In November of 2012, India’s Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) suspended all intercountry adoption applications in order to clear a backlog of existing cases. In March of 2013, it lifted these restrictions for older and special needs children and, in February of 2014, began allowing Indian passport holders to register to adopt Indian children not classified as special needs. CARA is accepting 50 registrations per month worldwide for non-special needs children on a first-come, first-served basis.
Only nonprofit adoption service providers are allowed to work in India.
For more up-to-date information on how to adopt from India, visit the India Adoption page on the U.S. State Department’s website. Get parent-to-parent advice and support in the India Adoptive Families group in our online community, AdoptiveFamiliesCircle.
India Adoption Fast Facts
- 2015 Adoptions: 138 children
- Hague Country: Yes
- Estimated Total Cost: $12,000 to $35,000
- Profile of Children: 70% of children are between 1 and 4 years old. 72% are girls (2014).
- Parent Ages: If adopting a child age 4 or younger, adoptive parents must be at least 25 years old, and no more than 45 years old. Married couples must have a combined age of under 90. If adopting a child between 4 and 8 years old, adoptive parents must be at least 29 years old, and no more than 50 years old. Married couples must have a combined age of under 100. If adopting a child between 8 years and older, adoptive parents must be at least 33 years old, and no more than 55 years old. Married couples must have a combined age of under 110.
- Family Status: Married couples must be in a stable relationship for 2 years. Same-sex couples may not adopt.
- Travel: At least one, and preferably both parents must travel to India at least once for five to ten days. Some Indian placement agencies ask adoptive parents to stay with the child seven days before leaving the country.
- Timeline: Usually six months to two years, but can be longer.
Related Articles from Building Your Family and Adoptive Families
- “Personal Story: ‘Experiencing Our Son’s Birth Culture’”: Visiting our son in the orphanage where he lived revealed the humbling truth that he’ll leave behind a lovely way of life.
- “Journey to Calcutta”: Despite my parents’ urging, I had always rejected my Indian identity. At 21, I learned to embrace it.
- “Personal Story: ‘The Older Child We Adopted Was Frightened of Me, at First’”: A mother’s story of adopting a girl from India.
- “Raising a Child of Another Race”: Deliberate parenting can make a difference.
