacy legal? →
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.