Becoming the child's legal parent Surrogacy rights at work

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Surrogacy is when someone else carries and gives birth to a baby for the intended parents.

If you use a surrogate, the surrogate will be the child's legal parent at birth.

You must apply to become the legal parent within 6 months of the child's birth to get adoption rights, leave and pay.

You must apply for:

  • a parental order – if one intended parent is genetically related to the child
  • an adoption order – if the intended parents are not genetically related to the child

If you apply for an adoption order, the rules for adoption are different.

Find out your adoption leave, pay and other rights

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Please do not include any personal information, for example email address or phone number. Unfortunately we cannot respond to individual requests for information. If you need help, contact our helpline on 0300 123 1100