Most international surrogacy journeys take 15 to 24 months from the first consultation to the day intended parents bring the baby home. The exact length depends on destination, whether donor gametes are needed, the speed of document legalisation in your home country and — honestly — a bit of luck on the first embryo transfer. Below is a realistic month-by-month picture of what is happening, who is doing it, and what intended parents should be doing in parallel.
Month 1 — Consultation, qualification and shortlist
First contact, eligibility review, choice of destination. A senior Militta case manager spends 30 to 60 minutes on a video call understanding your medical history, family situation, budget and home-country legal context. By the end of week 4 you should have:
- A recommended primary destination and a written quote
- A list of documents to begin gathering on the home end
- A draft program agreement to review at your own pace
What you should be doing: requesting marriage certificate, medical records and any prior IVF documentation.
Months 2–3 — Contract, document apostille, IVF preparation
The program agreement is signed and the onboarding deposit is placed in escrow. In parallel:
- Marriage certificate apostilled in your home country
- Medical indication letter from your home gynaecologist
- Initial blood work and infectious-disease panel
- Donor selection (if needed)
Document apostille is the single most common cause of delay in the first quarter — start it on day one.
Months 3–4 — IVF cycle and embryo creation
The intended mother (or egg donor) starts ovarian stimulation, typically 10 to 14 days, ending in egg retrieval. Sperm sample is provided fresh on the day of retrieval (or shipped from a US sperm bank in advance). Embryos are created and cultured 5 to 6 days, then biopsied for PGT-A genetic testing if requested. Travel: most destinations require 7 to 14 days in country for this stage.
Realistic outcome: a typical 36-year-old intended mother produces 8 to 12 mature eggs, of which 2 to 4 result in chromosomally-normal blastocysts. Donor eggs from a Georgian or Ukrainian database typically yield 4 to 7 normal embryos.
Months 4–5 — Surrogate matching
Militta presents 2 to 4 pre-screened gestational carrier candidates with full medical, psychological and lifestyle evaluations. You review profiles, video introductions and any prior pregnancy history. Once you select a surrogate, the tri-party contract (intended parents, surrogate, clinic) is signed and notarised. Surrogate begins endometrial preparation.
Month 6 — Embryo transfer
A single, frozen, PGT-A-tested embryo is transferred under ultrasound guidance. The procedure takes 15 minutes and the surrogate is back to normal activity the same evening. About 10 days later, a quantitative beta-HCG blood test confirms or rules out pregnancy.
If the first transfer fails — and roughly 25% of first transfers do, even with a normal embryo — a second transfer is scheduled in the next cycle, adding about 6 weeks to the overall timeline. This is included in guaranteed-baby and most premium programs.
Months 7–8 — Confirmed pregnancy, first trimester
Heartbeat ultrasound at 6 to 7 weeks confirms the clinical pregnancy. The first trimester is the highest-risk period; the clinic schedules weekly check-ins for the first 12 weeks. You receive monthly written updates with scan images and the surrogate's welfare report.
What you should be doing: setting up a baby registry, choosing a paediatrician at home, briefing your employer about parental leave timing.
Months 9–11 — Second trimester
Anatomy scan at 18–22 weeks. NIPT (non-invasive prenatal test) is optional at this stage if PGT-A was not done earlier. Surrogate continues prenatal vitamins, gentle exercise and regular check-ins. This is the calmest phase of the program.
Months 12–14 — Third trimester and pre-birth logistics
Glucose tolerance test at 24–28 weeks, fetal monitoring at 30+ weeks. Around week 32, intended parents begin booking flights and accommodation in the destination country. Militta coordinates:
- Hospital booking and birth plan
- Long-stay accommodation near the embassy in the capital
- Pediatrician and infant-care equipment
- Translator and notary availability for the post-birth window
Month 15 — Delivery
Intended parents fly in 2 to 4 weeks before due date. Vaginal deliveries usually mean a 2-day hospital stay, Caesarean sections 4 days. The hospital issues a medical certificate of birth listing both intended parents the same day.
Months 15–17 — Birth registration, apostille, embassy
This is the post-birth procedure that varies most by country and home-country embassy. Generic order of operations:
- Civil registry birth certificate (5 to 14 days depending on country)
- Apostille on the birth certificate (3 to 14 days)
- Embassy procedure — for US: CRBA + passport, requires DNA test (2 to 4 weeks). For UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada: passport via embassy under their respective frameworks (4 to 12 weeks). EU varies.
- Departure as soon as travel document is in hand
Realistic stay around birth: 4 to 12 weeks, depending on embassy. Plan paid leave from work accordingly.
Month 18+ — Home, with the baby
Most journeys close out between months 16 and 20. A few — those requiring extra cycles, surrogacy re-matches or particularly slow embassy procedures — run to 22 to 24 months. Once home, many couples file for state-level or national-court parentage orders for additional documentation (school enrolment, social security, insurance, etc.).
What stretches the timeline?
- Failed first transfer — adds 6 to 10 weeks
- Need for a second IVF cycle (low yield) — adds 3 to 4 months
- Slow document legalisation at home — typical delay 4 to 8 weeks
- Embassy backlog — varies by country, US is generally fast (2–4 weeks), UK and Australia can be 8–12
What does not stretch the timeline?
Choice of destination has surprisingly little effect on timeline. Ukraine, Georgia and Colombia all run within 1 to 2 months of each other for the same intended parent profile. US programs are slightly slower because surrogate matching is relationship-driven and takes 3 to 6 months on its own.
Next step
Building a realistic personal timeline starts with a 30-minute consultation. We can sketch out the months for your specific country, family situation and document context. Request a consultation, or read the full Militta process page for the end-to-end framework.
Note: Timelines reflect Militta's 2026 median experience across all five destinations and assume no major medical or legal complications. Individual journeys vary.