How to Adopt a Child in India: CARA Process & Eligibility

Adopting a child in India is a regulated, court-monitored process designed to protect the child’s best interests. Most adoptions today run through the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), a statutory body under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, using its online CARINGS portal (Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System). This guide explains the legal framework, eligibility, documents, timeline and the step-by-step CARA process as it stands in 2026. If you are weighing your options, our child adoption lawyers can guide you through the route best suited to your family.

The legal framework

Three pieces of law govern adoption in India:

• Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 — the principal statute for adopting orphaned, abandoned and surrendered children, open to people of any religion.
• CARA Adoption Regulations, 2022 — the detailed procedural rules for registration, matching and adoption under the JJ Act.
• Juvenile Justice (Amendment) Act, 2021 — a key change. With effect from 1 September 2022, adoption orders are now issued by the District Magistrate (or Additional District Magistrate), not the civil court, to speed up disposal and increase accountability. An aggrieved party may appeal to the Divisional Commissioner within 30 days.
• Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 (HAMA) — a separate, deed-based route for Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs (explained below).

Types of adoption

• In-country adoption — resident Indian parents adopting a child living in India.
• Inter-country adoption — adoption by Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) or foreign nationals.
• Relative adoption — adoption within the family (e.g. by an uncle, aunt or grandparent) across the paternal or maternal line.
• Step-parent adoption — adoption of a spouse’s child from an earlier marriage.

Eligibility criteria

Under the 2022 Regulations, prospective adoptive parents must be physically fit, financially sound, mentally stable and motivated to adopt. Key rules:

• A couple must have at least two years of stable marriage.
• Single women may adopt a child of any gender; single men may adopt only a boy.
• The minimum age gap between child and either parent must be at least 25 years (this and the age limits below do not apply to relative or step-parent adoptions).
• Couples with two or more children are normally considered only for special-needs or hard-to-place children.

The maximum composite age (the sum of both spouses’ ages, or the single parent’s age) depends on the child’s age bracket:

Age of the child	Max composite age — couple	Max age — single parent
Up to 4 years	90 years	45 years
4 to 8 years	100 years	50 years
8 to 18 years	110 years	55 years

Registration on CARINGS continues until parents reach the maximum of 55 years (single) or a combined 110 years (couple).

Documents required

Within 30 days of registering on CARINGS, parents upload (per Schedule VI of the Regulations):

• Identity proof — Aadhaar, passport, voter card or driving licence; PAN card.
• Recent passport-size photographs of the parents (and family).
• Proof of residence — Aadhaar, voter card, passport, or current electricity/telephone bill.
• Proof of income for the previous year — salary slip, income certificate or income-tax return.
• Medical certificate from a registered practitioner confirming each parent is free of chronic, contagious or fatal disease and fit to adopt.
• Marital-status proof — marriage certificate, divorce decree or spouse’s death certificate, as applicable.
• Consent of any older child in the adoptive family (where relevant).

The CARA process, step by step

1. Register on CARINGS. Prospective parents create an account on the CARINGS portal and complete the online application.
2. Upload documents. Submit the Schedule VI documents within 30 days of registration.
3. Home Study Report (HSR). A Specialised Adoption Agency (SAA) carries out the home study assessing your suitability. The HSR is valid for three years.
4. Become eligible and wait for a referral. Once found eligible, parents are placed in a seniority list. When their turn comes, CARINGS shows profiles of legally free children matching their preference.
5. Reserve and accept a referral. Parents may reserve a child’s profile and medical record (and meet the child) within the stipulated window, then accept the match.
6. Pre-adoption foster care. After matching, the SAA hands the child to the parents under a foster-care arrangement while paperwork is completed.
7. File for the adoption order. The SAA files the application, and the District Magistrate issues the adoption order (since 1 September 2022 — no civil-court decree is needed).
8. Birth certificate and follow-up. A revised birth certificate is issued, and the SAA conducts post-adoption follow-up visits.

Indicative timeline

From a complete CARINGS registration to a referral, the wait commonly runs from several months to a couple of years, driven mainly by the seniority queue and the availability of children matching the chosen profile. Once a child is referred and accepted, the remaining stages — foster care, filing and the District Magistrate’s order — usually take a few months.

The HAMA route

The Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 is a separate, faster route available only to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs adopting from within the community (often a relative’s child). Here, a valid adoption is effected by a registered adoption deed rather than a CARA referral or District Magistrate order; a registered deed carries a legal presumption of validity. Note that HAMA does not apply to orphaned, abandoned or surrendered children in institutional care — those go through the JJ Act/CARA process. If a child adopted under HAMA is to be taken abroad, CARA’s procedures (Chapter VIII of the 2022 Regulations) still apply.

A word of caution

Adoption is a life-long legal relationship, and irregular or “private” arrangements outside CARA or HAMA can be invalid and even attract penalties under the JJ Act. Choosing the correct route — and getting the paperwork right — matters. You may also find our note on the legal provisions for those desirous of adopting a child in India useful.

This is general information, not legal advice. Consult our lawyers for advice on your situation.