As with most adoptions, prospective adoptive parents must follow proper protocol. Completing a home study, filing required paperwork, and working with an approved adoption agency are the first steps in adopting from India. These steps are required and regulated by both the United States and the Indian government. India itself has its own guidelines and restrictions that differ from those required for domestic adoptions in the United States and other international adoptions. India is a member of the Hague Adoption Convention and adheres to the guidelines they set.

Prospective adoptive parents must be at least 25 years old, but not more than 45 years old if adopting a child aged four or younger. To adopt a child between the ages of four and eight a parent must be 29 to 50 years old. In order to adopt a child 8 years or older the parent must be between the ages of 33 and 55. The combined age of a married couple looking to adopt cannot exceed 110 years. 

Married couples hoping to adopt must prove that they have been in a stable relationship for at least two years. Same-sex couples are not authorized to adopt from India at this time. 

Prospective parents must meet income guidelines that are set by each individual adoption agency. They must prove that they are financially able to raise a child in a safe, healthy environment.

Single women adopting from India are free to adopt both girls and boys. Single men adopting are not permitted to adopt girls at this time.

Only families with fewer than four children, biological and or adoptive combined, are permitted to adopt from India. A second adoption from India will only be considered after the adoption of the first child is completed with the exception of siblings adopted simultaneously.

Prospective adoptive parents must not have any terminal or serious contagious illnesses or diseases. They must also be free of any physical or mental illness or limitation that may prevent them from properly caring for a child.

Take these guidelines into consideration when considering adopting from India and be sure to be patient with the process. All parties involved are doing their best to make sure these children end up the best situation possible. Adopting a child will be one of the greatest joys in your life. Follow the correct procedures and your new child will be in your arms before you know it.

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#1: Eligibility

Indian, Non-resident Indian, and Foreign citizens are all eligible to adopt a child from/in India. Eligibility requirements are the same for all.

#2: Marital Status

Single and married can adopt in India. Single people must be at least 21 yrs. However, they can be no older than 45. Unless you are adopting an older child, then you can be up to 55 years of age. Married couples need to have a combined age no older than 90. Couples should be married for more than two years. They can have divorces in their past, but only two between them.

#3: Religion

Your religion is not relevant. There is a law under which adoption takes place, called the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act 1956. It’s applicable to Hindus and religions similar to Hinduism. It means that no one can be excluded due to their religion.

#4: Other Children

Applicants may have up to two children already in the home, biological or adopted previously. If there is already a child in the home, you are expected to be open to adopting one of the opposite sex. If you are Hindu, you are required to adopt a child of the opposite sex than the one already in the home. You may be able to adopt two children at the same time if those two are biological siblings.

#5: Average Age & Wait Time 

The average age of a child to adopt is 18 months – 8 years old. The reason being India’s first priority is to place the children with domestic biological or adoptive families. Or Indo-American families first, to give them the opportunity to grow in-country or at least in the culture of their birth. The ages are increasing due to governmental processing times.

The overall timeframe to complete an adoption from India is generally 18-24 months and decreasing. While there are many older children available for adoption, generally at least half of the families in the India program are moving forward with a child under the age of three years.

Most of this time is just waiting for a referral. After being matched it takes 8-16 months for placement. Boys are generally placed sooner than girls.

#6: Openness

Open adoption is not a current practice in India. Rarely can an agency in India help facilitate some openness, but it is based on the individual case. If the birth parents are in contact with the agency, or if they are even interested, will determine the possibility of open adoption.

#7: Adoption Fees 

These really differ between agencies, and if you are an Indian Citizen vs. Indo-American or foreign citizen. There are application fees, home study fees, online training, service fees, background checks, fingerprinting, airfare, visas (if international) embassy fees, dossier fees, post-adoption visits, and finalizations. It can cost anywhere between $30,000 and $48,000, depending on location.

#8: Travel

India requires at least one of the adoptive parents to travel to India at least once. The average time there is 10-14 days. This includes meeting your matched child at the care center, some adjustment time, and final visa processing in New Delhi.

#9: Special Needs

Special needs can mean physical or cognitive needs that can require time, attention, and medical care. Or it could simply mean that the child matched is five years or older. Reputable agencies will be able to tell you social history, medical issues, and medical history if available, as well as non-identifying birth parent information if known, and a photo of the child.

The children available for adoption in India have ranged in age from infants to teenagers, with medical needs such as HIV, blood conditions, heart conditions, vision impairment, hearing impairment, cleft lip and palate, cerebral palsy, developmental delays, and other correctable medical conditions. Families who are of Indian heritage and have either OCI or NRI status may request to adopt healthy children. However, all foreign families must be open to adopting a child with a medical need, a sibling set, or a healthy older child.

About 47 percent of children in India are malnourished. So, all adoptive parents must understand the effects of malnutrition on the growth and development of the child.

#10: C.A.R.A

All adoptions in India are required to follow the procedure set out by the Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA).

CARA primarily deals with adoptions of orphans, abandoned, and surrendered children through its associated/recognized adoption agencies.

India’s international adoption process is done in accordance with Hague Convention guidelines on intercountry adoption of children.

Most children live in government-run child care facilities that are licensed by CARA. 

Children may be orphaned in India due to poverty, disease, family or personal issues. India follows the best practices and standards according to the Hague international adoption guidelines to try to reunite the child with their biological family if at all possible, and when not possible to seek a domestic adoptive family, and then international adoptive family

India is a beautiful country with beautiful children waiting to find their forever family. I have had the opportunity myself to travel there once and travel from Mumbai, a huge city, to Pune and neighboring cities/states that are extremely rural. I was able to meet so many people and children from all backgrounds. It was an eye-opening experience for me. I had no idea of some of the living conditions and the level of poverty some people faced. To see kids walking along the street, begging for food and love, was heartbreaking!

If you are looking into adopting a child or children from this country, I hope this can help you get started on your journey.

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You may need to investigate more than one country to see which is the best fit for you in terms of your family and the country’s requirements. The Hague Convention, established in 2008, standardized the process somewhat amongst countries and established certain countries that are designated by the US government as being in compliance. The Hague Convention not only established consistency for requirements made of adoptive parents, but it also established consistency for the care of children being adopted into the US in their native country and helped ensure that adoptions from those countries are as ethical as possible. Some countries have moved in and out of Hague Compliance, and the list of countries that are Hague countries is generally in flux. To best determine which country will be the best fit for your family, make sure you are working with an agency in the US that has a lot of international adoption experience. 

International adoption is a wonderful way to strengthen your forever family and bring more love into your life. Although the process and requirements can seem daunting, don’t give up hope. You can find help and resources. Learn more about international adoption today and learn what your next step is. Before you know it you’ll be welcoming the next piece of your forever family into your home.

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1. Only Rich People Can Afford to Adopt Internationally

While it is true that international adoption is more pricey than domestic adoption, there are a number of ways that families with modest incomes can offset the costs, such as the Adoption Tax Credit (which was $13,570  per child as of 2017,) employer reimbursement (offered by many companies,) and adoption grants that you can apply for. You may also want to take into account that living expenses, such as food and lodging, in foreign countries is often much lower than it is here. 

2. You Will Need To Live Abroad for Awhile

While most countries do require you to travel for a short time to complete an adoption, some, such as Korea, allow an escort to bring the child to the US in some cases. Others, such as India and Hati, request parents to reside in-country for about a week at a time. You do not have to think about the trip as taking up residence elsewhere as much as a short journey where your sight-seeing is your child and the landscape and dining allow you to soak in your child’s heritage. 

3. Foreign Countries Will Lie About Children’s Health Conditions

Since the Hague Convention of 1993, countries are more diligent about presenting all of the information they have about children’s backgrounds and physical and emotional issues that they are aware of. Many of these are the results of malnutrition and a lack of attention, and adoptive parents see remarkable improvements over the first few months and even weeks after taking home their child. Several American hospitals, such as John Hopkins and the Medical College of Wisconsin, can have a medical professional review the information provided at referral and make parents aware of any potential red flags or preventive measures they can take before accepting a child.

4. Single Parents Cannot Adopt

If you are a single parent, domestic adoption can often be difficult, but many international countries welcome single applicants, as they can offer children opportunities they would not have otherwise been afforded. Countries like Haiti, Bulgaria, and India encourage both single men and women to adopt, although there are some age restrictions. Single women can adopt in China and Poland.

5. The International Adoption Process is Long And Drawn-Out

The process of international adoption can take anywhere from nine months to three years, which is as long as many domestic adoptions take to complete. As with any adoption, parents need to fulfill a home study and fill out paperwork that will be reviewed, and authorities will match them with a child as they see fit. Some couples find that they begin receiving referrals as soon as their agency sends their dossier to their country’s government. Often, couples take a short trip to meet the child, return home for a few weeks, and return to finalize the adoption and take their child home.

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