You're home, jet-lagged and in love — and there's still a list. Registering with a GP, leave from work, keeping the Parental Order on track, and starting your child's story.
Landing in the UK with your baby is a moment you'll never forget. It's also the start of a new phase: the UK legal process still lies ahead, and normal life — GP, work, family — has to be picked back up while you adjust to having a newborn.
This is the list we'd want in our hands in the first week home. It's practical rather than legal; for the court process itself, parentalorder.com and our legal process pages go into the detail.
In the first week
- Rest. Jet lag plus a newborn is a lot. Keep the first days quiet.
- Register your baby with a GP. The NHS says you don't need ID or proof of address to register with a GP surgery. Bring whatever documents you have — your baby's Colombian documents and your own ID — and explain the situation. Your baby will be given an NHS number.
- Ask about a health visitor. Babies born abroad don't arrive in the UK system automatically, so you may need to ask the GP practice to connect you with the health visiting service.
- Check vaccinations. Take any vaccination record from Colombia to the GP so the practice can match it to the UK schedule.
- Put the documents in one place. Every Colombian document, translation and apostille you collected will be needed again.
Keep the Parental Order on track
The application must be made within six months of the birth, and it's the step that makes you both your child's legal parents in the UK. It's easy to let it slide in the newborn fog, so put dates in the calendar now:
- When you'll file — many families aim well before the six-month mark. See parentalorder.com's guide to the six-month deadline.
- When the surrogate's consent forms will arrive from Colombia, translated.
- What still needs finishing in Colombia — your lawyer may still be completing the legal process there.
After you file come a Cafcass visit and one or more court hearings. When the order is granted, a new UK birth certificate is issued naming both of you. PO Navigator was built to walk families through exactly this.
Work and leave
If you haven't already, talk to your employer. Intended parents who apply for a Parental Order within six months of the birth can have rights to leave and pay similar to adoption, if they meet the conditions. Acas explains the rules. HR teams are often less familiar with surrogacy, so it helps to bring the guidance with you.
Travel while you wait
You may want to travel before the Parental Order is granted — to see family abroad, for example. What's possible depends on your child's documents at that point. Our British passport page explains the choice between applying before or after the Parental Order.
Your child's story
It's never too early to start keeping your child's story: a few photos from the hospital, the first days in Bogotá, something from your surrogate if she's happy to share it. One day your child will ask, and the story of how much they were wanted — and the people in Colombia who helped bring them home — is a beautiful one to tell.
Looking after yourselves
The months after coming home can feel like an anticlimax after such an intense time, and sleep deprivation doesn't help. Talk to other parents who've been through surrogacy, accept help from family, and don't hesitate to speak to your GP if you're struggling.
If you'd like to talk through the UK steps, book a free Parental Order Navigator call with us.
We share our own experience, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and practice change — always check with your agency, a qualified UK surrogacy solicitor and official sources such as GOV.UK.