Provided is a method for manufacturing a surface-emitting laser capable of forming a photonic crystal structure inside a semiconductor highly accurately and easily without direct bonding. It is a method by laminating on a substrate a plurality of semiconductor layers including an active layer and a semiconductor layer having a photonic crystal structure formed therein, the method including the steps of forming a second semiconductor layer on a first semiconductor layer to form the photonic crystal structure, forming a plurality of microholes in the second semiconductor layer, forming a low refractive index portion in a part of the first semiconductor layer via the plurality of microholes thereby to provide the first semiconductor layer with the photonic crystal structure having a one-dimensional or two-dimensional refractive index distribution in a direction parallel to the substrate, and forming a third semiconductor layer by crystal regrowth from a surface of the second semiconductor layer.