An Irishman who contracted a woman in Russia to gestate and bear a child for him via surrogacy is now stranded and running out of money while awaiting legal documents to allow him fly the child home. Officially, Irish law does not allow commercial surrogacy, but in practice it is permitted. Commercial surrogacy is banned in most European countries.

“I was advised this can normally take six to eight weeks to get sorted. However, I fear that my six to eight weeks have not been started yet as no one from the Department of Foreign Affairs or embassy has seen my paperwork.”

He said he had been attempting to contact the relevant people “but it seems my emails and pleading for help have all but been ignored”.

He said his child’s Russian birth certificate shows her as “having only one parent which is me. I have been her main caregiver since birth and [the birth cert] does not entitle her to any rights or protection as a Russian citizen. The only way she can be given a nationality is via myself.”

With money running out, he said he is getting desperate and fears both he and baby may end up homeless in Russia.