India



	*India*
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Country Status

India is currently OPEN to adoptions by US citizens.

For a list of Joint Council agencies working in India, please consult our Country Programs page.

October 2007

At the invitation of India's Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA), Joint Council President & CEO Tom DiFilipo spoke on Mutual Cooperation and Transparency & Ethical issues in intercountry adoption. A copy of Tom's remarks are available on our IRI Page.

September 2007

Through the longstanding relationship between the Joint Council India Caucus, lead for years by Teri Bell and now by Aimee LaBlonde, Joint Council's Tom DiFilipo has been invited to speak at this year's CARA Conference in India. Tom will address the issue of Ethics in Adoption on October 10, 2007.

July 2006

Embassy New Delhi states that CARA’s policies and procedures have not changed. In May, CARA did issue a revised “Guideline for Adoption from India in 2006” that raised fees, but otherwise is substantively unchanged from the previous. The updated guidelines and other information are available on CARA’s website (www.cara.nic.in) and will soon be reflected in an updated adoption flyer for India to be posted on the Department of State website.

April 2005

Joint Council sent a letter to Renuka Chidambaram and Aloma Lobo (CARA appointees). Click here to view the letter.

June 2004

Joint Council recently sent a letter to the Joint Director, Mrs. S.K. Mishra, of the Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA) asking for clarification on a number of issues. For a copy of the letter, click here. The majority of concerns surround adoption by Non-Resident Indians (NRI's) since it is unclear how the governing adoption rules will address NRI's going forward.

October 2003

In October, 2003 India entered into force with the Hague Adoption Convention. Since that time adoption processing continues but has slowed down due to the implementation of the Hague, elections and personnel changes at CARA. In December, the Secretary of CARA, Dev Verman, left his position and his replacement has yet to be announced.

August 2003

The government of India ratified the Hague Convention on International Adoption on June 6, 2003. It will come into effect October 1, 2003. The Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA), currently the governmental body responsible for monitoring and enforcing Indian adoption regulations, will be the central authority. While some changes are expected to occur as a result of The Hague, at this time it is expected that international adoption processing will continue without delay or interruption. CARA has announced the government of India plans to formalize adoption eligibility guidelines for both domestic and international adoptions at some time in the near future.

CARA's website provides detailed information about current Indian adoption regulations.

The U. S. Department of State’s website also provides detailed information about U. S. citizen requirements to adopt a child from India.