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Australian couples looking for surrogate mothers in India denied visas to enter the country

Childless Australian couples looking for surrogate mothers in India are being denied visas to enter the country, advocates say.

Surrogacy advocates said India had effectively frozen out Australians from the surrogacy industry following recent revelations a child was abandoned in India by an Australian couple.

"India has put a freeze on all new applications for new intended Australian parents wanting to engage in surrogacy," Sam Everingham from Surrogacy Australia said.

He said couples trying to embark on the surrogacy process are being denied visas, while those who have pregnant surrogates in India are facing long delays in having their visas issued.

"For those who have got pregnant surrogates we have seen a lot of anxiety and a lot of panic around getting a visa in time for the person," Mr Everingham said.

In a statement to surrogacy advocates, the Indian Consulate in Sydney said the cause of the current visa delays is over its concern for the welfare of surrogate children born for Australian parents.

It was recently revealed that in 2012 an Indian surrogate gave birth to twins for an Australian couple who left one baby behind, saying they could only afford to take one child.

Calls for greater industry regulation

Indian authorities said they have asked Australia for clearer guarantees that children born under surrogacy arrangements will be granted Australian nationality.

The consulate said it will issue visas if those guidelines are met.

Mr Everingham is concerned couples who had planned to engage in surrogacy in India may look to countries with less established industries, potentially putting all parties at risk.

"There is a lot less screening of parents before they engage, often no screening at all," he said.

"There is no guarantee that a child will be able to exit that country."

India has guidelines for the surrogacy industry but no laws to enforce them.

Legislation to regulate the industry has been sitting in parliament for several years.

Delhi-based surrogacy lawyer Anurag Chawla said until the Indian government enacts laws to govern the industry problems will continue.

"The clinics feel they can do anything and said when they are caught that there is no law, so it is a grey area," Mr Chawla said.

"The couples can also do whatever they want: if they want to leave one child they have left and gone."

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has not responded to the ABC's request for comment.