No visa to foreigners visiting India for surrogacy: Centre

Home Ministry has directed Indian missions and foreigners regional registration offices (FRRO) not to grant visa to couples intending to visit India for surrogacy. In a circular, the Ministry has asked all Indian Missions abroad and FRRO to cancel any such permission given earlier and said all those granted visa for this should be informed of the position immediately. The Ministry also asked the FRRO not to give permission of Overseas Citizen of India cardholders to commission surrogacy in India. However, the notification said, for child born through surrogacy already commissioned on or before issue of this circular, exit permission will be decided by FRRO on case to case basis.

style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Commercial surrogacy is often termed as rent-a-womb industry and India has emerged as a popular destination for childless foreign couples seeking a baby through surrogacy with poor women ready to play surrogate mothers.

The UPA government had in 2012 opened the doors to foreigners for carrying out surrogacy in India after fulfilling some conditions which included clearing all liabilities towards the Indian surrogate mother.