Jogula Dattu Seva Kendra

Eligibility criteria for prospective adoptive parents

The prospective adoptive parents shall be physically, mentally and emotionally stable, financially capable and shall not have any life threatening medical condition.
Any prospective adoptive parents, irrespective of his marital status and whether or not he has biological son or daughter, can adopt a child subject to following, namely:-
1. the consent of both the spouses for the adoption shall be required, in case of a married couple;
2. a single female can adopt a child of any gender;
3. a single male shall not be eligible to adopt a girl child;
No child shall be given in adoption to a couple unless they have at least two years of stable marital relationship.

The age of prospective adoptive parents, as on the date of registration, shall be counted for deciding the eligibility and the eligibility of prospective adoptive parents to apply for children of different age groups shall be as under:-

Age of the child	Maximum composite age of prospective adoptive parents (couple)	Maximum age of single prospective adoptive parent
Upto 4 years	90 years	45 years
Above 4 and upto 8 years	100 years	50 years
Above 8 and upto 18 years	110 years	55 years

In case of couple, the composite age of the prospective adoptive parents shall be counted.
The minimum age difference between the child and either of the prospective adoptive parents shall not be less than twenty-five years.
The age criteria for prospective adoptive parents shall not be applicable in case of relative adoptions and adoption by step-parent.
Couples with three or more children shall not be considered for adoption except in case of special need children as defined in sub-regulation (21) of regulation 2, hard to place children as mentioned in regulation 50 and in case of relative adoption and adoption by step-parent.

Adoption Procedure for Resident Indians

9.Registration and home study of the prospective adoptive parents:

The Indian prospective adoptive parents irrespective of their religion, if interested to adopt an orphan or abandoned or surrendered child, shall apply for the same to Specialised Adoption Agencies through Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System by filling up the online application form, as provided in Schedule VI, and uploading the relevant documents thereby registering themselves as prospective adoptive parents.
The prospective adoptive parents shall opt for desired State or States by giving option for those particular States at the time of registration.
Registration on Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System would be a deemed registration in all Specialised Adoption Agencies of the State or States they have opted for.
The registration number of prospective adoptive parents shall be available with all the Specialised Adoption Agencies in those State or States, as the case may be.
The registration shall be complete and confirmed to the prospective adoptive parents immediately on receipt of the completed application form and requisite documents on Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System:

Provided that the documents shall be uploaded within a period of thirty days from the date of registration failing which the prospective adoptive parents have to register afresh.
The prospective adoptive parents shall get their registration number from the acknowledgement slip and use it for viewing the progress of their application.
The prospective adoptive parents shall select a Specialised Adoption Agency nearest to their residence for Home Study Report in their State of habitual residence.
The Home Study Report of the prospective adoptive parents shall be prepared through the social worker of selected Specialised Adoption Agency and in case they are unable to conduct Home Study Report within stipulated time, they shall take the assistance of a social worker from a panel maintained by the State Adoption Resource Agency or District Child Protection Unit, as the case may be.
The Specialised Adoption Agency or the empanelled social worker of the State Adoption Resource Agency or District Child Protection Unit shall counsel the prospective adoptive parents during the home study.
The Home Study Report shall be completed in the format given in Schedule VII, within thirty days from the date of submission of requisite documents and shall be shared with the prospective adoptive parents immediately, thereafter.
The Home Study Report shall be posted in the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System by the Specialised Adoption Agency as soon as it is complete.
The Home Study Report shall remain valid for three years and shall be the basis for adoption of a child by the prospective adoptive parents from anywhere in the country.
The prospective adoptive parents shall be declared eligible and suitable by the Specialised Adoption Agency based upon the Home Study Report and supporting documents and in case any prospective adoptive parent is not declared eligible or suitable, the reasons for the same shall be recorded in the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System.
The prospective adoptive parents may appeal against the decision of rejection to the Authority as provided regulation 59.
The appeal referred to in sub-regulation (14) shall be disposed of within a period of fifteen days and the decision of the Authority in this regard shall be binding.
The District Child Protection Unit shall facilitate online registration of application of prospective adoptive parents, uploading of their documents and also for addressing technical difficulties faced by the Specialised Adoption Agencies.
The adoption of a child by the prospective adoptive parents, after completion of their registration and Home Study Report, shall depend upon the availability of a suitable child.

10. Referral of a child from a Specialised Adoption Agency through Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System to prospective adoptive parents:

The seniority of the prospective adoptive parents for child referral shall be from the date of uploading of documents and completion of registration process in Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System.
On the basis of seniority, the prospective adoptive parents shall be referred online profile of three children which will include the photographs, Child Study Report and Medical Examination Report, in their preference category, if any, from one or more Specialised Adoption Agencies through the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System in one or more referrals.
After viewing the profile of the child or children, the prospective adoptive parents may reserve one child within a period of forty-eight hours for possible adoption and the rest of the children would be released by Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System for other prospective adoptive parents in the waiting list.
The Specialised Adoption Agency shall get the details of the prospective adoptive parents through the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System for fixing an appointment with the prospective adoptive parents for matching, to assess the suitability of the prospective adoptive parents by an Adoption Committee as defined in sub-regulation (2) of regulation 2 and the Adoption Committee shall prepare the minutes of the meeting as per format provided in Schedule XXVII.
The quorum of the Adoption Committee shall be two members and the quorum of the Adoption Committee in case of adoption from a Child Care Institution shall be three members, while the presence of one official from the District Child Protection Unit would be mandatory.
The Specialised Adoption Agency shall also organise a meeting of the prospective adoptive parents with the child.
The entire process of matching shall be completed within a maximum period of twenty days from the date of reserving the child.
The Specialised Adoption Agency shall counsel the prospective adoptive parents when they visit the agency for matching.
While accepting the child, the prospective adoptive parents shall sign the Child Study Report and Medical Examination Report which may be downloaded from the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System, in the presence of the social worker or chief functionary of the Specialised Adoption Agency and the Specialised Adoption Agency shall record the acceptance by the prospective adoptive parents in the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System.
In case the prospective adoptive parents are not selected for the child by the Adoption Committee, the reason for non-selection of the prospective adoptive parents shall be recorded in the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System.
If grounds of rejection are found to be due to systemic error or on non-justifiable reasons, seniority of the prospective adoptive parents shall be retained.
In case the prospective adoptive parents do not accept the reserved child or the Adoption Committee does not find the prospective adoptive parents suitable, then the prospective adoptive parents shall be relegated to the bottom of the seniority list, as on that date, who may avail a fresh chance when the seniority becomes due and the same procedure shall be followed in the subsequent chances.
In all cases referred to in sub-regulations (12), the reasons for not considering the child have to be clearly stated in Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System.
The registration of prospective adoptive parents shall continue till child adoption, with revalidation of the Home Study Report in every three years.
The prospective adoptive parents may also get the Medical Examination Report of the child reviewed by a medical practitioner of their choice before giving their acceptance for adoption of the child.

11. Pre-adoption foster care:

The child shall be taken in pre-adoption foster care by the prospective adoptive parents within ten days from the date of matching, after signing the pre-adoption foster care undertaking in the format provided in Schedule VIII.

12. Legal procedure:

The Specialised Adoption Agency shall file an application in the court concerned, having jurisdiction over the place where the Specialised Adoption Agency is located, with relevant documents in original as specified in Schedule IX within ten working days from the date of matching of the child with the prospective adoptive parents and in case of inter-country adoption, from the date of receiving No Objection Certificate from the Authority, for obtaining the adoption order from court.
The Specialised Adoption Agency shall file an application in the given format as per Schedule XXVIII or XXIX, as applicable.
In case the child is from a Child Care Institution, which is not a Specialised Adoption Agency and is located in another district, the Specialised Adoption Agency shall file the application in the court concerned, in the district where the child or the Specialised Adoption Agency is located and in such a case, the Child Care Institution will be a co-petitioner along with the Specialised Adoption Agency and the Child Care Institution shall render necessary assistance to the Specialised Adoption Agency concerned.
In case of siblings or twins, the Specialised Adoption Agency shall file single application in the court.
Since an adoption case is non-adversarial in nature, the Specialised Adoption Agency shall not make any opposite party or respondent in the adoption application.
The court shall hold the adoption proceeding in-camera and dispose of the case within a period of two months from the date of filing of the adoption application by the Specialised Adoption Agency, as provided under sub-section (2) of section 61 of the Act.
The adoptive parents shall not be asked in the adoption order to execute any bond or make investment in the name of the child, considering the fact that their psycho-social profile and financial status have already been ascertained from the Home Study Report and other supporting documents.
The Specialised Adoption Agency shall obtain a certified copy of the adoption order from the court and shall forward it to the prospective adoptive parents within ten days and it shall also post a copy of the order and update the relevant entries in the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System.
Registration of an adoption deed shall not be mandatory as per the Act.
The Specialised Adoption Agency shall apply to the birth certificate issuing authority for obtaining the birth certificate of the child within three working days from the date of issuance of adoption order, with the name of adoptive parents as parents, and date of birth as recorded in the adoption order and the same shall be issued by the issuing authority within five working days from the date of receipt of the application.
The Specialised Adoption Agency shall submit an affidavit to the court while filing a petition as provided in Schedule XXIII.

13. Follow-up of progress of adopted child:

The Specialised Adoption Agency which has prepared the Home Study Report, shall prepare the post-adoption follow-up report on six monthly basis for two years from the date of pre-adoption foster placement with the prospective adoptive parents, in the format as provided in Schedule XII and upload the same in Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System along with photographs of the child.
In case the adoptive parents relocate, they shall inform the agency which has conducted their home study and the District Child Protection Unit of the district where they relocate.

Adoption Procedure For Non-Resident Indian, Overseas Citizen Of India And Foreign Prospective Adoptive Parents

14.Non-Resident Indian to be treated at par with resident Indian-

Non-resident Indian prospective adoptive parents shall be treated at par with Indians living in India in terms of priority for adoption of Indian orphan, abandoned or surrendered children.

15. Registration and Home Study Report for prospective adoptive parents for inter-country adoption:

Any Non-Resident Indian, Overseas Citizen of India or foreign prospective adoptive parents, living in a country which is a signatory to the Hague Adoption Convention and wishing to adopt an Indian child, can approach the Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency or the Central Authority concerned, as the case may be, for preparation of their Home Study Report and for their registration in Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System
In case, there is no Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency or Central Authority in their country of habitual residence, then the prospective adoptive parents shall approach the Government department or Indian diplomatic mission concerned in that country for the purpose.
The Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency or Central Authority or the Government department or the Indian diplomatic mission concerned, as the case may be, on ascertaining the eligibility of the prospective adoptive parents for adopting a child, shall get their Home Study Report completed and register their application in Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System in the format along with the required documents as specified in Schedule VI.
The seniority of the prospective adoptive parents shall be counted from the date of their registration and uploading of requisite documents in the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System.
The Home Study Report and other documents of the prospective adoptive parents, referred to in this Chapter, shall be scrutinised at the Authority in order to determine their eligibility and suitability and be forwarded to the Specialised Adoption Agency where children legally free for adoption are available.
The profiles of two children, in one or two referral(s), shall be forwarded by Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System to the Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency or Central Authority or Government department or Indian diplomatic mission, as the case may be, which may further forward such profiles to the prospective adoptive parents concerned as per local rules and in case of a foreigner or Overseas Citizen of India, the profiles of children shall be referred to the prospective adoptive parents.
The prospective adoptive parents may reserve one of the referred children within ninety-six hours and the profile of the other child shall stand automatically withdrawn.
In case the prospective adoptive parents fail to reserve any of the children within ninety-six hours, then the profiles of both the children shall stand automatically withdrawn.
Preference of the prospective adoptive parents shall be taken into consideration when sending referrals to them.
If the prospective adoptive parents reserve one of the children shown, they shall accept the child by signing the Child Study Report and Medical Examination Report of the child within thirty days from the date of reservation.
The Child Study Report, Medical Examination Report and photograph of the child, in original, shall be sent by the Specialised Adoption Agency to the Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency or Central Authority or the Indian diplomatic mission concerned.
In case the prospective adoptive parents fail to accept the reserved child within thirty days, then the profile of the child shall stand withdrawn by the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System and the seniority of the prospective adoptive parents shall be relegated to the bottom of the list; and shall be given another opportunity to reserve and accept a child when their turn becomes due, provided that their Home Study Report remains valid.
If the prospective adoptive parents desire to visit the Specialised Adoption Agency to see the child in person, before accepting him for adoption, such visit may be made after their adoption application is approved by the Authority and the prospective adoptive parents may also get the Medical Examination Report of the child reviewed by a medical practitioner of their choice.
The Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency shall forward the original documents of the prospective adoptive parents, as specified in Schedule IX, to the Specialised Adoption Agency concerned for their scrutiny.
All documents forming part of the Home Study Report shall be notarised and the signature of the notary is to be apostilled by competent authority of the receiving country in cases of Hague Adoption Convention ratified countries, however the documents originating from India shall be self-attested.
If the documents are in any language other than English, then the originals must be accompanied by translations in English, duly attested by the agency or authority in the country of residence of the prospective adoptive parents designated for the purpose of attestation or apostille.

16. No Objection Certificate of Authority and pre-adoption foster care:

The Authority shall issue No Objection Certificate in favour of the proposed adoption in the format at Schedule X, within ten days from the date of receipt of the acceptance of the child by the prospective adoptive parents and letter of approval or permission of the receiving country as per Article 5 and Article 17 of the Hague Adoption Convention, wherever applicable; and a copy of the No Objection Certificate shall also be endorsed to all concerned and posted in Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System forthwith.
The prospective adoptive parents may take the child in pre-adoption foster care for a temporary period within India after issuance of No Objection Certificate by the Authority while the court order is pending, by furnishing an undertaking to the Specialised Adoption Agency in the format at Schedule VIII.
The prospective adoptive parents shall receive final custody of the child from the Specialised Adoption Agency as soon as the passport and visa are issued to the child after issue of adoption order from the competent court.

17. Legal Procedure:

The legal procedure as provided in regulation12 shall, mutatis mutandis be followed in cases of inter-country adoption under this Chapter.
In cases of the prospective adoptive parents habitually residing abroad and wanting the Specialised Adoption Agency to represent on their behalf as well, the application shall also be accompanied by a Power of Attorney in favour of the social worker or adoption in-charge of the Specialised Adoption Agency which is processing the case and such Power of Attorney shall authorise a social worker to handle the case on behalf of the prospective adoptive parents.

18. Passport and visa, intimation to immigration authorities, Conformity Certificate, Birth Certificate, etc.

The Authority shall issue a Conformity Certificate under Article 23 of the Hague Adoption Convention in the format provided in Schedule XI within three working days from the date of availability of the adoption order in the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System, in case the receiving country of the adopted child is a signatory to the Hague Adoption Convention.
The Authority shall inform the immigration authorities and the foreign regional registration office or the foreign registration office concerned, as the case may be, about confirmation of the adoption.
To obtain Indian passport for the adopted child, the Specialised Adoption Agency shall submit the application to the regional passport officer within three working days from the date of receipt of the adoption order.
The regional passport office shall issue passport for the adopted child within ten days from the date of receipt of application, in accordance with the circulars regarding issuance of passport to inter-country adopted children, issued by the Ministry of External Affairs of the Central Government from time to time.
The Specialised Adoption Agency shall approach the birth certificate issuing authority for obtaining birth certificate of the adopted child, with the name of adoptive parents, as parents, and date of birth as recorded in the adoption order within a period of three days of obtaining of the certified copy of the adoption order.
The adopted child shall be entitled to receive Overseas Citizen of India card, if found eligible.
The adoptive parent(s) shall come to India for taking the adopted child to their country within a period of two months from the date of adoption order.

19. Follow-up of progress of adopted child by Non-Resident Indian, Overseas Citizens of India and foreign prospective adoptive parents.

The Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency or the Central Authority or Indian diplomatic mission or Government department concerned, as the case may be, shall report the progress of the adopted child for two years from the date of arrival of the adopted child in the receiving country, on a quarterly basis during the first year and on six monthly basis in the second year, by uploading online in the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System in the format provided in Schedule XII along with photographs of the child.
On the basis of the progress report or in course of post-adoption home visits, if an adjustment problem of an adoptee with the adoptive parents comes to the notice of the Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency or Central Authority or the Government department concerned in the receiving country, necessary counseling shall be arranged for the adoptive parents and for the adoptee, wherever applicable.
If it is found that the adoptee is unable to adjust in the adoptive family or that the continuance of the child in the adoptive family is not in the interest of the child, the Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency or Central Authority or the Government department in the receiving country or Indian diplomatic mission concerned, as the case may be, shall withdraw the child and provide necessary counseling and shall arrange for suitable alternate adoption or foster placement of the child in that country, in consultation with the Indian diplomatic mission and the Authority.
In case of disruption or dissolution of adoption, the child shall be entitled to receive care, protection and rehabilitation through the child protection services of that country and as per Hague Adoption Convention for the Hague Adoption Convention ratified countries.
The Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency or Central Authority or Government department concerned shall contact Indian diplomatic mission to render necessary help and facilitate the repatriation of the child, if required.
The Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency or Central Authority or Government department concerned, may organise annual get-together of Indian adoptees and their adoptive parents and forward a report of the event to the Authority and the Indian diplomatic missions shall facilitate such get-togethers.
The prospective adoptive parents shall furnish an undertaking to the effect that they would allow personal visits of the representative of Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency, the foreign Central Authority or Government department concerned, as the case may be, to ascertain the progress of the child with the adoptive parents or family at least for a period of two years from the date of arrival of the child in the receiving country.

22. Procedure for adoption of a child from a foreign country by Indian citizens

Necessary formalities for adoption of a child from a foreign country by Indian citizens shall initially be completed in that country as per their law and procedure.
On receiving Home Study Report of the prospective adoptive parents (including supporting documents), Child Study Report and Medical Examination Report of the child, the Authority shall issue the approval, as required in the cases of adoption of children coming to India as a receiving country under Articles 5 and 17 of the Hague Adoption Convention.
A child adopted abroad by the Indian citizens, having a foreign passport, and requiring the Indian visa to come to India, shall apply for visa to the Indian mission in the country concerned, who may issue entry visa to the child after checking all the relevant documents so as to ensure that the adoption has been done following the due procedure.
The immigration clearance for the child adopted abroad shall be obtained from the Central Government in the Foreigners’ Division, Ministry of Home Affairs, through the Indian diplomatic mission to that country.

Adoption Procedure for Intercountry Relative Adoption

53. Inter-country relative adoptions:

A Non-Resident Indian or an Overseas Citizen of India, interested to adopt a relative’s child, may approach an Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency or the Central Authority in the country of residence for preparation of their Home Study Report and for online registration in Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System.
In case there is no Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency or Central Authority in their country of residence, then the prospective adoptive parents interested to adopt a relative’s child shall approach the Government departmentconcerned or Indian diplomatic mission (in cases of Indian citizens) in that country.
The Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency or Central Authority or the department concerned or the Indian diplomatic mission (in cases of Indian citizens), as the case may be, on completion of the Home Study Report, shall register the application of the prospective adoptive parents in Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System along with the required documents as mentioned in Schedule VI.
Any person, who takes or sends a child to a foreign country or takes part in any arrangement for transferring the care and custody of a child to another person in a foreign country without a valid order from the competent Court, shall be punishable as per the provisions of section 80 of the Act.

54. Prior approval for inter-country relative adoption from Authority:

On receipt of all requisite documents on Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System, the Authority shall forward the same to District Child Protection Unit for obtaining family background report of the child proposed for adoption, as provided in Schedule XXI.
The District Child Protection Unit shall get the family background report conducted by its social worker and for this purpose, it can charge a fee as stipulated in the norms prescribed by the Authority from time to time.
District Child Protection Unit shall forward a copy of the family background report of the child and the biological family to the Authority for onward submission to Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency or Central Authority or Indian Mission abroad.
On receiving family background report of the relative’s child, the Authority shall forward the same to the receiving country as required under Articles 15 and 16 of the Hague Adoption Convention along with a pre-approval letter supporting the proposed adoption.
The Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency or Central Authority, on receiving requisite documents as stipulated in sub regulation (3), shall arrange to forward a certificate under Article 5 or Article 17 of the Hague Adoption Convention to the Authority.
In case of countries which are not signatories to Hague Adoption Convention, in respect of Indian citizens, family background report of the relative’s child and prior approval letter from the Authority shall be forwarded to the Indian Mission of that country which will issue a recommendation letter to the Authority.

55. Legal Procedure:

The prospective adoptive parents, who intend to adopt the child of a relative as defined in sub-section (52) of section 2 of the Act, shall file an application in the competent court under sub-section 2 of section 56 or sub section (1) of section 60 of the Act in case of in-country relative adoption or inter-country relative adoption, respectively, alongwith a consent letter of the biological parents as provided in Schedule XIX and all other documents as provided in Schedule VI.
The biological parent and the step-parent, who intend to adopt the child or children of the biological parent, shall file the adoption application as provided in Schedule XXXII, in the court concerned of the district where they reside, along with consent letter of the biological parents and the step-parent adopting the child or children, as provided in the Schedule XX and all other documents as provided in Schedule VI.
The prospective adoptive parents, in case of inter-country relative adoption, shall file the adoption application in the court concerned of the district, where the child resides with biological parents or guardians as provided in Schedule XXXI.
The prospective adoptive parents shall file an application in Family Court or District Court or City Civil Court, as the case may be.
Before issuing an adoption order, the court shall satisfy itself of the various conditions stipulated under section 61 of the Act, and regulations 51 to 56, as the case may be.
The prospective adoptive parents shall obtain a certified copy of the adoption order from the court and furnish a copy of the same to the District Child Protection Unit for online submission to the Authority.

Adoption Procedure for Step Parents

52. Adoption by step-parent:

The couple (step-parent and one of the biological parents) shall register in Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System with the required documents as mentioned in Schedule VI.
Consent of the biological parent(s) and the step-parent adopting the child or children shall be as provided in the Schedule XX (refer instructions in Schedule XX).
In case the custody of the child is under litigation, the adoption process shall be initiated only after the finalisation of the case by the court concerned.
The biological parent and the step-parent shall file an application in the Family Court or District Court or City Civil Court as the case may be, as per format given at Schedule XXXII.
The applicants shall obtain a certified copy of the adoption order from the court concerned and furnish a copy of the same online to the Authority through Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System.

55. Legal Procedure:

The prospective adoptive parents, who intend to adopt the child of a relative as defined in sub-section (52) of section 2 of the Act, shall file an application in the competent court under sub-section 2 of section 56 or sub section (1) of section 60 of the Act in case of in-country relative adoption or inter-country relative adoption, respectively, alongwith a consent letter of the biological parents as provided in Schedule XIX and all other documents as provided in Schedule VI.
The biological parent and the step-parent, who intend to adopt the child or children of the biological parent, shall file the adoption application as provided in Schedule XXXII, in the court concerned of the district where they reside, along with consent letter of the biological parents and the step-parent adopting the child or children, as provided in the Schedule XX and all other documents as provided in Schedule VI.
The prospective adoptive parents, in case of inter-country relative adoption, shall file the adoption application in the court concerned of the district, where the child resides with biological parents or guardians as provided in Schedule XXXI.
The prospective adoptive parents shall file an application in Family Court or District Court or City Civil Court, as the case may be.
Before issuing an adoption order, the court shall satisfy itself of the various conditions stipulated under section 61 of the Act, and regulations 51 to 56, as the case may be.
The prospective adoptive parents shall obtain a certified copy of the adoption order from the court and furnish a copy of the same to the District Child Protection Unit for online submission to the Authority.

Eligibility criteria for prospective adoptive parents

The prospective adoptive parents shall be physically, mentally and emotionally stable, financially capable and shall not have any life threatening medical condition.

Any prospective adoptive parents, irrespective of his marital status and whether or not he has biological son or daughter, can adopt a child subject to following, namely:-

the consent of both the spouses for the adoption shall be required, in case of a married couple;

a single female can adopt a child of any gender;

a single male shall not be eligible to adopt a girl child;

No child shall be given in adoption to a couple unless they have at least two years of stable marital relationship.

The age of prospective adoptive parents, as on the date of registration, shall be counted for deciding the eligibility and the eligibility of prospective adoptive parents to apply for children of different age groups shall be as under:-

Age of the child

Maximum composite age of prospective adoptive parents (couple)

Maximum age of single prospective adoptive parent

Upto 4 years

90 years

45 years

Above 4 and upto 8 years

100 years

50 years

Above 8 and upto 18 years

110 years

55 years

In case of couple, the composite age of the prospective adoptive parents shall be counted.

The minimum age difference between the child and either of the prospective adoptive parents shall not be less than twenty-five years.

The age criteria for prospective adoptive parents shall not be applicable in case of relative adoptions and adoption by step-parent.

Couples with three or more children shall not be considered for adoption except in case of special need children as defined in sub-regulation (21) of regulation 2, hard to place children as mentioned in regulation 50 and in case of relative adoption and adoption by step-parent.

Adoption Procedure for Resident Indians

9.Registration and home study of the prospective adoptive parents:

The prospective adoptive parents shall opt for desired State or States by giving option for those particular States at the time of registration.

Registration on Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System would be a deemed registration in all Specialised Adoption Agencies of the State or States they have opted for.

The registration number of prospective adoptive parents shall be available with all the Specialised Adoption Agencies in those State or States, as the case may be.

The registration shall be complete and confirmed to the prospective adoptive parents immediately on receipt of the completed application form and requisite documents on Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System:

Provided that the documents shall be uploaded within a period of thirty days from the date of registration failing which the prospective adoptive parents have to register afresh.

The prospective adoptive parents shall get their registration number from the acknowledgement slip and use it for viewing the progress of their application.

The prospective adoptive parents shall select a Specialised Adoption Agency nearest to their residence for Home Study Report in their State of habitual residence.

The Specialised Adoption Agency or the empanelled social worker of the State Adoption Resource Agency or District Child Protection Unit shall counsel the prospective adoptive parents during the home study.

The Home Study Report shall be completed in the format given in Schedule VII, within thirty days from the date of submission of requisite documents and shall be shared with the prospective adoptive parents immediately, thereafter.

The Home Study Report shall be posted in the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System by the Specialised Adoption Agency as soon as it is complete.

The Home Study Report shall remain valid for three years and shall be the basis for adoption of a child by the prospective adoptive parents from anywhere in the country.

The prospective adoptive parents may appeal against the decision of rejection to the Authority as provided regulation 59.

The appeal referred to in sub-regulation (14) shall be disposed of within a period of fifteen days and the decision of the Authority in this regard shall be binding.

The District Child Protection Unit shall facilitate online registration of application of prospective adoptive parents, uploading of their documents and also for addressing technical difficulties faced by the Specialised Adoption Agencies.

The adoption of a child by the prospective adoptive parents, after completion of their registration and Home Study Report, shall depend upon the availability of a suitable child.

10. Referral of a child from a Specialised Adoption Agency through Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System to prospective adoptive parents:

The seniority of the prospective adoptive parents for child referral shall be from the date of uploading of documents and completion of registration process in Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System.

The quorum of the Adoption Committee shall be two members and the quorum of the Adoption Committee in case of adoption from a Child Care Institution shall be three members, while the presence of one official from the District Child Protection Unit would be mandatory.

The Specialised Adoption Agency shall also organise a meeting of the prospective adoptive parents with the child.

The entire process of matching shall be completed within a maximum period of twenty days from the date of reserving the child.

The Specialised Adoption Agency shall counsel the prospective adoptive parents when they visit the agency for matching.

In case the prospective adoptive parents are not selected for the child by the Adoption Committee, the reason for non-selection of the prospective adoptive parents shall be recorded in the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System.

If grounds of rejection are found to be due to systemic error or on non-justifiable reasons, seniority of the prospective adoptive parents shall be retained.

In all cases referred to in sub-regulations (12), the reasons for not considering the child have to be clearly stated in Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System.

The registration of prospective adoptive parents shall continue till child adoption, with revalidation of the Home Study Report in every three years.

The prospective adoptive parents may also get the Medical Examination Report of the child reviewed by a medical practitioner of their choice before giving their acceptance for adoption of the child.

11. Pre-adoption foster care:

The child shall be taken in pre-adoption foster care by the prospective adoptive parents within ten days from the date of matching, after signing the pre-adoption foster care undertaking in the format provided in Schedule VIII.

12. Legal procedure:

The Specialised Adoption Agency shall file an application in the given format as per Schedule XXVIII or XXIX, as applicable.

In case of siblings or twins, the Specialised Adoption Agency shall file single application in the court.

Since an adoption case is non-adversarial in nature, the Specialised Adoption Agency shall not make any opposite party or respondent in the adoption application.

The court shall hold the adoption proceeding in-camera and dispose of the case within a period of two months from the date of filing of the adoption application by the Specialised Adoption Agency, as provided under sub-section (2) of section 61 of the Act.

The adoptive parents shall not be asked in the adoption order to execute any bond or make investment in the name of the child, considering the fact that their psycho-social profile and financial status have already been ascertained from the Home Study Report and other supporting documents.

Registration of an adoption deed shall not be mandatory as per the Act.

The Specialised Adoption Agency shall submit an affidavit to the court while filing a petition as provided in Schedule XXIII.

13. Follow-up of progress of adopted child:

In case the adoptive parents relocate, they shall inform the agency which has conducted their home study and the District Child Protection Unit of the district where they relocate.

Adoption Procedure For Non-Resident Indian, Overseas Citizen Of India And Foreign Prospective Adoptive Parents

14.Non-Resident Indian to be treated at par with resident Indian-

Non-resident Indian prospective adoptive parents shall be treated at par with Indians living in India in terms of priority for adoption of Indian orphan, abandoned or surrendered children.

15. Registration and Home Study Report for prospective adoptive parents for inter-country adoption:

In case, there is no Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency or Central Authority in their country of habitual residence, then the prospective adoptive parents shall approach the Government department or Indian diplomatic mission concerned in that country for the purpose.

The seniority of the prospective adoptive parents shall be counted from the date of their registration and uploading of requisite documents in the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System.

The prospective adoptive parents may reserve one of the referred children within ninety-six hours and the profile of the other child shall stand automatically withdrawn.

In case the prospective adoptive parents fail to reserve any of the children within ninety-six hours, then the profiles of both the children shall stand automatically withdrawn.

Preference of the prospective adoptive parents shall be taken into consideration when sending referrals to them.

If the prospective adoptive parents reserve one of the children shown, they shall accept the child by signing the Child Study Report and Medical Examination Report of the child within thirty days from the date of reservation.

The Child Study Report, Medical Examination Report and photograph of the child, in original, shall be sent by the Specialised Adoption Agency to the Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency or Central Authority or the Indian diplomatic mission concerned.

The Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency shall forward the original documents of the prospective adoptive parents, as specified in Schedule IX, to the Specialised Adoption Agency concerned for their scrutiny.

All documents forming part of the Home Study Report shall be notarised and the signature of the notary is to be apostilled by competent authority of the receiving country in cases of Hague Adoption Convention ratified countries, however the documents originating from India shall be self-attested.

If the documents are in any language other than English, then the originals must be accompanied by translations in English, duly attested by the agency or authority in the country of residence of the prospective adoptive parents designated for the purpose of attestation or apostille.

16. No Objection Certificate of Authority and pre-adoption foster care: