According to data from China’s National Health Commission, infertility affects a large number of couples in China, and many families visit multiple hospitals without being able to successfully begin or complete an IVF treatment cycle. In these circumstances, some families consider overseas fertility destinations such as Georgia, where access to treatment is relatively accommodating, reproductive technologies are aligned with European standards, and the overall treatment schedule can be more flexible. To help readers better understand IVF and surrogacy abroad, Jiabaolibao provides this detailed introduction to the IVF surrogacy process in Georgia.
Georgia IVF Surrogacy Process: A Detailed Guide
Embryo Creation (Approx. 1.5–2 Months)
This is the stage in which the intended parents need to participate directly. The primary goal is to create healthy embryos suitable for use.
The process generally begins with basic medical examinations in the home country, including reproductive hormone tests, AMH testing, and semen analysis. The reports are then translated and sent to a doctor in Georgia for a remote assessment. Once a treatment plan has been confirmed, the female intended parent travels to Georgia at a specified point in her menstrual cycle and undergoes approximately 10–14 days of ovarian stimulation injections, followed by egg retrieval. The male intended parent provides a semen sample at the same time or may have sperm frozen in advance. After egg retrieval, embryos are cultured in the laboratory until they reach the blastocyst stage on day 5 or 6, after which PGT-A may be performed to screen for chromosomal abnormalities.
Gestational Carrier Matching and Legal Documentation (Approx. 2–4 Months)
Once suitable embryos are available, the process moves to selecting and matching a gestational carrier. Reputable providers typically conduct background checks, psychological assessments, infectious disease screening, and hysteroscopic examinations as part of the screening process. The text states that the screening rejection rate can exceed 70%.
After the gestational carrier passes the final medical evaluation, both parties sign a legally recognized surrogacy agreement and complete the notarization process. The agreement must be notarized by a Georgian notary; otherwise, the intended parents cannot be legally recognized as the child’s parents.
Under Georgian law, the intended parents are required to be a married heterosexual couple who have been married for at least one year and must provide evidence of cohabitation and shared life. There must also be a medical indication, such as absence of the uterus, recurrent miscarriage, or multiple unsuccessful IVF attempts.
Embryo Transfer and Pregnancy Management (Approx. 9.5–10 Months)
Once the legal documentation has been completed, the process moves into the pregnancy stage. The doctor develops an endometrial preparation plan for the gestational carrier. At the appropriate time, the embryo is thawed and transferred. A pregnancy test is generally performed 10–14 days after the transfer. If the result is positive, an ultrasound is usually carried out about four weeks later to confirm fetal cardiac activity.
The intended parents typically arrive in Georgia one to two weeks before the expected delivery date. The pregnancy itself generally lasts about eight to nine months from this stage of the process.
Birth Registration and Travel Documents for Returning Home (Approx. 3–5 Weeks)
After the baby is born, the intended parents’ names are entered directly on the birth certificate, and the gestational carrier has no parental rights. Georgian birth certificates do not include wording indicating that the child was born through surrogacy.
The following procedures then need to be completed in sequence: birth registration, official translation and dual authentication of the relevant documents (authentication by the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in Georgia), DNA parentage testing, and an application for a Chinese Travel Document through the Chinese Embassy in Georgia.
In summary, the surrogacy process in Georgia consists of four main stages: embryo creation, matching with a gestational carrier, embryo transfer and pregnancy, and completing the documentation required to return home. If you are considering IVF surrogacy in Georgia but are unsure how to proceed, you can contact us for further information. We can explain the process in detail and help develop a surrogacy plan based on your individual circumstances.
