Can you be a surrogate if you smoke, vape or use marijuana?
What 19 US surrogacy agencies say on their own websites, agency by agency, each rule quoted and linked to the page it is on. Read Oct 28, 2026.
No. Of the 19 US surrogacy agencies compared here, 17 state a rule on it, and every one asks for a non-smoker who uses no illegal drugs. Some go further: tobacco-free for 6 to 12 months before applying (Circle Surrogacy, Growing Generations, Hatch), no smoking by anyone in the household or no second-hand smoke (American Surrogacy, which includes vaping, Egg Donor & Surrogacy Institute and Simple Surrogacy), and drug and nicotine tests before matching (Egg Donor & Surrogacy Institute). Most pages do not address vaping or marijuana directly; Ivy Surrogacy and Family Source Consultants rule out recent marijuana use.
What each agency says: smoking
- American Surrogacypays $55,000 to $65,000+ (first-time base)
No nicotine or tobacco use by her or anyone in the household, including vaping and e-cigarettes; no recreational drugs or marijuana even where legal; former smokers must be smoke-free at least a year
“You and everyone in your household must be smoke-free, including cigarettes, vaping, e-cigarettes and other tobacco products.”
American Surrogacy's own page, read Oct 28, 2026
- Babytree Surrogacypays $60,000 to $90,000 (first journey: $60,000 base in California, up to $90,000 with allowances)
Non-smoker, no drug use; vaping and marijuana not addressed
“Clinic-approved BMI (typically 18–30), in overall good health, non-smoker, no drug use.”
Babytree Surrogacy's own page, read Oct 28, 2026
- Circle Surrogacypays $55,000 to $75,000+ (first journey, base from $55,000 plus benefits)
No illegal drugs, cigarettes or alcohol abuse; former smokers must have quit at least six months before applying; nicotine/cotinine blood test; vaping and marijuana not addressed
“You don’t use illegal drugs, smoke cigarettes, or abuse alcohol.”
Circle Surrogacy's own page, read Oct 28, 2026
- ConceiveAbilitiespays $75,000 (up to, first journey, by state and income (includes a limited-time $10,000 bonus))
Smoking or substance use listed among common disqualifications; vaping and marijuana not addressed
“Smoking or substance use”
ConceiveAbilities's own page, read Oct 28, 2026
- Egg Donor & Surrogacy Institutepays $60,000 to $70,000 (first-time base ($70,000 in California))
No smoking, drugs or alcohol abuse, applies to the whole household; drug and nicotine testing before matching and during pregnancy
“Requirements include no smoking, drug use, or alcohol abuse by anyone in the household.”
Egg Donor & Surrogacy Institute's own page, read Oct 28, 2026
- Eggceptional Fertilitypays $60,000 to $80,000 (typical; first-time from $60,000)
No illegal drugs, cigarettes or alcohol abuse; vaping and marijuana not addressed
“Do not use illegal drugs, smoke cigarettes, or abuse alcohol”
Eggceptional Fertility's own page, read Oct 28, 2026
- Family Source Consultantspays $55,000+ (base pay, first journey)
No smoking and no illegal drugs; marijuana out of the question; vaping not addressed
“Smoking or using drugs (including marijuana) is simply out of the question.”
Family Source Consultants's own page, read Oct 28, 2026
- Golden Surrogacypays $70,000+ (first journey: $50,000 base + $20,000 benefits)
Non-smoker and free of illegal drug use; vaping, nicotine and cannabis questions need individual review
“Golden requires applicants to be non-smokers and free of illegal drug use. Questions involving vaping, nicotine, cannabis, prescription medication, or past substance use require individual review”
Golden Surrogacy's own page, read Oct 28, 2026
- Growing Generationspays $70,000 to $80,000 (first-time package, by state)
Tobacco-free at least 12 months before applying, and no second-hand tobacco exposure; vaping, marijuana and other drugs not addressed
“Do not use tobacco and have no exposure to second-hand tobacco use. Surrogate applicants must be tobacco-free for 12 months minimum before applying.”
Growing Generations's own page, read Oct 28, 2026
- Hatchpays $50,000 to $55,000 (first-time base, plus benefits)
Tobacco-free at least one year; smoking during a previous pregnancy is an automatic disqualification; past alcohol or drug abuse disqualifies; vaping and marijuana not addressed
“You must be tobacco free for at least one year prior to becoming a surrogate. However, if you smoked during a previous pregnancy, that would be an automatic disqualification.”
Hatch's own page, read Oct 28, 2026
No smoking, no drug use; no recent marijuana or tobacco
“No history of illegal drugs or recent marijuana/tobacco use”
Ivy Surrogacy's own page, read Oct 28, 2026
- Northwest Surrogacy Centerpays $62,000+ (comprehensive compensation (some packages from $70,000))
Nonsmoking; willing to abstain from alcohol and drugs; vaping and marijuana not addressed
“Be willing to abstain from alcohol & drugs”
Northwest Surrogacy Center's own page, read Oct 28, 2026
- Patriot Conceptionspays $50,000+ (base pay)
Non-smoker, drug-free; vaping and marijuana not addressed
“Non-smoker, drug-free”
Patriot Conceptions's own page, read Oct 28, 2026
- Quest Surrogacypays $45,000 to $65,000 (first-time base $45,000; typical total up to $65,000)
No cigarette smokers; no illegal drug use or alcohol abuse; vaping and marijuana not addressed
“No illegal drug use or alcohol abuse.”
Quest Surrogacy's own page, read Oct 28, 2026 · Works only with gestational carriers who identify as LGBTQ+.
- Simple Surrogacypays $58,000 to $63,000 (first journey ($63,000 with maternity coverage))
No smoking, no illegal drugs, no second-hand smoke exposure; no alcohol during the medical process and pregnancy; vaping and marijuana not addressed
“Not smoke or take illegal drugs, or be exposed to second hand smoke”
Simple Surrogacy's own page, read Oct 28, 2026
- Surrogacy4Allpays $50,000 to $65,000 (base pay; total up to $100,000)
Non-smoker, no illegal drug use; vaping and marijuana not addressed
“You need to be a non-smoker with no illegal drug use.”
Surrogacy4All's own page, read Oct 28, 2026
- West Coast Surrogacypays $86,000 to $106,000+ (total compensation (highest for experienced California surrogates))
Non-smoker in excellent health; vaping and marijuana not addressed
“Be a non-smoker in excellent health”
West Coast Surrogacy's own page, read Oct 28, 2026
Agencies marked Partner pay IVFcost.co a referral fee if someone who applies through us goes on to qualify as a surrogate. It never changes what you are paid, and every list here is ordered by published pay, not by who pays us. How partners are handled
Agencies whose pages do not say
Modern Family Surrogacy, Physician's Surrogacy. Their pages did not answer this when we read them; ask the agency before you rule it in or out.
Screening decides
These are the rules each agency publishes for an application. Every agency then screens medically and psychologically, and the fertility clinic that does the embryo transfer sets its own limits, which can be stricter or looser. Where an agency's pages disagree with each other, both statements are shown.
What these agencies pay
First-time surrogate pay, agency by agency, with what each figure covers and a check of which agencies you qualify for: how much surrogates get paid, and by state.