Surrogacy in Switzerland
Surrogacy is prohibited in Switzerland at constitutional level: Article 119 of the Federal Constitution rules it out directly, and the Reproductive Medicine Act (FMedG), in force since 1 January 2001, implements that ban. Swiss intended parents who need a surrogate therefore go abroad – and the question that matters to them is not whether a program is possible, but how their parenthood is recognised on return.
Surrogacy in Switzerland
The Swiss framework distinguishes sharply between methods. Some are available, others are not, and the picture has changed considerably since 2017.
What is available in Switzerland:
- IVF with the couple’s own cells
- Sperm donation – currently for married couples only
- Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), permitted since the 2017 revision of the FMedG
- Embryo cryopreservation, also opened up by the 2017 revision
What is not:
- Surrogacy, ruled out by the Federal Constitution itself
- Egg donation and embryo donation, ruled out by the FMedG
That distinction matters, because the two bans sit at different levels. The Federal Council has been instructed by Parliament to legalise egg donation and to open both sperm and egg donation to unmarried couples; a consultation draft is expected by the end of 2026. The surrogacy ban, written into the Constitution, is not part of that reform.
For Swiss intended parents the decisive question is therefore what happens after a program abroad. The father who is the genetic parent acknowledges paternity (Anerkennung der Vaterschaft); the second parent completes a stepchild adoption. The exact route depends on the country where the program took place, since each jurisdiction establishes parentage differently – from a court order before birth to both parents named on the certificate from day one.
What a program abroad costs
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Swiss couples most often look to countries where assisted reproduction is fully regulated and the compensation paid to a surrogate is not capped by law.
VittoriaVita programs start from €44,000, with the final figure shaped by the country, the package and whether donor cells or PGD are needed – the full breakdown of what a program costs sets out each item and what falls outside the base price.
We have our own database of surrogates and egg donors, provide medical and legal support throughout, and prepare the full document package for the parents and the newborn.
Where Swiss intended parents go
We run programs in three countries. Which one fits depends on your marital status, whether donor cells are needed, and how parenthood must be recognised in Switzerland afterwards.
Ukraine
Fully regulated by the Family Code and Ministry of Health orders. Both intended parents are entered on the birth certificate from day one, with no adoption step in Ukraine itself. For married heterosexual couples with medical indications.
Georgia
Regulated since 1997, open to couples from any country, and no marriage certificate required – proof of at least a year of cohabitation is enough. Both parents go on the birth certificate directly.
Mexico
Open to single parents and same-sex couples, with parenthood confirmed by court order before the birth. The route for intended parents who do not meet the criteria in Eastern Europe.
