Who is on the birth certificate, country by country

Intended parents usually start by comparing prices. Experienced ones start here, because the birth certificate is what an embassy reads, and an embassy is the only opinion that matters on the day you want to leave.

Three mechanisms, not one

Across the destinations we work in, legal parenthood is established in one of three ways, and the difference is not cosmetic.

• Named from birth. The intended parents appear on the original certificate. Nothing further happens in country.
• Pre-birth order. A court confirms parenthood before delivery, and the certificate is issued accordingly.
• Post-birth procedure. The certificate is issued first, then corrected or transferred by a court decision.

The third mechanism is where timelines slip, because a court calendar is not something an agency controls.

Then your own country decides again

A foreign certificate is not automatically recognised at home. Broadly, nationalities fall into three groups: those where recognition is administrative, those requiring a court order, and those where surrogacy is not recognised domestically at all and a separate procedure is needed.

Ask any agency which of the three applies to your passport. If the answer is vague, that is the answer.

What to have in writing before you sign

1. Which mechanism applies in the destination, and the statutory or case-law basis for it.
2. What the certificate will say, in the original language and in translation.
3. The exit sequence for your nationality, step by step, with the issuing authority named.
4. What happens, clinically and financially, if a step is refused.

Our country matcher shows both tests together — destination eligibility and what remains to be done at home. If you want it checked against your specific case, that is what the first call is for.