How to Adopt a Child in India: CARA Registration, Eligibility and Process

Adopting a child in India is a regulated legal process designed to protect the interests of the child at every stage. This guide explains how to adopt a child in India through the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), who is eligible, the documents and steps involved, and how the adoption becomes legally final. The governing framework is the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, as amended in 2021, read with the Adoption Regulations, 2022. Hindus also have the option of adopting under the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956, but adoption through CARA is the standard regulated route and the only route for adopting an unrelated child who is an orphan, abandoned or surrendered.

Who Can Adopt: Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility of prospective adoptive parents is governed by Section 57 of the Juvenile Justice Act and the Adoption Regulations, 2022. The parents must be physically fit, mentally sound, emotionally stable and financially capable, and must not have any life-threatening medical condition. A married couple needs at least two years of stable marital relationship, and the consent of both spouses is mandatory. Single women can adopt a child of any gender, while a single man cannot adopt a girl child. Age limits apply based on the age of the child sought to be adopted: the Adoption Regulations prescribe maximum ages for single parents and maximum composite ages for couples, with younger children available only to younger parents. Couples with three or more children are generally not considered, except for special needs children or relative adoptions.

Step 1: Register on the CARINGS Portal

All adoptions begin with online registration on the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System (CARINGS) at cara.wcd.gov.in. You upload identity proof, proof of address, income documents, medical reports, marriage certificate where applicable, and photographs. On successful registration you choose a Specialised Adoption Agency for the home study and your preferences regarding the child, such as age group and gender.

Step 2: Home Study Report

A social worker from the Specialised Adoption Agency visits your home and prepares a Home Study Report assessing your readiness to parent an adopted child. The report covers family background, motivation to adopt, financial position and living conditions. Once approved, the report is uploaded on CARINGS and you are placed in the seniority list of prospective adoptive parents. The waiting period that follows depends on your preferences and the availability of children legally free for adoption; in practice the wait for a healthy infant can run into years.

Step 3: Referral, Matching and Acceptance

Children who are orphaned, abandoned or surrendered are declared legally free for adoption by the Child Welfare Committee. As and when your turn arrives, profiles of children matching your preferences are referred to you through CARINGS, with the child study report and medical examination report. You have a limited time window to reserve and accept a referral, so respond promptly. After acceptance, you visit the child at the agency and sign the pre-adoption foster care undertaking, after which the child is placed in your care.

Documents Required

Keep scanned copies ready of: proof of identity and address for both applicants, PAN, recent photographs, marriage certificate where applicable, proof of income such as salary slips or income tax returns, medical fitness certificates from a registered medical practitioner, and two reference letters from acquaintances. Where an applicant is divorced or widowed, the relevant decree or certificate is needed. Incomplete documentation is the most common reason registrations stall, so upload clear and current documents at the outset.

Step 4: The Adoption Order

Following the Juvenile Justice (Amendment) Act, 2021, which came into force on September 1, 2022, the adoption order is issued by the District Magistrate rather than a civil court. The Specialised Adoption Agency files the adoption application before the District Magistrate of the district where it is located, and the District Magistrate, after satisfying himself that the adoption is in the best interest of the child, passes the adoption order. Any person aggrieved by the order can appeal to the Divisional Commissioner within thirty days. After the order, a new birth certificate is issued showing the adoptive parents, and the adoption is full and final: the child becomes the lawful child of the adoptive family for all purposes, including inheritance.

Key Takeaways

Register on CARINGS at cara.wcd.gov.in; private or direct adoptions of unrelated children outside this system have no legal sanctity and can amount to an offence. Check eligibility under Section 57 of the Juvenile Justice Act before applying. The process runs from registration and home study to referral, pre-adoption foster care and the District Magistrate's adoption order. Relative and step-parent adoptions follow a separate, simpler track under the same regulations. Patience matters: lawful adoption takes time because every safeguard exists to protect the child.