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Eligibility Criteria To Adopt A Child In India

• The potential adoptive parents should not have any life-threatening medical conditions, be financially stable, emotionally, mentally, and physically stable, and be driven to adopt a child.

• Any prospective adoptive parent may adopt a child, regardless of his marital status or the existence of his biological son or daughter.

• A single woman can adopt any gender of the child.

• Adopting a girl child is not permissible for a single man.

• Both spouses must consent if a married couple wants to adopt a child.

• Except adoptions involving relatives or stepparents, no couple may receive a child for adoption unless they have been married steadily for at least two years.

• Prospective adoptive parents' age on the registration date will be taken into consideration when determining their eligibility, and they will be able to apply for children in the following age ranges:

Child’s Age	Maximum Composite Age Of Prospective Adoptive Parents (Couple)	Maximum Age  Of Single Prospective Adoptive Parent
Upto 2 Years	85 Years	40 Years
Above 2 And Upto 4 Years	90 Years	45 Years
Above 4 Upto 8 Years	100 Years	50 Years
Above 8 Upto 18 Years	110 Years	55 Years

How To Adopt A Child In India? 

Adopting a child requires an online CARINGS registration. If you are unfamiliar with or unable to register online, you can speak with your district's district child protection officer (DCPO). Follow the steps given below to adopt a child in India hassle-free. 

• On CARINGS (www.cara.nic.in), parents can register online.

• Choose your state's and the HSR's (Home Study Report) preferred adoption agency.

• Password and User ID generated.

• After registering, upload documents within 30 days.

• The number of registrations will be generated.

• The Home Study Report (HSR) of the PAPs is completed by the Specialized Adoption Agency (SAA) and uploaded to CARINGS within 30 days of the date the necessary documents were submitted.

• Prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) are evaluated for suitability. If they are deemed unsuitable, they are informed of the reasons why.

• PAPs reserve one child from a maximum of six, depending on their preferences.

• PAPs visit the adoption agency within fifteen days of the reservation and finalisation date.

• The PAPs lose seniority if the child is not finalised within the allotted time.

• SAA completes the referral and adoption process (on CARINGS) once the PAPs accept the child.

• The child is placed in foster care before adoption by PAPs, and the SAA files a court petition.

• An adoption court order is issued.

• For two years following adoption, post-adoption follow-up reports are made.

How To Do Online Parent Registration for Adoption?

• The intended audience for this registration is Indian citizens living in India.

• Kindly provide your accurate residential address and phone number, including the area code.

• You or your spouse must hold a Permanent Account Number (PAN) card, which must be uploaded as a .pdf file with a maximum file size of 512 KB.

• You must upload a 3.5 x 4.5 cm (.jpg) family photo of yourself (if you are a single parent) or your couple's photo. The size should not exceed 1 MB.

• Both a mobile number and an email address are required.

• After successful registration, you will receive an online acknowledgement letter with your registration and credential details.

• If you lose your online acknowledgement letter, you can regenerate it by clicking the Forgot Password link in the Track Status section.

• The documents that should be submitted are: A picture of the adopting parent(s) (post card size), Proof of Residence (Adhaar Card, Voter Card, Driver's License, Passport, Current Electricity Bill, Telephone Bill), Birth Certificate, evidence of income from the previous year, such as an income tax return, government-issued income certificate, or salary slip, marriage certificate if you’re married, divorce decree if you are divorced and If your spouse passes away, kindly upload a certificate of death from a medical professional attesting to the PAPs' suitability for adoption and their lack of a fatal illness or chronic condition.

• If you submit an application with inaccurate or incomplete information, it may be deemed invalid.

• Following registration, get in touch with the adoption agency.

• It will be necessary to present all original documentation for verification.

• The adoption agency will determine if you are eligible for adoption.

Summing Up

How To Adopt A Child In India is still a big question. However, after going through this article, I hope it must have been easy for you to understand the adoption process. Consider the eligibility criteria before applying for adoption because your application will be rejected if you don’t match their criteria. Additionally, I need to tell you that the price for adoption in India is approximately Rs. 46,000, including foster care, home study, legal expenses & follow-up, medical expenses and more. If you find this article helpful, kindly share it as much as possible so that it can help all those who want to be foster parents.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How can I adopt a baby for free in India?

A. A unit established at the district level by the State Government under Section 61A of the Act is referred to as the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU). It locates orphans, abandoned, and turned-in children in the district and gets the Child Welfare Committee to formally declare them available for adoption for free.

Q. Can I adopt a baby from a hospital?

A. It is illegal to adopt a child straight out of a hospital, maternity home, or nursing home.

Q. Can you adopt a 3 month old baby?

A. Under certain conditions and following the legal procedures, it is possible to adopt a newborn in India.

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