Surrogacy in Illinois
We serve all of Illinois, working with surrogates and intended parents from Chicago, Aurora, and Naperville to Rockford, Springfield, and Peoria. Illinois writes gestational surrogacy into statute, and most of the process happens where you live: you apply from home, match from home, and see your own OB for prenatal care, with a small number of trips to the fertility clinic in California. This page walks through how that works from where you live.
- Serving
- All of IllinoisChicago, Aurora, Naperville, Rockford, Springfield, and beyond
- Helping families since
- 2015Coordinated from our California home office
- The law
- In statuteGestational Surrogacy Act, since 2005
- Parentage
- Established at birthBy operation of law under the Act, through certifications completed before delivery
How surrogacy works when you live in Illinois
Most Illinois searches boil down to two questions: is this written into Illinois law, and what does it actually look like from my kitchen table? It is, and mostly from that table. Here is the honest picture for each side.
Your life stays put
The application, the early conversations, and the records review all happen from home, by phone and video. The clinic evaluation and the embryo transfer happen at the fertility clinic in California, a small number of planned trips we book together, not a move.
Once pregnancy is confirmed, you are back with your own OB, whether home is Naperville, Peoria, or a small town off I-72, and your coordinator stays one call away for the whole pregnancy. The full picture is on our become a surrogate page.
One team, coordinated to Illinois
Consultations run by video, or in person at our California home office if you want to sit down together. One coordinator handles matching, screening, and the clinic, and the legal work is done by independent attorneys, including counsel who handle Illinois parentage work.
Before you commit to anything, we tell you plainly where each step happens and who does it. Start with surrogacy for intended parents.
Surrogacy is written into Illinois law
Illinois wrote gestational surrogacy into statute in 2005 and amended that statute in 2025. The statute-level detail, and how Illinois compares with every other state, lives on our law guide.
This is general information, not legal advice; your own attorney confirms how the law applies to your match.
Read our full surrogacy law guideIllinois wrote gestational surrogacy into statute back in 2005, in the Gestational Surrogacy Act, and amended it in 2025. The Act requires the agreement to be in writing and signed before any medical procedure beyond the eligibility evaluations, with the surrogate and the intended parents each represented by their own independent attorney licensed in Illinois.
When the agreement substantially complies with the Act's eligibility and contract requirements, the intended parents are the parents of the child for all purposes the moment the baby is born. Parentage is established by operation of law through written certifications from each intended parent, the surrogate, the physician, and each side's attorney, all completed before the birth and provided to the hospital and the Illinois Department of Public Health, and it carries the full force of a judgment. The Act also addresses compensation directly: an agreement may provide for it, and any compensation is placed in escrow with an independent escrow agent before the surrogate begins any medical procedure beyond the eligibility evaluations.
A note on accuracy. The Act covers gestational surrogacy only, where the surrogate is not genetically related to the child, and it has its own eligibility details for intended parents. Which path fits your family is exactly the kind of question your attorney answers early, and we make sure you have that conversation before anything is signed. Always confirm your specifics with an Illinois-licensed reproductive attorney.
Requirements to become a surrogate in Illinois
These are the general guidelines most surrogacy programs follow, ours included. They are a starting point, not a verdict. What actually decides it is a conversation and a medical review.
Are between about 21 and 38 years oldThe range can flex based on your health history.
Have given birth before and are raising a child of your ownAgencies and clinics look for prior pregnancy experience.
Had healthy, full-term pregnancies and deliveriesReviewed with your medical records during screening.
Are in good general healthConfirmed through a clinic medical evaluation.
Live in a stable home with reliable supportA partner, family, or friends you can lean on.
Do not smoke or use illicit drugsAsked about and reviewed as part of screening.
Are a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent residentHelps keep the legal process clean and predictable.
Have a stable income, not relying on cash assistanceSo compensation is genuinely yours to keep.
Illinois law backs this shape too. The Act sets its own baseline for surrogates: at least 21, a prior birth, medical and mental-health evaluations, your own independent Illinois attorney chosen by you, and health insurance that runs through the pregnancy and eight weeks after, which the intended parents can provide under the agreement. The screening we have always done fits the process Illinois expects.
On compensation: the Act addresses it directly. An agreement may provide for compensation, and any compensation is placed in escrow with an independent escrow agent before you begin any medical procedure beyond the eligibility evaluations. What it looks like depends on your situation, it is written into your agreement with your own attorney before any medications begin, and we would rather talk it through personally than post numbers.
C-section? Tubal ligation? A history of anxiety, or PCOS? None of those are automatic nos, and we read every application as a whole person rather than a checklist. Our surrogate eligibility guide walks through them condition by condition, the become a surrogate page has the whole arc, or just ask us directly.
Building your family from Chicago
Whether you are in the city, the suburbs, or three hours downstate, working with us looks the same: one team coordinating the match, the screening, the clinic, and the legal work. Here is what that means in practice.
Remote first, in person when you want
Consultations and matching conversations happen by video, on your schedule. If you would rather meet face to face, our home office is a nonstop flight from O'Hare or Midway. The whole process is laid out on our how surrogacy works page.
Counsel who know the Illinois path
Your agreement is drafted and reviewed by independent attorneys, and the parentage certifications are completed during the pregnancy so everything is in place before delivery. Illinois's statute spells out the steps, and your attorneys carry them, so you never have to learn it yourself.
Every kind of family, welcomed
We support married, unmarried, LGBTQ+, and single intended parents, and your attorney maps the right Illinois path for your family early, so there are no surprises later. See how we support LGBTQ+ families.
Clear costs before you commit
No posted price lists, and no surprises either. We walk through what shapes the total for your situation and put a personalized estimate in front of you before you sign anything. Our surrogacy costs guide explains how that works.
How does surrogacy work in Illinois?
The pace varies match to match; the order never does. Here is the whole arc, first phone call to homecoming.
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First conversation and application
A phone or video call from anywhere in Illinois. Surrogates start an application; intended parents talk through goals, timing, and what they hope a match feels like. No medical records needed yet.
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Screening, remote first
Records review and psychological screening are coordinated around your life, mostly by phone and video. The in-person clinic evaluation is one of the planned California trips, and you will know the dates well in advance.
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Matching
We introduce a surrogate and intended parents who fit each other on values, expectations, communication style, and the practical things, like contact during pregnancy and views on tough medical decisions. You decide together whether to move forward.
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Legal contracts with independent counsel
Each side has its own independent Illinois attorney, and the gestational agreement is put in writing and signed before any medications begin, which keeps you inside the Act's rule that the agreement come before any medical procedure beyond the eligibility evaluations. Any compensation goes into escrow with an independent escrow agent at this stage, before the medical work starts.
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Embryo transfer and pregnancy
The California clinic runs the medical cycle and the transfer, and then you are home for the long middle of the story: your own OB, your own hospital, whether that is in Chicagoland or down in Springfield. Your coordinator stays close to both sides the whole way.
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Parentage and birth
The certifications from each intended parent, the surrogate, the physician, and each side's attorney are completed before the birth and provided to the hospital and the Illinois Department of Public Health, so when the baby arrives the intended parents are the parents by operation of law, and the family goes home together.
A California team, said plainly
Our home office is in Rancho Cucamonga, California. We do not have a Chicago office, and we would rather tell you that than rent a lobby address to pretend otherwise. What the miles mean in practice: a nonstop flight from O'Hare or Midway when a trip is needed, and phone and video for everything else, scheduled around your work and your kids.
And we mean all of Illinois. The Chicago market is crowded with agencies; Springfield, Peoria, Rockford, Champaign-Urbana, and Bloomington-Normal mostly are not. Wherever you are, the same real person calls you back, walks through your questions, and stays your person from then on.
11989 Arrow Route, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
(626) 528-6868
Illinois surrogacy, answered
Is surrogacy legal in Illinois?
Illinois writes gestational surrogacy into statute. The Gestational Surrogacy Act has been in force since 2005, was amended in 2025, and sets out who is eligible, what the agreement has to contain, and how parentage is established.
The Act addresses compensation directly, an agreement may provide for it and any compensation is held in escrow, and when the agreement substantially complies with the Act's requirements, the intended parents are the parents of the child for all purposes immediately upon the birth. For the state-by-state picture, see our surrogacy law guide.
What are the requirements to be a surrogate in Illinois?
Under the Act's baseline: at least 21, have given birth before, have completed medical and mental-health evaluations, have your own independent Illinois attorney, and hold health insurance that runs through the pregnancy and eight weeks after, which the intended parents can provide.
That baseline comes from the Act itself; our program guidelines add the practical layer, roughly age 21 to 38, healthy pregnancy history, a stable home, no smoking. Where you land is decided in a personal conversation and screening, never by a checkbox. Our surrogate eligibility guide covers the condition-specific questions.
Do I have to travel to California?
Yes, some. The clinic steps, the medical evaluation and the embryo transfer, happen at the fertility clinic in California.
Those trips are planned with you well ahead of time, and they are the exception, not the rule: the application, screening conversations, matching, prenatal care, and delivery all stay home in Illinois.
How do intended parents in Chicago get started?
Reach out and talk to us. We will ask where you are in the process, whether you have embryos, and what timing you are hoping for, then show you the next two or three steps.
You can do everything by video, or visit the California home office when you want to meet in person. From there one coordinator carries the match, the screening, the clinic, and the independent legal work. Begin with surrogacy for intended parents or the how surrogacy works guide.
Get started in Illinois
It starts with a conversation, from wherever you are in Illinois. We listen first, then show you exactly what comes next.