Is surrogacy legal in South Africa?
Altruistic only
South Africa allows altruistic surrogacy with court validation, but bans commercial arrangements.
South Africa is one of 15 countries classified “Altruistic only” for surrogacy — 34% of the 44 with data.
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Surrogacy laws by country
- Last checked
- 7 July 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Kenya
- Unregulated There are no legal regulations or laws governing surrogacy in Kenya.
- Nigeria
- Unregulated Surrogacy is unregulated in Nigeria, though surrogacy contracts may be enforceable as simple contracts.
- Saudi Arabia
- Banned Saudi Arabia prohibits gestational surrogacy, favoring fertility restoration instead.
- Israel
- Commercial legal Israel legalized commercial surrogacy for same-sex couples, transgender people, and single men.
- Iran
- Commercial legal Surrogacy is legal and popular in Iran, with religious approval since 1999.
- Greece
- Altruistic only Greece permits altruistic surrogacy with legal protection for intended parents.
Other laws in South Africa
- Abortion
- Legal on request
- Suicide Laws
- Not a crime
- FGM Laws
- Specifically banned
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.