Intercountry adoption

Dear Client,
While you informed us about the age of the adoptee, you did not mention the present age of the adoptive parents. However, be informed that the maximum age for a single parent to adopt is 55 years, and the maximum composite age for a couple is 110 years. As per the Adoption Regulations, 2022, all the Adoption Orders issued by the Courts are now replaced by Adoption Orders issued by the District Magistrate, as per the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Act, 2021. Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) who wish to adopt a child legally shall register himself or herself online at https://carings.wcd.gov.in. As per Regulation 3(a), the child's best interests shall be of paramount consideration while processing any adoption placement; (b) preference shall be given to placing the child in adoption with Indian citizens with due regard to the principle of placement of the child in their own socio-cultural environment, as far as possible; (c) all applications for adoptions shall be registered on the Designated Portal and confidentiality of the same shall be maintained by the Authority. A child eligible for adoption as per Regulation 4 is namely, (a) any orphan or abandoned or surrendered child, declared legally free for adoption by the Child Welfare Committee; (b) a child of a relative defined under clause (52) of section 2; (c) child or children of the spouse from an earlier marriage, surrendered by the biological parents for adoption by the step-parent. Various recognized agencies and authorities have been assigned roles to facilitate the adoption process as per the Guidelines Governing The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015 as amended in 2021. Child adoption can be done by either single PAPs or married couples with 2 years of stable marriage. Section 57(4) of the JJ Act, 2015 and Regulation 5(2)(c) mention that a single male is not eligible to adopt a girl child. The entire adoption process is carried out following the provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (amended in 2021) and Adoption Regulations 2022. The database of Prospective Adoption Parents (PAPs) is maintained and managed through the designated CARINGS portal. The adoption process is carried out by the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) following the Juvenile Justice Act 2015 (as amended 2021) and the Adoption Regulations 2022. The waiting period depends on the seniority of the Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) and of legally free children based on the preference of Prospective Adoptive Parents as per age, gender, health status, state, etc. Regulation 49 of the Adoption Regulations, 2022, states that the prospective adoptive parents shall bear the expenses for adoption and the Specialised Adoption Agencies shall adhere to the adoption fees and their utilization pattern as provided in the Schedule XV, which shall be revised by the Authority from time to time. In continuation of the same, the Steering Committee of the Authority, in its 36th meeting held on 02/01/2024, has decided that the adoption fees, once submitted by the prospective adoptive parents to the Specialised Adoption Agencies, stand non-refundable. If required, consult or hire an Advocate in India specializing in adoption matters to navigate the adoption process in the right way.