British surrogacy couple stuck in Cyprus

A British same-sex couple who had twins via surrogacy in Cyprus spent two months unable to leave the country.

After struggling to find a surrogate in the UK, Damian and Pasan Fernando decided to explore surrogacy options abroad. Through a recommendation, the couple found the World Centre of Baby (WCoB), in Cyprus. The couple was paired with a surrogate who became pregnant with twins, conceived using an egg donor and Pasan's sperm. The couple travelled to Cyprus for the birth, and the twin boys were born on 3 January 2025. Due to a series miscommunications and administrative hurdles, the family were unable to leave the country for two months.

'This passport issue is incredibly frustrating. It's silly human errors. It's so avoidable. The children aren't able to meet their grandparents,' Damian told the Mirror.

The couple applied for UK passports for the children on 13 January, after obtaining their birth certificates. However, on 31 January, a confusion over where the passports were to be sent led the passport office to request new applications. They resubmitted the applications the same day but were delayed further due to supporting documentation being misplaced between the old and new applications, and between the twins' files.

Having already spent £70,000 on surrogacy services and £15,000 on lawyers and travel, Damian acknowledged that staying in Cyprus for much longer than expected meant there was a 'huge financial element' to the delay.

'We had been warned to be prepared for incompetence,' Damian told the Mirror. 'We're just hoping something can change. We don’t want this to happen to future parents.'

This incident is not the first of its kind to occur (see BioNews 1236). In two recent cases concerning surrogacy arrangements through clinics in Northern Cyprus (a self-declared Turkish territory not recognised by the UK), UK judges warned of the dangers of international cross-border arrangements (see BioNews 1276 and 1279).

Two months after the twins' birth, Damian and Pasan were finally able to return home to the UK on 6 March 2025. During this time, the couple's story has garnered significant attention in the media, which has resulted in questions being raised around the legality of WCoB.

The Cyprus Minister of Health, Michalis Damianos, stated that an official complaint regarding WCoB has been filed with the police and clarified that the agency's advertised surrogacy services were illegal under current legislation. The law in Cyprus does not permit same-sex couples to become parents through surrogacy, and an investigation is currently underway to assess the full extent of potential legal violations. However, there are questions over jurisdiction as the organisation claimed to operate from Limassol in the south of Cyprus, but treatment took place at a clinic in Northern Cyprus.

In sharing their story publicly, the couple told the Cyprus Mail their intent was to emphasise that everyone has the right to become parents. They expressed sadness that the focus has shifted away from the broader issue of LGBTQ+ parenthood to a legal debate.

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The past, present and future of surrogacy law will be discussed at the free-to-attend online event 40 Years of the Surrogacy Arrangements Act: What Next for Surrogacy?, taking place on Wednesday 16 July 2025.

Find out more and register here.