While surrogacy in Arizona is more challenging than in other states, you can still take this journey with the help of experienced surrogacy professionals.

If you want to learn more about how surrogacy in Arizona works, contact us today.

This guide will detail how intended parents and surrogates can start the surrogacy journey and why we recommend you talk to a surrogacy agency before beginning the process in the state.

What is Surrogacy in Arizona?

Surrogacy is a collaborative pregnancy between the intended parents and a surrogate. A surrogate becomes pregnant after an embryo transfer. When the baby is born, the intended parents have legal parental rights, and the surrogate is compensated.

Most modern surrogacies are gestational, meaning that the intended mother’s or a donor’s egg is fertilized and transferred to the surrogate. The surrogate is unrelated to the baby and shares no genetic material.

What do Surrogacy Agencies in Arizona Do?

It’s recommended to work with experienced surrogacy agencies because professionals at these companies know how to:

• Interpret the state’s existing or non-existing surrogacy laws
• Match intended parents and surrogates
• Support intended parents and surrogates throughout the surrogacy journey
• Figure out fair base pay compensation for surrogates
• And more

Experienced surrogacy agencies in Arizona, like American Surrogacy, urge prospective intended parents and surrogates in Arizona to work with a surrogate partner in another state to ensure their surrogacy goes smoothly and parental rights can easily be transferred.

Surrogacy Laws in Arizona

Because surrogacy laws in Arizona specifically ban surrogate-parent contracts, the surrogate, and the intended parents cannot both reside in the state. Pursuing any kind of surrogacy, including gestational surrogacy in Arizona, is essentially illegal, so a surrogate or intended parent should match with a surrogate party from another state where surrogacy laws are more favorable.

Again, keep the following in mind if you decide to pursue surrogacy in Arizona:

• Arizona forbids “surrogate parent contracts.”
• Surrogate parent contracts are not enforceable in the state, so compensated surrogacy is not enforced either.
• Traditional surrogacy also is legally risky.

But, surrogacy in Arizona can still be possible for you:

• Some surrogacy lawyers in Arizona will help their clients create a “memoranda of understanding.”
• Surrogacy lawyers in Arizona also may advise that surrogates and intended parents in Arizona match with a surrogate partner/s in another state. This way, a contract can be created and enforced in another state.

How to Become a Surrogate in Arizona

The best way to become a surrogate in Arizona is to work with trusted surrogacy agencies in Arizona that can match you with intended parents who live in another state.

In general, people can become surrogates by completing these steps:

• Step 1: Deciding whether surrogacy is right for them
• Step 2: Completing and passing required mental, physical, and medical screenings
• Step 3: Matching with intended parents
• Step 4: Getting pregnant and fulfilling any pre-birth contract agreements with the intended parents
• Step 5: Giving birth and transferring all parental rights to the intended parents

Surrogate Compensation in Arizona

If you’re a prospective surrogate considering surrogacy in Arizona, compensation for your services will not be enforced because the state’s laws do not allow “surrogate parent contracts.” But, in general, surrogates can choose to pursue compensated (commercial) surrogacy or altruistic surrogacy but it is not recommended.

Compensated Surrogacy

A surrogate will receive her base compensation in payments once a pregnancy is confirmed. These payments come every month. The last payment arrives once the surrogate gives birth.

In addition to getting compensation for surrogacy, all surrogates (including altruistic surrogates) receive free surrogacy- and pregnancy-related services. You never have to pay to be a surrogate.

Established national agencies like American Surrogacy provide first-time surrogates with $45,000-50,000 in base compensation; experienced surrogates and surrogates who live in certain states can receive up to $75,000.

Altruistic Surrogacy

A surrogate may waive her right to compensation if she knows the intended parents and wants to help them keep their surrogacy costs down. But, most all surrogacy professionals will encourage surrogates to take some compensation to avoid feelings of frustration and worries of being taken advantage of as the surrogacy progresses.

How Intended Parents Pursue Surrogacy in Arizona

Surrogacy professionals also suggest that hopeful intended parents choose to pursue surrogacy with a surrogate in another state. Surrogacy agencies in Arizona, like American Surrogacy, work with surrogates throughout the United States and are skilled at matching people.

An intended parents’ surrogacy in Arizona will generally follow these steps:

• Step 1: Decide that surrogacy is the right family-building option
• Step 2: Prepare for the surrogacy journey
• Step 3: Find a surrogate to carry your child
• Step 4: Create a surrogacy contract
• Step 5: Start the medical surrogacy process
• Step 6: Welcome the child and enjoy parenthood

Surrogacy Costs for Intended Parents in Arizona

Generally, surrogacy in Arizona costs between $120,000 and $250,000. Costs can differ depending on the professional you work with. If you are considering multiple surrogacy agencies, here are two good questions to ask:

• Do you have a fixed fee structure, or are there variable fees that could increase our total cost of surrogacy?
• Does your fee structure include unlimited matching, unlimited embryo transfers, and any sort of financial protection for intended parents?

Next Steps to Pursuing Surrogacy in Arizona