In many Lucknow homes, surrogacy is not a decision the couple takes alone. Parents, and sometimes elder brothers or sisters, want to know what it involves, what it costs and whether it is allowed. We wrote this page so you can hand it to them.
Surrogacy in India is now altruistic only. Under the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, nobody may pay a woman to carry a child. Every rupee listed below goes to medical care, insurance or legal paperwork.
Our clinic is in Delhi, about 500 km from Lucknow. A Lucknow couple pays the same package price as a couple living a few streets away from us. The difference is travel: usually 3 to 5 trips by Shatabdi, Tejas or a one-hour flight, and 2 to 4 nights in Delhi in total.
What the surrogacy package covers for a Lucknow couple
₹4–5 lakhSurrogacy treatment package
- Consultations and treatment planning
- IVF to create embryos (stimulation, egg collection, lab work)
- Embryo freezing
- Embryo transfer to the surrogate
- Surrogate medical screening
Treat this as the starting figure. The final amount depends on the patient's condition: egg reserve, for example, or how many transfers are needed. You see it on paper before the first injection.
Costs that appear only if your reports call for them
Most of these lines show up, or do not, once test results are in. Lucknow couples can do many of those tests at an NABL-accredited lab at home first, so the doctor can flag likely extras early.
| Additional IVF cycle | ₹1,50,000 – ₹2,00,000 |
| Additional embryo transfer (up to 3 attempts allowed) | ₹50,000 – ₹1,00,000 |
| Donor eggs (when medically certified) | ₹1,50,000 – ₹2,50,000 |
| Donor sperm (when medically certified) | ₹25,000 – ₹65,000 |
| Genetic testing of embryos (PGT) | ₹20,000 – ₹50,000 |
| Caesarean delivery | ₹1,50,000 – ₹2,00,000 |
| Twin pregnancy and delivery | ₹1,00,000 – ₹2,00,000 |
| Additional legal work | ₹50,000 – ₹1,00,000 |
| Tests and scans before and during treatment | ₹47,700 – ₹95,000 |
Legal-process costs every altruistic surrogacy carries
These lines are the same for every couple under the 2021 Act. They pay for the surrogate's pregnancy care and cover, the certificates and the court order, never for the surrogacy itself.
| Pregnancy care of the surrogate | ₹4,00,000 – ₹4,50,000 |
| Delivery (normal) | ₹1,50,000 – ₹2,00,000 |
| Insurance for the surrogate, 36 months | ₹65,000 – ₹1,45,000 |
| Medical board and authority certificates | ₹60,000 – ₹95,000 |
| Legal documents and parentage order | ₹1,60,000 – ₹3,20,000 |
| Case coordination | ₹1,30,000 – ₹3,15,000 |
| Package plus these costs | ₹13.65–20.25 lakh |
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Figures as of 27 October 2026. The surrogate receives only medical and prescribed expenses and insurance, as the Surrogacy Act requires.
Real surrogacy journeys you can share at home
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Shalini and Deepak travelled from Kolkata to Delhi for treatment. One coordinator kept a single checklist for their travel, certificates, IVF and delivery, so they always knew the next step.
Shalini and Deepak, Kolkata, treated in Delhi
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Gurpreet and Mandeep came to Delhi from Chandigarh. They wanted a team that understood the Surrogacy Act, and careful screening of the surrogate and a complete legal file mattered most to them.
Gurpreet and Mandeep, Chandigarh, treated in Delhi
Shared with the families' consent; summaries written by our team. Every case is different, and results vary.
Explaining surrogacy to your family
Elders usually ask four things, and each has a short, honest answer. Sharing these early saves weeks of back-and-forth before you book a first trip.
- Is it legal? Yes, when it is altruistic. Commercial surrogacy is a criminal offence under the 2021 Act.
- Who carries the baby? A willing, ever-married woman aged 25 to 35 who already has a child of her own. She can do this only once in her life and need not be a relative.
- Whose child is it? Yours. She is not genetically related to the baby and cannot give her own eggs. Legally, a Magistrate's court order names you as parents and gives you custody.
- What do we give her? Only what the law lists: her hospital and medical costs, prescribed expenses such as lost earnings, and insurance cover for 36 months. Anything beyond that is illegal.
The full rules are on our surrogacy law page, which some families find useful to read together.
Planning the Lucknow to Delhi journeys
Pick the mode that suits your budget and your leave. The Shatabdi and Tejas Express take about 6 to 7 hours, and a flight takes around an hour.
Overnight trains also work well for appointment days. You board in the evening, reach Delhi in the morning and keep the day free for the clinic. For egg collection, plan to stay at least one night; the wife needs the rest of that day to recover.
Book the egg collection and embryo transfer trips once the doctor gives you dates. Review visits are easier to move if a ticket is not available.
A timeline your family can follow
Surrogacy runs over many months, and elders may feel easier once they see the order of events. Each stage below has its own cost line on this page.
- Eligibility and tests. Reports from a Lucknow lab, a first consultation in Delhi, and a written estimate.
- Certificates. The medical board and appropriate authority steps, filed by your advocate.
- IVF to create embryos. Stimulation, egg collection in Delhi, and embryo freezing.
- Transfer of an embryo to the surrogate. Up to three attempts are allowed with the same surrogate.
- Pregnancy care and delivery. Covered by the legal-process lines, along with her insurance.
- Parentage order. A Magistrate's court records you as the child's parents.
Sharing this list at home helps everyone see where the money goes and when each payment falls due.
Tests you can finish in Lucknow
You do not need to come to Delhi for routine blood work. Hormone tests, AMH, semen analysis and some scans can be done at an NABL-accredited lab in Lucknow.
Send the reports on WhatsApp and Dr. Sunita Singh Rathore reviews them. This keeps Delhi trips for the steps that need the clinic itself.
Where the certificates fit in
Paperwork runs alongside the medical plan, and its cost sits in the legal-process table above. The medical need is certified by a District Medical Board, in whichever state you live or work. The appropriate authority over that board then issues the essentiality certificate.
For most Lucknow couples that means Uttar Pradesh, but your advocate confirms which board and handles the filing. Each certificate stays valid for one year, so line the application up with your treatment plan. Our process and certificates guide lists each step in order.
What low cost surrogacy should and should not mean
A lower figure is fine when it comes from fewer extras, not from skipped safeguards. The surrogate's insurance, the certificates and the court order are not optional, whatever the clinic.
IVF surrogacy, where embryos made from your eggs and sperm are transferred to the surrogate, is the only form the law allows. Before comparing any quote, check that you qualify on the eligibility page: wife 23 to 50, husband 26 to 55, legally married, with a medical need certified by the board.