YOUR MAIN QUESTIONS
(and our answers)
We spoke with many couples, who, like us (and you), asked themselves the same questions when starting the adventure (and after).
We have decided to group them together to help you see more clearly.
Before birth
> How to choose your agency?
Beyond the financial considerations (because the rates are similar in the main Canadian agencies) the choice of the agency is a question of philosophy and feeling. Basically the choice comes down to this : a large agency (with well-established processes and volume-related experience) or a smaller agency, with more personalized service and generally faster deadlines (but with a more "artisanal" operation). We have chosen a smaller agency, on a more human scale (Proud Fertility) and we do not regret it
Consult the list of the main agencies HERE
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> How to choose the right clinic ?
Of course, you have to take into account prices, reputation and even the experience of working with international couples. But there are other considerations, such as geography. It may indeed be a good idea to choose a clinic based on the location of the donor and the carrier. Some donors or carriers may be reluctant to cross Canada from west to east to get to the clinic. And that can also have an impact on the cost (because it is the intended parents - or intentioned parents - who pay the travel costs). There is no rule or systematism, but it's a tip to keep in mind !
Be careful, also ask the clinics what their sperm conservation policy is. Some clinics apply a " sperm quarantine »3 months or 6 months (to avoid the risk of infection). That is, they keep the sperm in quarantine and they wait this delay before fertilizing with oocytes to make embryos. This is an information to take into account because it can delay the whole process, depending on when the donation is made. !
More details on how we selected our clinic by clicking here
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> What is the waiting time to find a surrogate mother ?
It depends on several factors, such as the time of year, whether you already have embryos, your selection criteria, and of course your agency. The deadlines are different according to the agencies because they have more or less surrogate mothers available.
In our case, we waited three months to "match" (this was the third profile that our agency offered us - we had not chosen the first, and the second chose another couple).
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> What is the average time for the entire route ?
This is a question we are often asked ! That may vary, we spoke to couples who took 11 months for the fastest ! And that can go up to more than three years.
The average is around a year and a half !
In our case, it took two years between the time we started researching the subject in Canada and the birth of our son :)
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> Should you take out insurance health for the unborn baby?
The question must arise in a country where the costs of hospitalization of a newborn baby can sometimes be billed to parents when they do not benefit from Canadian health insurance (which is the case for foreigners). These fees are not necessarily invoiced but they can go up to 10 000 Canadian dollars / day and there are examples of parents who have had to face exorbitant costs, in particular in the event of premature birth (increased risk in the event of twin pregnancy).
One of the only companies to offering insurance is Allianz Worldwide Care.
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> How many trips there ?
At least two : one for the sperm donation, the other for the birth. No other obligatory trip, it is according to the possibilities according to the people. In our case, we were lucky enough to be able to return there at the time of the 20-week ultrasound (with discovery of the sex of the baby !)
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> What is the legal process ?
You're going to need a lawyer, maybe two. You must first establish a contract with the donor, then a contract with the surrogate mother. Then at the time of birth, the legal procedures must be carried out by a lawyer from the province of birth (who can therefore be the same lawyer ... or not !).
We worked with Sean Zaboroski for contracts (he is with Canadian Fertility Lawyers in Toronto) and Ellen Embury for post-birth procedures (she is with Dunphy Best Blocksom LLP in Calgary).
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> How much does it cost ?
The agencies estimate the total adventure between 70,000 and 100,000 euros. It is on average a third less than in the United States, which can be a shocking argument. Costs vary depending on costs reimbursed to the donor and the carrier, the choice of clinic, the success - or not - of the first insemination and of course the course pregnancy (because the costs associated with a surrogate mother's stay / bed rest are of course higher than during a pregnancy without any particular event).
As far as we are concerned, the Canadian adventure cost us 74 000 euros (without travel on site) when we had budgeted 90 000 euros.
> How to transfer money in Canada ?
The most obvious solution is to use your bank. This is what we did at the beginning but the costs are significant and we were faced with a transfer blocking (because one of the headings mentioned the word " surrogacy Which means surrogacy and which is illegal in France.)
Since then, we have been using Transferwise, a very easy-to-use money transfer site with very low costs and very honest exchange rates.
Use our referral code to register, it saves you the fees on your first transfer, and in complete transparency, it also allows us to earn a little, so everyone is happy 😉!
Transferwise referral code (copy and paste into your browser): https://transferwise.com/invite/is/sebastient34
If you are already registered, you can still benefit from a free transfer by entering this link in your account (from a computer)
After birth
> Who to write on the Canadian birth certificate ?
One father or two fathers ? It all depends on the province in which your surrogate is located. For example, some provinces do not allow two fathers to appear on the birth certificate (even though surrogacy is completely legal).
In the majority of provinces, however, it is possible, and there is nothing blocking the return to France to register two fathers. In the current state of French law, it is indeed possible to request a partial transcription of the Canadian birth certificate from the French embassy or consulate in Canada. The state therefore issues you a French birth certificate with the name of only one father (even if there are two on the Canadian birth certificate), which we have done. The procedure for recognizing a foreign judgment also seems to work, so there is no blocking the registration of both parents.
> How long on site after birth ?
It all depends on the province and the current legal process, but on average, you have to stay three weeks, while the birth certificate is established so that you can then apply for and obtain your baby's Canadian passport (he will have the Canadian nationality because born on Canadian soil).
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> What is the first step to take when you return to France ?
From an administrative point of view, we have been making an acknowledgment of paternity at the town hall (well, only one of us of course). This was very helpful to us when requesting a partial transcription from the French consulate in Canada and for other procedures.
To protect the second dad who is not yet officially recognized in France while awaiting adoption by spouse, we have signed a will before a notary who designates our son as the universal legatee and the second father as legal guardian (who therefore protects his rights if the father recognized in France were to disappear ...).
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> How to obtain French papers for your child?
As soon as one of the two parents is French, their child must obtain French nationality. We obtained that of our son without even having received the transcription of his birth certificate in France (the Canadian birth certificate was sufficient in our case) and without too much difficulty, even if we had to be persistent and follow the folder to make sure it is not blocked. We got our son's identity card and French passport within a month.
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> How is it going for CAF la Sécu ?
No difficulty ! Our son was registered with these two organizations within a few weeks. From memory, there is no proof to send (apart from the Canadian birth certificate). You just have to make sure that CAF does not consider that it is not an adoption (because it is not one).