Applying for a Parentage Order in Queensland

After a baby is born through a Queensland surrogacy arrangement, a Parentage Order is required to transfer parentage from the surrogate and her partner to the intended parents. You can check out the Queensland government website for more information.

Sarah is the only lawyer in Australia practising exclusively in surrogacy and donor conception, or ‘family creation’ law. Sarah has been a surrogacy lawyer for many surrogacy arrangements in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Ipswich and North Lakes, Far North Queensland and across Queensland.

If you are new to surrogacy, you can read about how to find a surrogate, or how to become a surrogate yourself. You can also download the free Surrogacy Handbook which explains the processes and options.

If you are nearing the end of the surrogacy pregnancy, you will need to think about birth planning and hospital management of the surrogacy birth.

When the baby is born, the surrogate and her partner register the baby’s birth in the State where the baby is born. They can register the baby with a name chosen by the intended parents.

The surrogate and her partner are listed as the baby’s parents on the birth certificate.

Once the birth certificate is issued, the intended parents must apply for a Parentage Order. They apply to the Children’s Court in Queensland. The purpose of a Parentage Order is to transfer parentage from the surrogate and her partner, to the intended parents. This has the effect of providing an Order that recognises the surrogacy arrangement, and who the true parents are. The Order also tells the Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages in the surrogate’s State, to re-issue the birth certificate with the parents listed, instead of the surrogate and her partner.

For the Children’s Court to grant a Parentage Order, the intended parents will need to provide evidence of the surrogacy arrangement, and that the surrogate and her partner have relinquished care of the baby to the parents. This is by way of Affidavits from each of the intended parents and the surrogate and her partner.

The Court will need to see evidence that the parties received legal advice and counselling prior to the pregnancy. Post-surrogacy counselling with an independent counsellor is also a requirement of the Parentage Order.

You can start preparing for the Parentage Order application, even before the birth, by collecting some of the required documents.

If you live outside Queensland, you can refer to the legislation in the state where the intended parents live to understand the requirements that apply to you.

If you are interested in applying for the Parentage Order yourself, you might be interested in Sarah’s DIY Parentage Order Package. You can contact Sarah to discuss the options for applying for the Parentage Order.

Sarah has published a book, More Than Just a Baby: A Guide to Surrogacy for Intended Parents and Surrogates, the only guide to surrogacy in Australia.

Are you still at the pre-surrogacy stage? You can find more information in the free Surrogacy Handbook, reading articles in the Blog, by listening to more episodes of the Surrogacy Podcast. You can also book in for a consult with me below.

Have some questions about Parentage Order applications and the options? Send me an email!