Couples looking to have children often turn to surrogacy agencies in Georgia without understanding the hidden costs

Three years ago, Olga, 40, and Daniel (both names changed to protect the their identities) from Hamburg decided to employ the services of a surrogate mother. But surrogacy is illegal in Germany, and people whose children are born through surrogacy must pursue the legal recognition of their parenthood in German courts. Olga is a German citizen, but was born and raised in Russia . That's why the couple wanted to learn more about the surrogacy market in Russia. But foreign customers have been banned from signing Russian surrogacy contracts since 2022. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine , many international agencies that liaise between surrogates and intended parents moved to Georgia . So, Olga and Daniel traveled there.