Are you thinking of adopting a child from a developing country like India? We will answer how long does it take to adopt a child from India, what is the process, how much will it cost and so on.
Many hopeful parents fulfill their dream of completing their family with intercountry adoption. As the second most populated country, the number of children up for adoption in India is very high.
According to recent numbers, the total number of children adopted from India by US families is 6,592. The process of adoption in India is time-consuming. It can take anywhere from 18 to 36 months. Let us look at the adoption process and all there is to know about Indian adoption.
Who Can Adopt in India?
People who are citizens of India, foreigners, and non-resident Indians, can be prospective parents in India, and the adoption laws are the same for all of them. The eligibility criteria for people who can adopt a child in India are:
- The adoptive parents need to be emotionally, mentally, and physically fit and should not have any chronic medical condition.
- The adoptive parents need to be financially capable of caring for the child.
- Married couples or single people can adopt a child irrespective of their marital status and even if they have a biological child, as long as they match these conditions.
- The minimum age requirement for a single parent is 21 years.
- For a married couple to adopt, both spouses must consent.
- A single female adoptive parent is eligible to adopt any child irrespective of their gender.
- A single male adoptive parent can not adopt a girl child.
- If you are married, you need to have completed at least two years of your marriage to be eligible to adopt.
- For adopted children under the age of four, the maximum age of a single parent can be 45 years, and the composite age of a couple should not exceed 90 years.
- For adopted children between the age group 4 to 8 years, the maximum age of a single parent can be 50 years, and the composite age of a couple should not exceed 100 years.
- For adopting children above eight and under 18 years, the maximum age of a single parent can be 55 years, and the composite age of a couple should not exceed 110 years.
- The age difference between any of the adoptive parents and the child they are adopting should be at least 25 years.
- The age criteria should not be factored in adoption by a relative or a step-parent.
- Also, any couple already having three children are not eligible for adoption unless it is a case of a relative or step-parent adoption or adoption of a special needs child.
You might also like to read: How To Adopt A Family Member In Haiti?
Who Can be Adopted in India?
Any child under the age of 18 years can be adopted in India by an Indian citizen, foreigner, or non-resident Indian. The child has to be legally surrendered, abandoned, or an orphan to be adopted in India. Also, children from an earlier marriage surrendered by the biological parent can be adopted by the step-parent.
Only a child who is declared free for adoption, legally, by the child welfare committee can be adopted in India. An adoptive parent can also adopt a relative’s child.
For a child to be adopted by a parent, the minimum age difference between the child and the parent must be at least 25 years. The only exception to this condition is adoption by a reactive or a step-parent.
In most cases, the children available for adoption in India are older. This is because India is a signatory to the Hague convention. The Hague convention makes it mandatory that the home country must have tried to place the child within the country itself before putting up the child for an International adoption process.
Adoption in India cost
The Central Adoption Resource Authority has specified a fixed fee structure for adoption all over India, which is not liable to change. According to the rules of the Central Adoption Resource Authority, the maximum cost for a single adoption is 46000 Indian rupees, anywhere in India.
The cost breakup is 1000 rupees for adoption registration, 5000 rupees for the adoption home study process, and 40000 rupees for the child care corpus fund set up by the adoption agency. This adoption cost, however, is for Indian citizens.
The cost of adoption for foreign families has a different fee structure and is much higher than this. The average cost of adoption for foreigners in India is around $30,000 to $50,000. However, some adoptive parents may have to pay less or higher than this.
How Long Does It Take To Adopt?
The adoption time can be a few months to a few years for some people. It all depends on how easy it was for you to find a child to adopt and how smoothly the process goes.
It can take anywhere from 18 to 24 months to complete the adoption process. With passing time, the timeframe is reducing. The maximum time of this whole time frame is spent with families waiting to find a match.
Once there is a match, and you move forward with the adoption process, it can take anywhere from 8 to 10 months for the child to be placed with the adoptive family.
You might also like to read: What Countries Can You Adopt From?
India Adoption Process
Let us take a look at the steps involved in the adoption of a child in India.
- Registration: The first step in a child’s adoption is registering the prospective parents with an authorized adoption agency.
- Adoption Home Study and Counseling: A adoption agency representative will visit the adoptive parents’ home to do a home study. The parents also will have to undergo counseling sessions and a background check.
- Child Referral: The agency will refer the parents when a child is up for adoption. They will provide all the necessary information about the child and allow the parents to spend time with the child to get to know them better.
- Child Acceptance: If the parents are comfortable with the child after meeting them, they can sign the child’s acceptance documents.
- Filing the Petition: All necessary documents are submitted to the court to file a petition to adopt the child. After filming the petition, the parents must visit the court to sign the petition.
- Pre Adoption Care: once the parents have signed the petition, they can take the child to a pre-adoption care center. There they learn about the child’s habits through the staff.
- Court Hearing: There will be a closed room hearing with the adoptive parents and the child. The court will ask a few questions from the parents and ask them to invest a sum of money in the child’s name.
- Court Order: once the adoptive parents have invested in the name of the child, the court will pass the acceptance of adoption.
- Follow Up: After the completion of the adoption, the adoption agency needs to send reports of the child’s well-being for one to two years.
Financing Your India Adoption
On average, the cost of adoption in India can be around $30,000 to $50,000. You may have to pay less or more depending on your circumstances. The price includes the fee of the adoption agency and the inter-country adoption program.
Then there are home study costs, travel expenses, fees for documentation and application, and third-party expenses. You don’t have to pay all these at once, but it can take a toll on some families.
However, you would be happy to know that several different organizations and agencies provide loans to such families. You can consult an adoption professional to get more information about the financing.
You might also like to read: How Much Does It Cost To Adopt A Child In Texas?
Things To Know About Adoption In India
A few things to know about adoption in India are:
- You can adopt a child in India irrespective of your religion.
- The adoptive parents may have two biological or adopted children of their own.
- There is no process of open adoption in India.
- For a non-Indian to adopt an Indian child, at least one of the adoptive parents must travel to India at least once.
- The overall time needed for child adoption in India can range from two to four years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it challenging to adopt a child in India?
It is not easy to adopt a child in India. With the plethora of laws and regulations, legal formalities, and paperwork, it can take anywhere from two to four years to adopt a child in India. On top of all this, the waitlist for adopting a child is too long, and some people may have to wait even longer.
Can Americans adopt kids from India?
Yes, Americans can adopt kids from India. The process of adopting a child from India is long, but it can be very rewarding.
The first step is to file paperwork with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This paperwork will determine if you are eligible to adopt a child from India.
Once you have been approved, you will then need to file paperwork with the Indian government. This paperwork will determine if you are eligible to adopt a child from India. If you are approved, you will then need to travel to India to pick up your child. The process can be long and complicated, but it is worth it for the child that you adopt.
Can I choose the child I want to adopt in India?
No, you can not choose the child you want to adopt in India. The agency will show you child referrals, and you can either choose to accept or reject the child. But you can not make selections.
Wrap Up
Adopting a child from India will help complete your family and provide a forever home to an innocent child in need. Depending on the process that you adopt, it may take anywhere between 18 to 24 months to adopt a child from India.
The cost of adoption in India can range from $30000 to $50000, but several organizations can provide financial loans for adoption. Thank you for reading this article. We hope that we were able to resolve your query.