Europe Is Closing Doors on Surrogacy. Colombia Is Moving in the Opposite Direction.
For years, Europe has struggled to reach a consensus on surrogacy.
Some countries prohibit it entirely. Others allow only highly restricted altruistic arrangements. A few have spent the last decade tightening regulations even further. What we are seeing in 2026 is not a temporary political debate. It is a broader shift in how several European governments view cross-border family building.
Nowhere is this more visible than in Italy.
Following the adoption of legislation that treats international surrogacy as a criminal offense for Italian citizens regardless of where the arrangement takes place, Italy has become one of the most restrictive countries in the Western world for intended parents considering surrogacy. For many families, the message from Rome is clear: even if surrogacy is legal in another country, that may not protect you from legal consequences at home.
At roughly the same time, Spain has intensified efforts to limit access to international surrogacy advertising. Spanish authorities have moved against overseas surrogacy websites targeting Spanish residents, particularly those promoting programs in Latin America. The objective is not to regulate Colombia itself. Rather, it is to make it more difficult for Spanish citizens to discover and access international surrogacy options online.
Taken together, these developments reveal a growing reality.
Europe is not becoming more open to surrogacy.
It is becoming more restrictive.
Yet demand has not disappeared.
In fact, demand may be stronger than ever.
Every month, intended parents across Europe continue searching for answers. Couples facing infertility. Single men hoping to become fathers. LGBTQ+ families exploring options that may not exist in their home countries. Many are financially capable of pursuing treatment but find themselves trapped by domestic regulations that offer no practical pathway forward.
When legal doors close, people do not stop wanting families.
They start looking elsewhere.
This helps explain why Colombia has attracted increasing international attention over the past several years.
Unlike many European jurisdictions, Colombia has not enacted a national law prohibiting foreign intended parents from pursuing surrogacy. While legal procedures continue to evolve through court decisions and ongoing legislative discussions, Colombia remains one of the few international destinations where intended parents from around the world continue to build families through established medical and legal pathways.
From an industry perspective, this contrast is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
While some governments focus on restricting access, Colombia’s reproductive medicine sector continues to serve a growing international patient population. Fertility clinics work with patients from North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. International embryo transportation has become routine. Cross-border reproductive care is no longer an exception—it has become a normal part of modern fertility treatment.
One of the biggest trends we are seeing is the globalization of embryo transportation.
Many intended parents now complete IVF treatment in their home country, create and freeze embryos locally, and later transport those embryos to another jurisdiction for surrogacy. This approach allows families to retain the fertility clinic they trust while accessing a surrogacy pathway that may not be available where they live.
A family may create embryos in London.
Store them in Toronto.
Transport them through an international cryogenic shipping network.
And ultimately complete a surrogacy journey in Bogotá.
Ten years ago, that process would have seemed extraordinary.
Today, it happens every week.
What matters most, however, is not secrecy.
It is compliance.
As governments increase scrutiny of international surrogacy arrangements, intended parents need legal clarity, documented parentage procedures, properly coordinated birth registration, and carefully planned citizenship pathways. The most successful journeys are rarely the ones that try to avoid the legal process. They are the ones that navigate it correctly from the beginning.
At Canbaby Surrogacy, we assist intended parents throughout every stage of that journey. Our services include international embryo transportation coordination, surrogate matching, legal process planning, birth registration support, parentage procedures, and post-birth documentation management. We work with experienced professionals to help families move through increasingly complex international regulations while maintaining transparency and compliance.
The headlines coming out of Europe tell one story.
Demand for family building tells another.
Despite growing restrictions in countries such as Italy and increasing regulatory pressure in countries such as Spain, intended parents continue to pursue international solutions. The desire to build a family does not disappear because a government changes its policy.
It simply changes where people look.
And in 2026, more and more intended parents are looking toward Colombia.
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