Surrogacy in Vermont
We serve all of Vermont, working with surrogates and intended parents in Burlington, Vermont, and its ring of South Burlington, Essex, Colchester and Williston, in Rutland, in Montpelier, Vermont, and its neighbor Barre, down in Brattleboro and Bennington in southern Vermont, up in St. Albans and the Northeast Kingdom around St. Johnsbury, and across the Upper Valley around White River Junction. Families build through gestational surrogacy in Vermont every year, with the order and judgment of parentage handled by your attorneys through the Probate Division. Vermont wrote gestational carrier agreements into its parentage statute, so the agreement is signed by every party and witnessed, with independent counsel on each side, before any medical step beyond the required evaluations, and an agreement that substantially complies with the statute is, in the statute's word, enforceable. Most of it happens where you live: you apply from home, match from home, and see your own OB for prenatal care. The first fertility-clinic appointments happen at our clinic in California, a real trip we plan with you well in advance. Here is what that actually looks like from Vermont.
- Serving
- All of VermontBurlington, Rutland, Montpelier, Brattleboro, Bennington, St. Albans and beyond
- Your care
- Your own OB and hospitalAt home in Vermont, through delivery
- The law
- In statuteThe Vermont Parentage Act: independent counsel on each side, and an order and judgment of parentage your attorneys can seek before or after the birth
- Parentage
- By court orderYour attorneys petition the Probate Division for the order and judgment of parentage; the birth certificate names the intended parents
How surrogacy works when you live in Vermont
Vermont has a specific statute for gestational carrier agreements, so the question we hear most is not whether surrogacy happens here. It is what working with a California program actually means from Rutland or St. Albans: which steps come to you, and which ones ask you to travel. Here is the plain geography, one side at a time.
Vermont for the pregnancy, California for the clinic
Applying, the screening conversations, and the records review happen from home by phone and video, whether home is Burlington, South Burlington, Essex, Rutland, Montpelier, Brattleboro, Bennington, St. Albans, Middlebury or a town in between. The first fertility-clinic appointments, the medical screening, and the embryo transfer happen at our fertility clinic in California. We say that plainly because it is true: those are planned trips, booked with you well in advance, never a relocation, and never something we dress up as close.
Once pregnancy is confirmed, everything comes home: your own OB, your own hospital, whether you deliver in Burlington, Rutland, Montpelier, Brattleboro or St. Albans, with your coordinator a call away throughout. Vermont's statute asks the agreement to leave all health and welfare decisions about your health and pregnancy with you, and gives you the right to a health care provider of your choosing during the pregnancy. The full picture is on our become a surrogate page.
One team, from the first call to the parentage order
Consultations happen by video, or in person at our California home office when you would rather have a table between you. One coordinator runs the match, the screening, and the clinic. The legal work sits with independent attorneys, Vermont counsel included, who draft the gestational carrier agreement Vermont's statute requires, with separate counsel for your surrogate, chosen by her and paid for by the intended parents as the statute asks, and who petition the Probate Division for the order and judgment of parentage the statute provides, which can be sought before or after the birth.
We tell you where each step happens, and who is in the room, before you commit to anything. Start with surrogacy for intended parents.
What the law says in Vermont, plainly.
"What are the Vermont surrogacy laws?" is how most people here ask it, by name rather than by verdict, and the answer is a specific statute, the Vermont Parentage Act. Vermont's parentage statute sets out who can be a gestational carrier and an intended parent, what the agreement has to contain and how it is signed, and how an order and judgment of parentage is sought, so the plan is made with your attorneys before anything medical begins. The full state-by-state picture lives on our law guide.
This is general information, not legal advice. Your own Vermont attorney confirms how it applies to your match.
Read our full surrogacy law guideVermont wrote gestational carrier agreements into its parentage statute, the Vermont Parentage Act, in force since 2018 and updated in 2024. Under it, the agreement is in writing, signed by every party and witnessed by at least one other person, and executed before any medical procedure other than the required evaluations and, in every instance, before the embryo transfer. The surrogate and the intended parents each have independent counsel in all matters concerning the agreement, the surrogate's lawyer is hers to choose and the intended parents' to pay for, and each lawyer attaches a written declaration that the agreement meets the statute. At least one party to the agreement is a Vermont resident, which a Vermont surrogate satisfies. The statute asks that a gestational carrier be at least 21 and complete a medical evaluation that includes a mental health consultation, and that the intended parents be at least 21 and complete psychosocial education and counseling about the agreement. It says the agreement may include payment of consideration and reasonable expenses to the surrogate, negotiated in good faith between the parties, and that the agreement leaves all health and welfare decisions about her health and pregnancy with her. An agreement that substantially complies with those requirements is, in the statute's word, enforceable.
When the agreement meets the statute's requirements, the intended parents are, in the statute's words, the parents of the child immediately upon the birth, and neither the surrogate nor her spouse is a parent. A party to the agreement can also ask the Probate Division, before or after the birth, for an order and judgment of parentage that declares the intended parents the parents, directs the Department of Health on the birth certificate and seals the record from the public, and the statute says an uncontested petition shall be resolved by the court promptly. The statute defines an intended parent as a person, whether married or unmarried, and covers intended parents whether genetically related to the child or not. The exact filings and their timing are your attorneys' plan, not something a page can promise.
A note on accuracy. Vermont's statute covers gestational carrier arrangements, where the surrogate has not contributed her own eggs, and that is the only kind of surrogacy we do. Because the statute ties both enforceability and parentage to an agreement that meets its requirements, the drafting and the counsel on each side carry the weight; your own Vermont attorney confirms how it applies to your match.
Requirements to become a surrogate in Vermont
These are the general guidelines most surrogacy programs follow, ours included, for anyone thinking about becoming a surrogate in Vermont. Read them as our program's starting point rather than a verdict, and not as a list of Vermont rules; the deciding step is always 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.
Vermont's statute asks for some of this too, and it is specific about which parts. It asks that a gestational carrier be at least 21, complete a medical evaluation that includes a mental health consultation, and have her own independent attorney, chosen by her and paid for by the intended parents. All of that is already part of how we screen. The rest of this checklist is our program's standard, not a Vermont rule. What carries the weight is the screening itself: your medical records, a clinic evaluation in California, and psychological screening, done in that order and explained as we go.
How much do surrogates make in Vermont is one of the first questions we hear, and the honest answer is personal: compensation is real, it is written into your agreement before any medications begin, and it is shaped by your situation. Vermont's statute says the agreement may include payment of consideration and reasonable expenses to the surrogate, negotiated in good faith between the parties, so it is in writing with your own attorney before anything medical, and it is held in escrow. The statute also says that if the agreement ends before an embryo transfer, you keep every payment you have received. We would rather have that conversation with you personally than post headline numbers, so the answer you hear is actually yours.
A c-section in your history? A tubal ligation, anxiety, or PCOS? Usually not the end of the story, and never a reason to be turned away unheard. Our surrogate eligibility guide takes those questions one condition at a time, the become a surrogate page covers the whole arc, or simply reach out.
Building your family in Vermont, from Burlington to Brattleboro
From Burlington or the Chittenden County towns around it, from Rutland or Montpelier, or from Brattleboro and Bennington in the south, the first step is the same: a phone call and no commitment. Working with us from Vermont means one coordinated team for the match, the screening, the clinic and the independent legal work, run by one person you know by name, and we tell you up front where every step happens. Here is what that means in practice.
Remote first, in person when you want
Video consultations fit around work and school pickups; when you would rather sit down together, the California home office is a planned trip, and we tell you exactly which steps ask for one. The step-by-step arc is on our how surrogacy works page.
Counsel who draft the agreement and petition for the order and judgment of parentage
Your agreement is drafted and reviewed by independent attorneys who write it to Vermont's statute, with separate counsel for your surrogate, chosen by her and paid for by you as the statute asks, and who then petition the Probate Division for the order and judgment of parentage, which the statute lets them seek before or after the birth. The statute asks that at least one party to the agreement be a Vermont resident, which a Vermont surrogate satisfies, and it lets the petition be brought in the county where the child is or will be born or where a parent or intended parent resides, so intended parents outside Vermont can match with a Vermont surrogate under the statute; your attorneys confirm residency, venue and jurisdiction for your match.
Every kind of family, welcomed
We welcome married, unmarried, LGBTQ+, and single intended parents. Vermont's statute defines an intended parent as a person, whether married or unmarried, and covers intended parents whether genetically related to the child or not, and experienced Vermont counsel structures the path for each family. See how we support LGBTQ+ families.
Clear costs before you commit
"How much does surrogacy cost in Vermont?" comes up early, so we answer it early. Surrogate compensation is one part of the cost in Vermont, and the clinic, the legal work, and your insurance shape the rest, so we post no price lists and spring no surprises: before you commit, we walk through what shapes the total and put a personalized estimate in writing for your situation. "Does insurance cover surrogacy in Vermont?" is a real question here too, and your consultation covers what your own coverage does and does not do, policy by policy; Vermont's statute asks the agreement to spell out how the surrogate's health care costs are paid, so that answer is in writing as well. Our surrogacy costs guide shows how that conversation works.
How does surrogacy work in Vermont?
Six steps, the same order every time, at the pace your match sets. Here is the road from first call to homecoming.
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First conversation and application
By phone or video from anywhere in Vermont. Surrogates begin an application; intended parents talk goals, timing, and the kind of relationship they hope to have with their surrogate. Nothing medical yet.
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Screening, remote first
Records review and psychological screening are arranged around your schedule, mostly from home, and the two things Vermont's statute asks for at this stage are part of that work: the medical evaluation that includes a mental health consultation for the surrogate, and the psychosocial education and counseling about the agreement for the intended parents. The in-person clinic evaluation at the California clinic is one of the planned trips, with dates you will know 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 on each side
Each side retains its own attorney, with the surrogate's counsel chosen by her and paid for by the intended parents, and the gestational carrier agreement Vermont's statute requires is signed by every party and witnessed before any medical procedure beyond the evaluations and before the embryo transfer, as the statute asks. This is also when compensation and expenses go into writing.
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Embryo transfer and pregnancy
The California clinic handles the medical cycle and the transfer. Then Vermont takes over: your own OB, your own hospital, your own bed, whether that is in Burlington, Rutland, Montpelier, Brattleboro, Bennington or St. Albans, from the first heartbeat appointment to delivery, with your coordinator close to both sides throughout.
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Parentage and birth
Your attorneys petition the Probate Division for the order and judgment of parentage, which the statute lets them seek before or after the birth, and the order directs the Department of Health to name the intended parents on the birth certificate. When the agreement meets the statute's requirements, the intended parents are the parents immediately upon the birth, so the family goes home together, on Vermont's timeline.
A California team, honest about the miles
Our home office is in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and we would rather say that plainly than pretend a Burlington or Montpelier storefront. Vermont has its own agency and its own fertility clinic in the Burlington orbit, many Vermont families already drive to Albany or farther for care, and when you search for a Vermont surrogacy agency, or for surrogacy agencies in New England, those names sit there; we are not pretending to be nearby. We are a California program serving all of Vermont, and the program is built for the distance: phone and video for everything except the clinic steps, scheduled around your work and your kids, and for the clinic steps a connecting flight from Burlington or a drive to Boston, planned with you well in advance.
When you reach out, a real person calls you back and stays your person, whether home is a street in Burlington or South Burlington, a neighborhood in Essex, Colchester or Williston, Rutland or Montpelier, Brattleboro or Bennington, St. Albans or St. Johnsbury, White River Junction, Middlebury or Stowe. The only steps that bring you to California are the clinic ones.
11989 Arrow Route, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
(626) 528-6868
Vermont surrogacy, answered
Is surrogacy legal in Vermont?
Vermont wrote gestational carrier agreements into its parentage statute, the Vermont Parentage Act, in force since 2018 and updated in 2024: the agreement is signed by every party and witnessed, with independent counsel on each side, before any medical step beyond the required evaluations and before the embryo transfer, the statute says it may include payment of consideration and reasonable expenses negotiated in good faith, a substantially compliant agreement is, in the statute's word, enforceable, and an order and judgment of parentage can be sought from the Probate Division before or after the birth so the birth certificate names the intended parents.
The statute answers the question in its own terms, and your own Vermont attorney applies it to your match. For the state-by-state picture, see our surrogacy law guide.
Can intended parents get a pre-birth order in Vermont?
A party to the agreement can ask the Probate Division, before or after the birth, for an order and judgment of parentage that declares the intended parents the parents, directs the Department of Health on the birth certificate and seals the record; when the agreement meets the statute's requirements the intended parents are the child's parents immediately upon the birth, and the statute says an uncontested petition shall be resolved by the court promptly.
Your attorneys plan the filing; the statute sets out what can be asked for, and how your petition runs is their plan for your match. The depth lives on our surrogacy law guide.
What are the requirements to become a surrogate in Vermont?
Vermont's statute asks that a gestational carrier be at least 21, complete a medical evaluation that includes a mental health consultation, and have her own independent attorney, chosen by her and paid for by the intended parents; Lily Baby's screening covers each of those and adds the medical, pregnancy-history and background review every match includes, which is our program's standard rather than a Vermont rule.
Our program guidelines sit alongside, as ours and not Vermont's: roughly 21 to 38 years old, at least one healthy birth, a child you are raising now, good general health, no smoking, and a stable, supported home. Every application is read by a person, not a filter; the surrogate eligibility guide handles the condition-by-condition questions.
How much do surrogates make in Vermont?
Compensation for a Vermont surrogate is real, it is written into the agreement before any medications begin, and it is shaped by her situation; Vermont's statute says the agreement may include payment of consideration and reasonable expenses negotiated in good faith, and that if the agreement ends before an embryo transfer she keeps every payment she has received.
So it is in writing with your own attorney before anything medical, and we talk it through with you personally rather than posting numbers. The whole arc is on our become a surrogate page.
How do Vermont intended parents in Burlington, Rutland or Brattleboro get started?
With a conversation. Consultations are remote or at our California home office, and from there we coordinate the match, the screening, the clinic, and the independent legal work.
We walk through costs before you commit: surrogate compensation is one part of the cost in Vermont, and the clinic, the legal work, and your insurance shape the rest. Start on our intended parents page, see the full arc on how surrogacy works, or read the surrogacy costs guide.
Do you need a lawyer for surrogacy in Vermont?
Every Lily Baby match includes independent counsel on each side, drafted before any medical step, and Vermont's statute itself asks that the surrogate and the intended parents each have independent counsel in all matters concerning the agreement, with the surrogate's lawyer chosen by her and paid for by the intended parents and each lawyer attaching a written declaration that the agreement meets the statute.
Your attorneys draft the agreement and petition the Probate Division for the order and judgment of parentage. We coordinate the referrals so you are never hunting for counsel alone.
Get started in Vermont
It starts with a conversation, from wherever you are in Vermont, Burlington to Brattleboro. We listen first, then show you exactly what comes next.