Surrogacy in Washington State
We serve all of Washington State, working with surrogates and intended parents on both sides of the Cascades. Most of it happens where you live: you apply from home, match from home, and see your own OB for prenatal care. The medical steps mean a small number of trips to the fertility clinic in California, and we coordinate every one. Washington also writes gestational surrogacy into state law. Below is how the whole thing works from where you live.
- Serving
- Washington StateSeattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, and beyond
- Helping families since
- 2015A California program, coordinated to you
- The law
- RCW 26.26AThe Uniform Parentage Act, in effect since 2019
- Parentage
- Parents at birthFor gestational surrogacy, all family types
Surrogacy is established in Washington
Washington families usually ask about the law first, so here is the short version. The statute-level detail, and how Washington compares with every other state, lives on our law guide.
What you read here is general information, not legal advice. Your own attorney confirms how it applies to your match.
Read our full surrogacy law guideWashington writes gestational surrogacy into its Uniform Parentage Act, RCW 26.26A, in effect since January 1, 2019. The statute expressly permits compensated gestational surrogacy agreements and provides a clear path to parentage for intended parents regardless of marital status, orientation, or genetic connection. This is a written-law state, not a case-by-case one.
The statute also sets real eligibility rules: a surrogate must be at least 21 and have given birth before, complete a medical evaluation and a mental-health consultation, and have her own independent attorney throughout, and intended parents carry matching requirements of their own. If that list feels familiar, it should. It is very close to what careful programs, ours included, were already asking.
A note on accuracy. Washington law also permits genetic (traditional) surrogacy, but under a distinct, stricter set of rules with its own procedures. We work exclusively in gestational surrogacy, where the surrogate is not genetically related to the child. Always confirm your specifics with a licensed reproductive attorney.
How surrogacy works when you live in Washington State
The question we hear most from Washington is what it actually looks like to work with a California program from here. Honestly? It looks mostly like staying home. Here is the whole arc.
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Apply and talk, from home
The first conversation happens by phone or video, wherever you are in Washington State. Surrogates complete an application; intended parents talk through goals, timing, and the kind of match they hope for. No travel, and no medical details needed yet.
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Screening, coordinated around your life
We review your medical records and coordinate medical and psychological screening with you, working around your schedule, your job, and your kids. Your coordinator handles the between-states logistics so you are never chasing paperwork.
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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
You and the intended parents each have your own attorney, as Washington's statute requires, and the gestational surrogacy agreement is signed before any medications begin. Your attorneys determine exactly how a cross-state match like yours is structured, so you never have to navigate that alone. This is also when compensation and expenses are set in writing.
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A handful of visits to the California clinic
The medical steps, such as the clinic evaluation and the embryo transfer, happen at the fertility clinic in California. For most surrogates that means a small number of trips, not a relocation, and we plan every one with you, down to the questions that actually matter: childcare while you are away, whether your partner comes, how much time to ask off work.
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Pregnancy, delivery, and home, all in Washington
Once pregnancy is confirmed, prenatal care continues with your own OB and your own hospital, whether that is in Tacoma or Spokane. Your coordinator stays close to both sides through delivery. When the birth happens in Washington, the state has a published birth-filing process for surrogacy births, so the intended parents are the parents on the birth certificate.
Requirements to become a surrogate in Washington
These are the general guidelines most surrogacy programs follow, ours included. They are a starting point, not a verdict. The only way to know for certain 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.
Washington's law asks for much of this too. The state's own baseline for surrogates includes being at least 21, a prior birth, a medical evaluation, a mental-health consultation, and your own independent attorney throughout. One boundary is worth stating plainly: Washington also limits how many surrogacy journeys one woman can complete, which we answer in the questions below. The screening we have always done is the screening Washington expects.
Wondering about a c-section, a tubal ligation, anxiety, or PCOS? Those questions come up often and the answer is usually more nuanced than a yes or no. We would rather talk it through than turn you away on a checklist. Our surrogate eligibility guide answers them condition by condition, the become a surrogate page has the full picture, or just reach out.
Compensation and costs, without the guesswork
Washington searchers ask about money more than almost any other state, so here is our straight answer for each side. We do not publish figures, because real numbers depend on your situation, and we would rather be accurate with you than approximate at you.
What shapes your compensation
Washington law expressly allows compensated gestational surrogacy, and your agreement puts compensation and expenses in writing before any medications begin, reviewed by your own independent attorney. What it looks like depends on your history, your insurance, and your match. We walk through all of it in your first conversation, before you commit to anything.
What drives the total cost
The total is shaped by the clinic work your path needs, your surrogate's compensation and expenses, legal work in two states, and insurance. Our surrogacy costs guide explains each piece, and a personalized estimate comes before any commitment, so there are no surprises later.
Building your family from Washington
Plenty of Washington families choose to work with a California-based program on purpose: one team coordinating everything, an established clinic relationship, and a decade of matches behind it. Here is what that looks like in practice.
One team across both states
We coordinate the fertility clinic, the screening, the match, and the referral to independent legal counsel, and we stay your single point of contact from first conversation through birth. Consultations happen by video, or in person at our California home office if you prefer. The full arc is on our how surrogacy works page.
A match that fits, wherever she lives
Matching is not limited to one state. Your surrogate may live in Washington or in another state we serve, and the legal work is structured for wherever she is, with independent counsel on each side. When the birth happens in Washington, the state's own birth-filing process for surrogacy births puts you on the birth certificate.
Every kind of family, on equal footing
Married, unmarried, LGBTQ+, or single: Washington's parentage law treats intended parents the same regardless of marital status or orientation, and so do we. See how we support LGBTQ+ families.
A first conversation, on your terms
You tell us where you are: whether you already have embryos, whether you are working with a clinic, what your timing looks like. We answer plainly and show you what would come next. More on surrogacy for intended parents.
Honest about the miles, present for all of it
Our home office is in California, not Washington, and we would rather say that plainly than pretend a Seattle storefront. Washington has genuinely local agencies, and some surrogates will choose one. The women and families who choose us usually do it for how we run a match across state lines: one coordinator, the clinic our program is built around, and logistics handled for Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, and the Tri-Cities alike.
When you reach out, a real coordinator calls you back, walks through your questions, and stays your person from then on. Screening, matching conversations, and check-ins happen by phone and video, around your work and your kids. The only steps that bring you to California are the clinic ones, and we plan those with you.
11989 Arrow Route, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
(626) 528-6868
Washington surrogacy, answered
Is surrogacy legal in Washington State?
Yes. Gestational surrogacy, including compensated surrogacy, is written into Washington's Uniform Parentage Act, in effect since 2019.
RCW 26.26A recognizes gestational surrogacy agreements, sets clear eligibility rules, and opens the path to parentage for intended parents regardless of marital status or orientation. For the state-by-state picture, see our surrogacy law guide.
How many times can you be a surrogate in Washington State?
Washington law does not allow a woman to enter a new surrogacy agreement after two prior surrogacy agreements that resulted in births.
In practice, that means the state caps completed surrogacy journeys, and it is one of the details your independent attorney confirms against your own history before anything is signed. It is a real boundary, and we would rather state it plainly than have you discover it mid-process.
Do I have to travel to California?
Yes, some, and we would rather tell you that plainly: the clinic steps happen in California.
For most surrogates that means a small number of trips for the medical appointments, planned with you well in advance. Everything else, from your first call to your prenatal care and delivery, stays close to home in Washington.
What are the requirements to be a surrogate in Washington?
In general, you are roughly 21 to 38, have given birth before and are raising a child, have had healthy pregnancies, are in good health, do not smoke, and have a stable home.
Washington's statute adds its own baseline, including a medical evaluation, a mental-health consultation, and your own independent attorney throughout. Final eligibility is confirmed through a personal conversation and screening, because your history matters more than any single box. Our surrogate eligibility guide answers the condition-by-condition questions.
Is Washington a good state for LGBTQ+ intended parents?
Yes. Washington's parentage law applies regardless of marital status, orientation, or genetic connection to the child.
That means married and unmarried couples, same-sex couples, and single parents all stand on the same legal footing in a Washington gestational surrogacy agreement. See how we support LGBTQ+ families.
Get started in Washington
It starts with a conversation, from wherever you are in Washington State. We listen first, then show you exactly what comes next.