There is a special type of exhaustion involved with designing an international surrogacy journey. You are already grappling with the heavy burden of fertility struggles – but on top of that, there’s the visa research, there is flight timing, there are “well if it takes five trips until we have a living baby” conversations. During work with OCI cardholders in both IVF and surrogacy within India at Ekmi Fertility, the very first thing we tell every family is this: you never have to solve all the logistical complication by yourself. Let’s walk through what this journey actually looks like on the ground.
The OCI Advantage – And Its Limits
It is a much easier process for OCI cardholders than many international intended parents. No visa required. No 180-day restriction. That can mean everything during the course of a surrogacy journey where timelines move.
That, however, doesn’t make everything smooth as an OCI cardholder:
- However, that does not mean you can assume that you are eligible without first understanding current surrogacy laws.
- Your legal status for surrogacy is different to your entry status, i.e. immigration and medical-legal.
- As an OCI cardholder, you can also receive IVF treatment however, the right to surrogate requires separate legal verification
Get clarity on the medical-legal piece first. Everything else – flights, stays, timing – can be planned once that foundation is solid.
How Many Trips Will You Need?
This particular portion is what everyone asks you. To be honest, this largely depends on your treatment journey; however, here is a reality structure:
1.Trip 1 – Consultation and Evaluation- Meet your fertility specialist and surrogacy doctor
- Thorough medical investigations on both partners
- Start the legal process and match with a surrogate mother
2. Trip 2 – Egg Retrieval / Embryo Creation (if applicable)
- Other OCI families do this completely virtually, with frozen sperm – cutting down on trips.
- Otherwise, this visit usually takes 7-12 days
3. Trip 3 – Transfer Monitoring & Legal Milestones
- This might be combined with Trip 2, depending on your surrogacy packages.
4. Trip 4 – Documentation of Birth & Exit
- The most important visit. Prepare for anywhere from 4-8 weeks depending on the timing of onboarding paperwork.
Practical Things Nobody Tells You
- Stay close to your clinic – In metro hubs like Delhi, Mumbai and others serviced apartments are used only by fertility patients. Ask your clinic for referrals.
- Build buffer time into flights – Depending on the cycle of your surrogate mother, you will only be able to undergo an embryo transfer 24-48 hours after egg retrieval. Flexible tickets are worth it.
- Carry hard copies of everything – OCI card, medical records, legal agreements. Digital backups are helpful, but original documentation is key here.
- Brutal when your time zones aren’t aligned for communication – Designate a primary contact at your clinic for communication and set expectations around response windows.
Ekmi Fertility: What do we handle for you?
Prices for IVF – and surrogacy in particular – are already much cheaper in India than Western countries – and at one of the best surrogacy clinics in the country, Ekmi Fertility provides an affordable surrogacy model that includes coordination support which most clinics charge extra for. From connecting you to your surrogacy doctor before you even touch the ground, to guiding exit documentation after birth – we are in it with you.
We created our guaranteed surrogacy program for families who have the time, financial resources and emotional reservoir to leave nothing unplanned.
FAQs
Q. Does an OCI holder needs a medical visa for the IVF treatment in India?
The answer is no. OCI card holders can enter without a visa, and therefore, they also make IVF treatment without other formalities for a medical visa.
Q. Is it possible for the surrogate mother to travel to the intended parents?
In general, the communication is moderated via the clinic. Therein lies the gap between establishing this relationship, and where one ends, the other begins – your surrogacy doctor will operate within these legal and ethical boundaries.
Q. Within how long of our giving birth before we can set off home with the baby?
Around 4-8 weeks depending on the citizenship papers for the baby and exit permits. Your fertility specialist and legal team will help with the process.
Q. Is legal assistance included in the price of surrogacy for (OCI) families?
At Ekmi Fertility, yes. Now, as always, our surrogacy packages include legal coordination as part of the overall program – not a side order.
For a Free Consultation, call us at +91 9319737070 or email us at info@ekmifertility.com.