Enrol a child in Medicare where a surrogacy arrangement exists 011-44120090

Surrogacy is defined as an arrangement whereby a woman agrees to become pregnant and to bear a child for another person or persons to whom she will transfer guardianship and custodial rights at or shortly after birth.

Where a surrogate arrangement is in place, it is necessary for the intended parents to provide the following documents before the child can be included in Medicare:

• Medicare enrolment form (MS004) if not using online services
• identification of the applicant (parent)
• one document from the list below:
• parentage order, or
• birth certificate (intended parents listed as child’s parents)

Note: if the birth certificate or parentage order has not been finalised, Service Officers must escalate the application to Medicare Eligibility Local Peer Support (LPS) for review before LPS escalate to the Medicare Consumers Program Support team, who will assess the application on a case by case basis.

The Medicare Consumers Program Support team manages enrolments where:

• documentation provided with the enrolment does not meet standard requirements, and
• the birth certificate or parentage order has not been finalised, and
• surrogacy arrangements involve a child born in the Ukraine

See Escalation process for Medicare Eligibility for assistance.

Where a child is born in Australia to Australian resident parent/s (Australian citizens or migrants):

• Start Date - Child’s date of birth
• End Date - Open
• Entitlement Type - Australian citizen

Where a child is born overseas and enters Australia to reside:

• Start Date:
• Date Australian citizenship granted, or
• Date of arrival where Australian citizenship has been granted prior to entry into Australia
• End Date - Open
• Entitlement Type - Australian citizen

Service Officers must add a Sensitive Information Indicator for Care of a child to the child’s record in CDMS:

• if the Medicare Consumers Program Support - Medicare Consumers Section - Medicare Branch determines a child can be enrolled in Medicare before:
• the parentage order, or
• birth certificate showing the intended parents is finalised

See Sensitive Information Indicators in the CDMS for more details.