The Australian Government is committed to protecting the rights of children. The department’s priority is to uphold the Australian government’s obligation to prevent the abduction, sale or trafficking of children.
Australia’s commitment extends to international treaties including:
The Department exercises extreme caution when assessing applications involving claimed surrogacy arrangements made outside Australia. This is to ensure citizenship provisions are not used to circumvent domestic and international adoption arrangements and other child welfare laws.
Laws relating to surrogacy arrangements in Australia and overseas may change without warning.
Before you commit to an international surrogacy arrangement:
- check the law on surrogacy arrangements in Australia and the other country
- seek independent legal advice
- determine if you satisfy the requirements to bring the child to Australia.
