The Cove state guide
Statutory frameworkConnecticut has a detailed legal framework for gestational surrogacy. A qualifying agreement establishes the intended parents' rights at birth, with a court judgment available to confirm parentage.
See the rules for your familyYour family. Your legal pathway.
Start with your situation, then read the conditions. A route can depend on marriage, a genetic connection, residence, and how the court establishes each parent’s rights. More than one row may apply to your family.
A single intended parent can use Connecticut’s statutory gestational-surrogacy route without providing an egg or sperm. The intended parent must be at least 21, complete a mental-health evaluation, and have independent legal representation. A compliant agreement and the required Connecticut connection remain necessary.
Sources 1Connecticut expressly includes unmarried intended parents. Two partners can be named as intended parents in the agreement and parentage judgment without marrying or both having a genetic connection. Each must meet the individual eligibility requirements and accept parental and financial responsibility for the resulting child.
Sources 1Two men can be intended parents under the same statutory agreement and judgment process, whether married or unmarried. Connecticut does not require a genetic connection from either intended parent, so an egg donor or donated embryo does not itself prevent recognition. Both parents must meet the agreement’s eligibility requirements.
Sources 1Two women using a separate gestational carrier can both be intended parents, including when only one or neither provides the egg. Each intended parent belongs in the agreement and judgment. If one partner will carry the pregnancy herself, the applicable assisted-reproduction rules differ from this surrogacy route.
Sources 1Parents living abroad can meet the state connection through a Connecticut-resident surrogate; at least one agreement party must reside in Connecticut. The cited eligibility provisions do not impose an intended-parent citizenship requirement. A Connecticut judgment addresses parentage, while citizenship, passports, travel permission, and recognition at home require separate advice.
Sources 1How to read these answers: “Recognized route” means the cited law or legal practice provides a pathway for that family situation. “Conditions apply” flags an additional eligibility or parentage issue. “Case-specific” means the answer depends on the facts or court practice. “Significant restriction” points to a legal obstacle explained in the answer.
These categories describe legal pathways, not a clinic’s medical criteria or a guaranteed outcome. For transgender or nonbinary parents, counsel should also examine any sex-specific wording and how the planned use of eggs, sperm, or embryos affects the route.
State law provides a gestational surrogacy framework. Eligibility, agreements, payments, and court requirements still differ.
This guide covers gestational surrogacy, where the surrogate does not provide the egg. Traditional surrogacy follows different rules. A state’s category does not determine whether your particular arrangement qualifies.
Marriage is not an eligibility requirement: the Act defines an intended parent to include married and unmarried people. If an intended parent is married, their spouse must also be an intended parent and sign the agreement, unless the spouses are legally separated.
Section 46b-522 expressly permits intended parents without a genetic relationship to the child. Donor eggs, donor sperm, or donated embryos can therefore fit the gestational framework. The carrier’s own egg changes the legal category and requires analysis of Connecticut’s separate genetic-surrogacy provisions.
At least one party must be a Connecticut resident when entering the agreement. The requirement can be met by the carrier rather than the intended parents, but selecting a Connecticut clinic alone does not replace that statutory residence requirement. Resolve court jurisdiction and birth-record arrangements before treatment.
The agreement must be signed before surrogacy treatment, apart from the required evaluations. Independent legal representation, required signatures and at least one Connecticut resident are among the statutory conditions.
After everyone signs the agreement, a party may seek a judgment under §46b-531. The lawyers certify statutory compliance and the parties confirm voluntary consent. A judgment may issue before birth, but its parentage provisions take effect at birth and can direct the birth certificate.
Reasonable compensation and expenses may be included. Agreed compensation must be placed in escrow before medical procedures other than the required evaluations.
A state’s parentage process and your home country’s recognition of that parentage are separate questions. Before matching, have counsel in both countries confirm the legal route, the child’s citizenship and passport requirements, and the documents needed to return home.
Plan who will obtain certified court orders and birth certificates, whether translations or authentication are needed, and how much time to allow after birth. A favorable state-law answer does not settle immigration or travel requirements.
International parentage recognition: HCCH (opens in a new tab)Learn how Cove helps intended parents explore their options and keep the journey organized.
Explore Cove for parentsSources checked October 13, 2026. Check the source’s effective date as well as its publication date.
General information, not legal advice. Laws and court practices can change. A reproductive-law attorney should confirm the rules for your circumstances before you sign an agreement or begin treatment.
