Passport delays for babies born in Cyprus via surrogacy

Two UK men are unable to leave Cyprus with their babies born via surrogacy there, due to delays in obtaining passports for their children.

Raj Gill, from Essex, and Joseph Taylor, from Abingdon each separately faced months of delay in obtaining a passport for their sons born in Cyprus. Both men are unable to take their sons home until the passports are issued. Unable to leave their children, the new fathers risk overstaying their temporary 90-day visa to Cyprus. By remaining they will risk fines, arrests and possibly imprisonment. Gill claimed he was aware of six other British families in a similar situation.

Gill travelled to Cyprus two days before his son was born on 29 January 2024 but no one has reviewed his application since 12 February 2024. He said: 'chasing this passport has become like a full-time job... I'm appalled because every time I've phoned them throughout most of March and April, I've been told your examiner has got your application and is having standard checks being carried out.'

'Unfortunately, as there is no one else to look after [my son], I have no choice but to remain in Cyprus despite knowing that I will be classed as an overstayer from 26 April [2024].'

The British High Commission to Nicosia advised Gill to apply for an emergency travel document. But Gill's application was refused because Cypriot officials did not think this his case was an emergency.

Newspaper EasternEye emailed Gill's MP, Dame Jackie Doyle-Price, who made an urgent enquiry with the Home Office regarding his son's passport, but had not heard back at the time of going to press.

Gill has been a primary school teacher for 18 years and chose to start his family as a single parent through surrogacy. Taylor also wanted to have a child as a single parent but did not want to foster or adopt, so he instead opted for surrogacy through IVF, using an egg donor. Both Gill and Taylor travelled to Cyprus to meet their sons and promptly applied for their children's passports, but neither has received any updates on the status of the applications.

Taylor also flew to Cyprus in late January, five days before his son was born on 31 January 2024. He understands no one has looked as his son's application since 15 February, even though he applied for the passport just days after his son's birth, BBC reported. He is 'desperate' to begin his son Jonah's health care, immunisations and continue other necessary legal processes.

'I have been issued a UK court date in relation to my parental order application and am unable to engage with this process while abandoned here in Cyprus,' Taylor said. 'It's looking like I'm going to be forced into a position whereby I have to overstay my visa and break the law.'

The Home Office said it would not comment on individual passport applications, but said passports were not issued until all checks were 'satisfactorily completed'. The Home Office also said additional checks ordinarily take place to confirm a child's nationality, before an emergency travel document is issued.