Surrogacy in Ukraine – Parents Guide Part 1 (Prenatal)

Dear Intended Parents,

You have now entered the most exciting stage of your surrogacy journey! We hope that we have delivered on our promise and done everything possible to provide you with all the necessary information and also guided you through the numerous stages with the honor and respect this incredible journey deserves. This guide has been written to give Intended Parents a detailed description on the process of bringing your baby/ies back home. The process will vary slightly from country to country; however, the guide is extremely informative and relevant for all Intended Parents.

Preparing for the trip to Kiev:

Cellular Device/Mobile Phone-

You can purchase a local SIM at the airport as soon as you arrive in Kiev. There are 2 major providers: Vodafone and KIEVSTAR. The cost of a SIM is approximately UAH150 (USD$5.60) depending on the plan. Free Wi-Fi is very common in public places. If you have purchased a local number, then we ask that you give this to your contact at Tammuz and also give this number to your attorney if you are in direct contact with them. Note: WhatsApp communication will remain with your home phone number. Do not switch countries when prompted!

Baby supplies-

• Infant car seat – recommended to bring from your home country for getting around in taxis if you don’t wish to rent a car.
• Stroller – recommended to bring from your home country.
• Bottles – at least four baby bottles.
• Baby bedding (not cradle size) and blankets.
• Baby laundry detergent – recommended to bring from your home country.
• Milk formula– bring from your home country, enough to last for 2-3 months.
• Diaper/nappy rash cream – recommended to bring from your home country.
• New-born diapers/nappies – recommended to bring four packs from your home country.
• Cradle/Cot/Crib – Bring a travel cot from your home country and/or a portable new-born bed that simply folds up.

Travel documents-

You must have the following documents:

• Copies of your passports including the marriage change of name page (the same passport with which your made registration on your previous visit to Kiev).
• Eight passport photos.
• The original surrogacy contract (before your trip, verify you have a signed digital copy of the contract).
• Original marriage certificate with Apostille Stamp (the document you presented on your first visit to Kiev).

Insurance for the baby –

David Shield www.davidshield.com

This insurance policy is valid for 24 hours on the day the baby is discharged from the hospital assuming/he/she/they are healthy.

Traveling to Kiev-

The recommended date to travel is from 36 weeks with a singleton pregnancy and from 32 weeks if your surrogate is carrying twins. We recommend that you constantly update Tammuz with your flight details, hotel, or other accommodation information and that if changes are made that you notify Tammuz immediately. As soon as you arrive in Ukraine, we will notify the team at the fertility clinic. We will also coordinate a meeting with your surrogate before she gives birth. Please bring a suitable gift for her. In addition, we can coordinate an appointment with the doctor at IVMED so you can ask any questions about the pregnancy and birth.

Useful Tips-

• Antoshka – baby products store.
• Lesi Ukrainky Blvd, 19/16, Kyiv, Ukraine, 01133 / +380442855625 https://goo.gl/maps/EBaPKTWiojP2.
• Russian website: http://antoshka.ua .
• Almost every purchase requires the credit card’s PIN to be entered.
• Credit cards are limited to spending UAH 2000 per day; hence, it is important to always carry some cash.
• Store for rental of equipment during your stay in Kiev. http://www.babyservice.ua/

Recommended supplies for your stay at the hospital-

• HAND SANITIZER
• Baby bonnet (2-4)
• Socks (4 pairs)
• Diapers/Nappys
• Changes of clothes (2 ZIP UP ONESIES)
• Wet wipes
• Q-tips (cotton)
• Baby soap
• Three cloth diapers
• Thermometer
• Baby cream/powder/oil
• Blanket
• Milk substitute
• Bottles
• Clothes for discharge from the hospital (warm clothing since it can get cold in Ukraine)
• Sterilization device for bottles
• It is recommended to get organized with comfortable clothes, hygiene products and towels to use while staying at the hospital

Surrogacy in Ukraine – Parents Guide Part 2 (Birth)

After months of anticipation, the moment of the birth has finally arrived. We hope that you have made all the necessary preparations as requested by the Tammuz team. The births are conducted in a public hospital. A clinic representative will update you with information regarding the birth as your surrogate approaches the 39^th week. The majority of births happen in the 39^th and 40^th weeks, however at times there may be complications and therefore a caesarean birth will be scheduled. Intended Parents should arrive at the hospital with all the suggested supplies for the baby. The baby is expected to remain in the hospital for approximately 3 days after the birth, the same time as the surrogate. Discharge of the baby is determined by the discharge of the surrogate from the hospital. After the birth, the baby is separated from the surrogate and transferred to the new-born nursery for initial tests. Once given the all clear the baby is then transferred to you.

Vaccines for the baby:

In the hospital, babies will receive a Vitamin K shot. It is then recommended by the doctors to give your baby additional vaccinations such as BCG and hepatitis B. You should notify the medical staff as soon as your baby is born whether you are interested in these vaccinations.

Issue of local birth certificate:

A local attorney of IVMED Clinic, is responsible for coordinating all the required paperwork and procedures connected with registering the baby at the local office of the registrar. They will facilitate this process until you have been issued with your baby’s birth certificate. They will endeavor to coordinate this meeting whilst you are staying at the hospital, assuming it does not fall on a weekend/public holiday or other local event in which the government offices are closed. Both Intended Parents must be present at the meeting in the local office (the baby is not required to attend). Here, you will be required to show your passports and your original marriage certificate with the official Apostille Stamp. As soon as the Government representative has sighted these documents, the birth certificate will be issued. Note: If your embassy requires an Apostille Stamp on the original birth certificate to grant citizenship, the process will take an additional three more business days. If your embassy requires an Apostille Stamp on the original birth certificate plus a translation of the original birth certificate with Apostille Stamp approval, the process will take an additional ten more business days and involves an additional cost.

Discharge of baby from hospital:

The Tammuz Guarantee Plan includes all costs related to the birth and hospital for a period of three days. It does not include:

• Additional medical procedures or treatment of the baby beyond three days.
• Additional room in the hospital for the Intended Parents (USD$100-200).
• Any unforeseen hospital visits during the pregnancy.
• Follow-up consultations with a paediatrician once discharged from the hospital.
• Monthly fee of USD$500 for unlimited treatment at an American Children’s Clinic (Dobrobut Clinic).

Once you are discharged from the hospital you can request a medical summary from the hospital and have this translated by a clinic representative (Anna) in to English. These details will then be referred to Dobrobut Clinic where an English-speaking pediatrician will come and visit you at the hotel. This is optional but highly recommended as Intended Parents can spend up to 8 weeks in Kiev before being issued with a passport.

Note: Please ensure you keep all receipts for any out of pocket expenses related to the birth. Tammuz will also keep all receipts for payments made through the company and then provide you with a copy.

Surrogacy in Ukraine: Parents Guide Part 3 (Legal Proceedings)

For Australian Intended Parents:

Intended Parents must apply for Australian Citizenship by descent for their baby before they can apply for a passport. Please register an account here: https://online.immi.gov.au/lusc/register

In order to have more information on birth, adoption, and surrogacy please follow the link of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade:

Australia’s High Commission in London is responsible for all immigration matters, including citizenship, queries. We would encourage you to contact the High Commission in London to discuss what is required to obtain Australian citizenship in surrogacy cases. Their contact details can be found here:http://uk.embassy.gov.au/lhlh/Visas_and_Migration.html You can apply for a passport once the citizenship certificate is issued.

As soon as  you receive  original Australian Citizenship Certificates or once the Australian Embassy in Kyiv and the Australian Embassy in Warsaw receives a scanned copy of the Australian Citizenship Certificates from the Department of Home Affairs official,  please email the Australian Embassy in Kyiv Consular.Kyiv@dfat.gov.au for making an appointment for a passport interview. The Australian Embassy in Kyiv does not hold any pre-passport interviews.

Please check whether you have all the documents ready to apply for passport. We strongly recommend to double check all the documents, signatures, and contact details.

Please do not copy any PC8 forms from any one – every PC8 has its unique bar code, please fill out and print your PC8 form from:

Please see below the list of the original supporting documents which you must present at the passport interview:

• Completed (at https://www.passports.gov.au) and printed out Application form (PC8) with Page 83F completed by a Guarantor (no changes can be done on this page except by the Guarantor); with Page 84F completed and signed by both parents in presence of their witnesses (someone who is not related to the child by birth or marriage) and it might be the same witness for mother and father if he/she knows both parents.
• Original Ukrainian Birth Certificate + translated into English and notarized one.
• Completed B4 form – Child born through surrogacy (in Sections 3 (biological parent) and your Australian address must be completed).
• Completed B5 form – Consent of a surrogate mother (surrogate’s full home address and her actual mobile phone number must be completed there).
• Original Surrogacy Agreement (+ translated and notarised one).
• Original document that confirms the residential address (driver licence or paid bills) that is mentioned in the Application Form; it must be your Australian address.
• 4 passport photos (made at the professional photo studio on shiny, not grainy, paper with light background, without any post-capture alterations like Photoshop); one photo endorsed by a guarantor by writing “this is a true photo of…..” put child’s name and signature of a guarantor (check the requirements at  https://www.passports.gov.au).
• Valid passports of a child’s parents (we will make copies of the ID page where their photos and signatures can be sighted).
• A valid credit card.

Please note:

• All the information in the application form must be written in BLACK INK PEN.
• All the original signatures in the forms MUST BE WITHIN THE WHITE BOX, not to cross the lines.
• In the guarantor section (Page 83F) a guarantor’s BUSINESS ADDRESS should be filled out (not home address).
• A RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS of a child that is mentioned in the application form must be the same as of at least one of the parents and must be confirmed by the relevant document.
• Page 85F of the application form must be left empty till you come to the Embassy for an interview (don’t put any signatures or dates there and don’t glue any photos).
• Both parents should attend the passport interview.
• It might take up to several weeks to get an Emergency passport for your child, so you should not confirm any travel plans until you have finalized citizenship and passport processes. Should unforeseen legal complications arise, this time period could be considerably prolonged.
• There is no Priority Processing available in Ukraine.

Ukraine does not allow for passports to be sent/mailed/couriered to/from abroad. Thus, to expedite passport issuing process, you may do the following:

• Arrange a courier on your expense to deliver the Application Form and the copies of the original documents accepted and certified by the Passport Officer to the Australian Embassy in Kyiv.
• To travel to Warsaw and pick up Emergency passport for your baby in person once it is issued (alternatively, you can consider authorising a third person to pick up the passport on your behalf in case you can’t go to Warsaw yourself; in such case a B11 form needs to be completed providing authorisation and a copy of an authorised person’s passport must be added).
• After the passport interview at the Embassy in Kyiv, one of the parents can travel to Warsaw to lodge the application and wait in Warsaw until the passport is issued. Collect it and return to Ukraine. Please note you will need a multiple entry Ukrainian visa for this.

We also recommend you read the official advice on travel to Ukraine as well as register at Smartraveller:

For Israeli Intended Parents:

As soon as you have been discharged from the hospital, we recommend that you start all legal proceedings with regards to applying for Israeli citizenship and a passport. You are required to organise an appointment with the embassy where both you and your surrogate will attend. To coordinate a meeting at the embassy, email to CONSUL@kiev.mfa.gov.il.

For further details if needed: Etti Binyamin, Consul, Moblie: 00-380-50-4199444

To whom this may concern,

On (Insert Date), our son/daughter was born via surrogacy in Kiev, Ukraine. We would like to schedule an appointment with you for the purpose of sending a DNA sample back to Israel to establish paternity of our child and subsequently be issued with a passport so we can travel home ASAP. For this meeting could you please confirm the following:

• Date and time of meeting
• That a courier will be coordinated by the embassy to collect the DNA samples from the embassy in Kiev and that the same courier will be responsible for delivering these samples to the consulate in Israel.
• That you will ensure that my partner, the surrogate, myself and any other person accompanying us (representative from the clinic) will have pre-approval to enter the embassy.

____________________________________________________________________

Please avoid feeding your baby ½ an hour before your meeting. Both parents, the surrogate and a representative from the hospital/clinic need to be with you at the meeting.

You will need to bring the following documents to the interview at the embassy:

• Photocopy of your passports and the ID card of the surrogate.
• Local birth certificate of the baby approved with an Apostille Stamp.
• Translation of the birth certificate approved with an Apostille Stamp.
• Confirmation of birth from the hospital on which the midwife is indicated.
• Waiver of paternity papers signed by the surrogate before the consul (two copies in Hebrew and Ukrainian) – the Israeli attorney shall be in charge of delivery these to the local attorney.
• Identification of the surrogate.
• Four 5 x 5cm passport photos of the parents and the baby; there is a photographer in the embassy building.

In the meeting, the following two actions shall be performed:

• The surrogate shall sign the declaration.
• A DNA sample shall be taken from the baby (by cheek swab) and sent to Israel (your attorney in Israel shall be in charge of sending kits to the embassy); the embassy shall be in charge of coordinating the courier; payment shall be made directly by you in cash, in local currency.

Our estimate for the total cost of the procedure at the embassy is approximately USD$200.

At the end of the meeting, please ensure that all of the original documents are in your possession, including a copy of the bill for DNA shipment in order to track it and notify the Israeli attorney. The approximate delivery time of the test to Tel-Hashomer Hospital is usually 5-7 days, and another 10 days until tissue test results are received. Immediately upon receiving the laboratory opinion, the Israeli attorney shall send a courier to the court to deliver the envelope, which only the judge is authorized to open. The judge usually requests the response of the attorney’s office, and this could extend the procedure by another three days. Upon receiving the judge’s decision, the material shall be transferred by the attorney to the Ministry of the Interior, and from there to the Foreign Ministry. Only then will an email be sent to the embassy, approving the issue of a passport for the baby. From our experience, we estimate that the period of time, from the moment of sending the sample until approval of the passport, shall be at least two weeks. At the end of the meeting at the embassy, it is customary for the parents to give the surrogate a tip. The sum of the tip is of course at your discretion. This is actually the moment where you will say goodbye to your surrogate.

After receiving confirmation of fatherhood from Israel, and approval for the passport/s to be issued, you must notify the embassy of your intention to arrive the following day, early in the morning, to collect them. At this meeting you are required to bring your passport and a passport photo of the baby (please ensure the baby’s eyes are open and he/she is wearing a white shirt).

Upon leaving the embassy, make sure you are in possession of:

• Baby’s passport.
• Confirmation of birth of Israeli citizen abroad.
• Baby’s original birth certificate.
• Waiver of rights signed by the surrogate – original in Hebrew or Ukrainian.
• Documents required for the airport in Kiev before you board the plane.
• Confirmation of genetic relationship with the baby.

Congratulations! You’ve completed the process of returning home. We wish you a pleasant flight and don’t forget to let us know as soon as you arrive home!