Services

Advice before you commit, status while you wait, and the protection that does not depend on commencement.

Position stated as at 31 July 2026. The principal surrogacy provisions of the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024 were not commenced at that date. Commencement changes this position materially and can happen at short notice — confirm the current status before acting on anything here.

Four Instructions

1. Advice Before Commitment

What a route means under Irish law, what will be recognised here, and which early decisions are difficult to unwind.

2. Agreements & Advice

For one side only, with the surrogate separately advised by her own solicitor. Never both sides.

3. Parentage & Status

Declarations of parentage, guardianship, birth registration — and parental orders once Part 12 commences.

4. Protection Meanwhile

Wills that deal with the gap explicitly, consents, authorities and documentation. None of it waits for the Act.

This is a legal practice and nothing else. No matching, no introductions, no recruitment, no advertising on anyone’s behalf, no clinic or agency recommendations, no referral fees taken or paid, and no part in arranging any payment beyond the firm’s own fees.

Where the Questions Arise

Surrogacy Law in Ireland

The hub: what applies today, what the Act will change, and the gap between them.

The 2024 Act & Commencement

What is in force, what is not, the AHRRA, and the amending Bill.

International Surrogacy

Two jurisdictions, two sets of lawyers, and what a foreign birth certificate does not achieve here.

Domestic Surrogacy

Altruistic only, unenforceable agreements, and why domestic arrangements are rare.

Parental Orders & Declarations

What exists now, and what Part 12 will provide when commenced.

Guardianship

The current route for the second parent - what it gives, and what it does not.

Citizenship, Passports & Travel

Documentation, emergency travel certificates, and the weeks abroad nobody plans for.

Birth Registration

Why the woman who gives birth is the legal mother here, whatever the paperwork says.

Agreements & Independent Advice

Not enforceable here, still worth doing properly, and never with one solicitor advising both sides.

Donor Conception & DAHR

Donor-conceived children, registers, parentage under the 2015 Act, and the remaining gaps.

Same-Sex Couples

Where the parentage gap bites hardest, and what can be secured now.

Wills & Inheritance

The succession consequences of the gap - and the planning that does not wait for commencement.

Two Free Tools

The Surrogacy Route Check is for people considering surrogacy: what each route means under Irish law as it stands, and what changes on commencement. The Legal Parentage Checker is for families whose child is already born: who is a legal parent today, what is available now, and what to put in place meanwhile. Both run entirely on your device — nothing is stored or sent.

Which Instruction Fits?

Whether the child is born, whether there is a genetic link, which country, and what documents exist. Those four answers shape everything - and the first conversation establishes where you actually stand.

Call 01 5827148

Services - FAQs

Four, broadly. ADVICE BEFORE COMMITMENT: what a proposed route means under Irish law, what will and will not be recognised here, and which early decisions are hard to unwind - taken before money, clinics or agreements are committed to. AGREEMENTS AND INDEPENDENT ADVICE: drafting or advising on a surrogacy agreement for one side only, with the surrogate separately and independently advised by her own solicitor. PARENTAGE AND STATUS APPLICATIONS: declarations of parentage, guardianship applications, birth registration questions, and parental order applications when Part 12 is commenced. PROTECTION WHILE THE GAP PERSISTS: wills drafted to deal with the parentage gap explicitly, consents and authorities for medical and school matters, and documentation of intention. The fourth is the one families most often arrive without and leave most relieved to have.

General information, not legal advice. This website contains general information about Irish law relating to surrogacy and assisted human reproduction. It is not legal advice and does not create a solicitor—client relationship. Every family’s position turns on its own facts, and advice on yours requires a consultation.

The law is changing and this page has a date. The position described across this site is stated as at 31 July 2026. The principal surrogacy provisions of the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024 were not commenced at that date. Commencement orders can be made at short notice and will alter this position materially. Confirm the current position before acting.

This is a legal practice, not an agency. Mary Molloy Solicitors provides legal advice and representation. It does not operate as a surrogacy agency, does not match, introduce or recruit surrogates or intending parents, does not advertise for or on behalf of any surrogate, does not recommend or receive any payment from any clinic, agency or intermediary, and takes no part in arranging or facilitating any payment beyond the provision of legal services. Nothing on this site is an offer or invitation to enter any commercial surrogacy arrangement.

Foreign law and medical matters. Where an arrangement involves another jurisdiction, the law of that jurisdiction applies to what happens there and independent legal advice must be taken locally — nothing here states or implies that any arrangement is lawful or unlawful in any other country. Nothing on this site is medical advice, and questions about treatment, suitability or risk are for your treating clinicians.

Fees. Fees are agreed in writing with the client at the outset. In contentious business, a solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage or proportion of any award or settlement.

Tax. Nothing on this website is tax advice. Where parentage affects succession, gift or inheritance treatment, those questions belong with your accountant or tax adviser and with Revenue’s own guidance, and should be addressed before any step is taken.