How to Find a Surrogate in New York

Surrogacy gives you the opportunity to experience parenthood. We understand you’ve been waiting, maybe years, to become a parent. You don’t have to wait any longer.

Our short wait times mean you can find a surrogate match quickly and get one step closer to being a parent.

Talk to a specialist today and learn more about how to find the perfect surrogate.

 

Find Your Surrogate Match

Intended parents share their confidence in our surrogacy screening.

How to Find a Surrogate in New York

You can find a surrogate in New York safely by working with a licensed agency that understands local laws. Partnering with a team that values transparency protects everyone involved, allowing you to focus on the excitement of growing your family.

Every family’s path is unique, but the process of finding a surrogate generally follows these three steps:

  • Step 1: Intentional Matching. We use our surrogate outreach program to identify gestational carriers who meet your medical and personal preferences. We also look for a shared sense of values to ensure the partnership feels right from the start.
  • Step 2: The Initial Conversation. Once we find a potential match, we’ll facilitate a guided call. This is a low-pressure way to get to know each other, discuss expectations and see if the "vibe" feels natural before anyone commits to the next step.
  • Step 3: Creating a Legal Foundation. After you decide to move forward together, we coordinate with experienced New York legal counsel to finalize your surrogacy contract. This step ensures the relationship is grounded in a mutual agreement that respects and protects everyone involved.

Finding a surrogate shouldn’t feel like a gamble. Our licensure and marketing outreach to generate web traffic and opportunities means you're working with an agency that protects you and finds you more highly qualified, screened surrogates.

More marketing = more opportunities and lower wait times. Take a look at the variance in web traffic between agencies:

How Agencies Compare on Surrogate Outreach

Agencies Above 13k Views
AgencyViews Per Month
32,600
Circle30,100
Conceiveabilities26,100
Sensible Surrogacy14,100
Creative Family Connections13,600
Agencies Below 8k Views
AgencyViews Per Month
West Coast Surrogacy8,300
Growing Generations7,900
Hatch Fertility2,700
IARC Surrogacy1,900
The Fertility Agency406
Golden Surrogacy387
Roots Surrogacy194
Independently verified through SEMRush and Google Analytics, November 2024. The American Surrogacy web traffic number reflects our network of sites.

Once you've matched, you have the opportunity to get to know your surrogate and start this wonderful journey together.

Get to Know Your Surrogate

Why Working With a Licensed New York Surrogacy Agency Matters

In 2021, the New York Child-Parent Security Act (CPSA) legalized gestational surrogacy in the state and established protections for intended parents and surrogates.

Since then, New York has become the only state requiring surrogacy matching programs to be licensed by the Department of Health. This regulation was established to prioritize the well-being of the surrogate and the security of intended parents through clear ethical and clinical standards.

Partnering with a licensed New York agency like American Surrogacy means working with a team committed to state-mandated transparency and financial safeguards. We manage the logistics and legal hurdles so you can focus on the human side of your journey, knowing your path to parenthood is built on these foundational protections:

  • Independent Legal Representation: New York law requires separate, independent attorneys for intended parents and surrogates.
  • Independent Escrow Management: For financial security, all surrogate compensation is held by an independent escrow agent.
  • Support for Surrogate Health: A healthy journey begins with a supported surrogate. Licensed agencies ensure comprehensive health and life insurance is provided for 12 months post-birth, prioritizing her long-term well-being.
  • Emotional and Medical Readiness: Every surrogate undergoes thoughtful screening to ensure she is physically and emotionally prepared.

How We Screen Surrogates in New York

We know how much you are looking forward to the joys of parenthood, which is why we focus on keeping wait times low without ever compromising on safety. Surrogate screening is a crucial part of that.

At American Surrogacy, we screen every surrogate fully before they match. This way, when you match with a surrogate, you know they are physically, emotionally and psychologically ready to help you grow your family.

The CPSA makes New York one of the most secure and transparent places to build a family. We use these rigorous state-mandated standards as our baseline to protect everyone involved:

  • Prioritizing Health and Safety: We follow ASRM and ACOG clinical guidelines to ensure every surrogate is physically prepared for a healthy pregnancy and long-term well-being.
  • Emotional Support and Resilience: Every surrogate undergoes an independent psychological evaluation to ensure she is prepared and empowered for a healthy experience.
  • Vetted for Legal Compliance: We verify New York residency and state eligibility early on to keep your legal path to parentage clear and prevent unexpected delays during the contract phase.
  • Transparency and Rights: Trust is central to our process. We ensure every surrogate understands her New York legal rights, including her right to independent counsel and medical autonomy.

By handling the complex vetting and heavy lifting early, we allow you to focus on what matters most: building a relationship with your surrogate on a foundation of safety, honesty and mutual respect.

How Long Does It Take to Find a Surrogate in New York?

Finding a gestational carrier in New York can be a long wait. The average time to find a surrogate through other agencies can be as high as 2–4 years.

With American Surrogacy, you can significantly shorten that timeline through our local outreach and active matching efforts. You can take control and move forward with your plans for parenthood — why wait longer than you have to?

When it comes to finding a surrogate, here’s how we quickly find you the perfect match:

  • Balanced List: We maintain a healthy ratio of intended parents to surrogates so that no one is left waiting indefinitely.
  • Marketing: We use extensive marketing outreach to find more high-quality surrogate candidates.
  • Screening: By screening surrogates before they enter our pool, we ensure they are ready to move forward the moment a match is made.

Because of these 3 keys to lower wait times, your surrogacy timeline will look like this:

How We Protect Your Time

We know how eager you are to begin building your family. You don't have to spend any more time waiting. Our staff is here to help you through every step of your surrogacy process.

How Much Does It Cost to Find a Surrogate Mother in New York?

 

How to Have Financial Clarity

Intended parents explain how American Surrogacy saved them money.

American Surrogacy costs depend on which program you choose, but typically range from $100,000 - $200,000+. We've designed three programs to help families who have a surrogate or need help finding a surrogate become parents faster.

  1. Independent Program: Designed for families who have a surrogate or plan to find one on their own
  2. Foundation Program: Provides a lower upfront cost and traditional fee structure but also places more risk on the family if a match falls through or the journey changes unexpectedly
  3. Limited Risk Program: Our second full-service program with financial protection that avoids repaying many fees if something doesn't work out and makes budgeting more predictable

We have a fee structure to help give you financial clarity as to what you’re paying for with our surrogate matching service and how that will lead to starting life with your child sooner.

This cost covers everything you need to find a surrogate in New York and will be paid in two installments. The first is due at activation, and the second is due when you find the perfect match.

The first installment is used for:

  • Marketing and Advertising

    It’s as simple as this: The more marketing you have, the better chance you have of finding a surrogate. Higher marketing means shorter wait times while lower marketing means longer wait times. 

  • Surrogate Screening

    Our quick and efficient screening process to find the best surrogates includes social and medical history forms, in-home assessments and background checks, medical and psychological evaluations and insurance reviews. 

How We Protect Your Investment

Creating your family through surrogacy is the investment of a lifetime. Our transparent fee structure is designed to give you peace of mind and confidence in knowing how our surrogate matching service uses those fees to end your wait and start you on the quickest path to parenthood. 

Another way that we protect your investment is with our Parent Protection Fee, something other agencies don’t offer. The Parent Protection Fee refunds a large part of your investment in the event that the surrogacy is unsuccessful.

Our Limited Risk Program also covers unlimited matching for as long as you have embryos. Our active matching focused on marketing, screening and balancing our list means more opportunities in a shorter timeframe. 

Other agencies force families into a what feels like passive waiting because they rely on word-of-mouth, lower marketing and end up signing too many families for the number of surrogates.

Protecting your time, budget and the investment is as important to you as it is to us. We’re here for every step of your journey.

Get the Support You Deserve

Learn More About Our Affordable Programs

Risks of Finding a Surrogate Without a Licensed Agency

Some New York families want to find a surrogate independently. While social media makes "DIY" matching feel easy, New York’s strict legal landscape can often disrupt the process if not being handled by experienced professionals. Partnering with a licensed professional provides the legal security you need to focus on your child’s arrival rather than the nuances of state law.

Securing Your Legal Foundation and Avoiding Costly Delays

Your parental rights depend on the Child-Parent Security Act, but these protections require a contract with precise statutory language and strict execution protocols. Any omission can jeopardize your parentage in court.

Beyond legal risks, independent journeys often face "start-and-stop" delays. New York has some of the country’s strictest surrogate eligibility requirements. Without professional screening, you may build an emotional bond with a surrogate only to find out she is ineligible under state law.

A reputable, licensed agency pre-screens surrogates. By the time you are introduced to a potential surrogate, her medical and social history has been reviewed, ensuring your path to parenthood remains secure.

Navigating the Process With Integrity and Accountability

New York’s strict regulation of "matching services" serves as a vital safeguard against exploitation. Choosing a licensed, socially conscious agency creates a foundation of accountability by

  • Holding your funds in secure escrow accounts rather than unmonitored private accounts
  • Offering professional counseling and support for the surrogate throughout the pregnancy
  • Adhering to state-mandated protocols that unlicensed groups often bypass

View Surrogate Profiles

Surrogate profiles are your first glimpse into the life of the woman who can help you become a parent. You can start looking for the perfect surrogate match right now. Here are our active surrogates:

Next Steps After Finding a Surrogate

If you have embryos created with a fertility clinic already, then you’re ready to take the next step. Contact us to become that much closer to parenthood.

Once you find a surrogate in New York that you think could be the one, then your surrogacy specialist will send their information to your fertility clinic. Once the clinic confirms she is able to be a surrogate, they’ll send your intended parent profile to her.

If she wants to know more about you, we’ll set up a call for you both to get to know each other better. If you both come away from that call ready to move forward, you can make the match official.

If you do not have embryos created or a fertility clinic that you’ve partnered with, you need to do so before you can move on.

Fertility Clinics           

  • New Hope Fertility Center (New York City): New Hope Fertility Center offers a complete range of fertility and in vitro treatment services so that your journey to parenthood is streamlined, low-stress and as minimally disruptive to your life as possible.
  • The New York Fertility Center (Flushing, New York City): As one of the first IVF centers established in Queens, New York, The New York Fertility Center has a reputation for successfully handling difficult cases and more common obstacles.
  • Genesis Fertility & Reproductive Medicine (Brooklyn, Forest Hills, Staten Island, Hewlett): The nationally renowned, board-certified reproductive endocrinologists at Genesis Fertility & Reproductive have been listed among Castle Connolly’s America’s Top Doctors, New York Magazine’s list of Best Doctors and the New York Times SuperDocs.

Other Things to Know About Surrogacy in New York

The Child Parent Security Act legalized gestational surrogacy on February 15, 2021. It laid out protections and a path to parental rights for parents who used assisted reproductive technology (ART) to have children.

Surrogacy contracts, which had been void and unenforceable, were legalized so long as both parties met specific requirements.

As an intended parent, you must:

  • Have independent legal counsel
  • Both be parties to the agreement (if you’re in a couple relationship)

Legal representation is a required part of the process when it comes to surrogacy contracts. Here are some attorneys in New York you can reach out to:

  • Talmud Law (Williamsville): Talmud Law helps people looking to expand their families through gestational surrogacy.
  • Law Office of Brian Esser PLLC (Brooklyn): As an adoptive father himself, Attorney and Owner Brian Esser can help you at every step of the way, including drafting a gestational carrier agreement and obtaining legal parentage for the intended parents.
  • Vishnick McGovern Milizio LLP (Lake Succes, New York City): The attorneys at Vishnick McGovern Milizio LLP are knowledgeable in the different laws and statutes of jurisdictions across New York State, as well as the different courts in which your proceedings may be handled.
  • Rumbold & Seidelman, LLP (Nyack): Rumbold & Seidelman is one of the leading New Jersey and New York firms with expertise in the highly specialized field of assisted reproduction law, especially gestational surrogacy.

Have a Question?

Text with one of our surrogacy specialists.

913-204-0224

FAQ About Finding a Surrogate

Is New York a Surrogacy-Friendly State?

New York is a surrogacy-friendly state thanks to the Child Parent Security Act that was passed in 2021. It provides protections for surrogates while laying out a straightforward path to establish parentage.

Is It Hard to Find a Surrogate in New York?

No, it’s not hard to find a surrogate in New York. Our marketing reach, carefully managed lists and screening process mean you’ll find a surrogate match in an average of just 1 - 6 months.

How Do I Find a Surrogate Near Me?

If your goal is to find a surrogate near you in New York, we have plenty of surrogate profiles we can show you.

Keep in mind that your preferences can directly impact how long you’ll wait to find a surrogate match. Being open to out-of-state surrogates can lead to faster wait times.

Can I Find a Surrogate Online?

Yes, you can find a surrogate online, but it comes with risks. You don’t know if the surrogate is being upfront about their situation and there’s even the potential of fraud, all of which can result in longer wait times to become a parent.

Not only do we make the process to find a surrogate faster than any other agency, we find the highest quality surrogates to work with thanks to our screening process.

Is Surrogacy Covered by Insurance in New York?

Surrogacy insurance is required by state law. However, whether surrogacy is covered or not depends on the details of your plan and your surrogate's plan. You may need a supplemental policy for full coverage.

What Is the Best Place to Find a Surrogate?

The best place to find a surrogate is with American Surrogacy. As a full-service, national surrogacy agency, we work with surrogates across the country and have all the services you need to complete your journey.

How Do I Find a Surrogate Mother for Free?

Although you can find your own surrogate for free by searching online or networking with family or friends, be careful. Without the support of a professional, your journey could be harder, riskier or slower.

Our pre-screening process and short wait times offer you the quickest path to parenthood.

Can I Choose My Surrogate?

Yes! Our surrogate matching services are designed to empower you to choose someone who aligns with your preferences, personality, and values.

Can I Find a Surrogate Mother for a Gay Couple?

Yes, you can find a surrogate for a gay couple. We work with plenty of surrogates who would be happy to carry for you and can find the perfect match to meet your preferences. 

Ready to Speak with a Specialist?