While child adoption
numbers show a positive uptick in the past decade, nearly 3.5 crore children in
Child Care Institutions (CCIs) are still awaiting adoption due to cumbersome
process challenges faced by adoptive parents, according to TOI writeup.
11 March, 2025
Bangalore : India has witnessed a notable increase in child adoption trends over
the past decade. According to the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) annual report there
were a total of 4029 – 3,580 in-country and 449 inter-country adoptions, and
children were adopted in the year 2023-2024. While the interest in child
adoption increased in the past decade, the legal maze, complicated
documentation, and procedural hassle continue to pose challenges for
prospective parents and children awaiting to be adopted.
Out of the complexities
involved in the child adoption process in India, one of the biggest roadblocks
is the lack of awareness surrounding the medical fitness certification for
prospective parents. While it is a mandatory requirement, the unclear
guidelines, confusing paperwork, and the fact that even medical professionals
are unaware of the exact process, often delay the journey of becoming a parent.
In such a scenario,
having assistance in at least attaining genuine medical fitness certification can make child
adoption easier for parents. MedicalCertificate.in has helped hundreds
of prospective parents move forward with confidence by providing clear
instructions, guiding them through required medical documents, and offering
certificates in the correct formats for different CARA agencies.
"We uphold stringent
compliance and quality standards, driving efficiency and accessibility in
healthcare. Our dedication fosters the integration of digital health solutions,
enabling transparent healthcare delivery in alignment with the Ayushman Bharat
Digital Mission (ABDM) compliance," says
Parul Pandey, COO of MedicalCertificate.in, adding “Each document undergoes
thorough verification to ensure authenticity, giving adoptive parents peace of
mind as they navigate the adoption process.
Beyond
just issuing medical certificates, Pandey added, “MedicalCertificate.in
guides adoptive parents through the correct process based on their state, city,
or CARA agency requirements. Our trained professionals help parents understand
what is actually needed at each stage, our doctors assist in
understanding necessary reports, preventing
unnecessary tests or confusion making the process smoother and less
overwhelming. By providing accurate guidance and
step-by-step assistance, we ensure that parents save time, money, and effort
while fulfilling only the necessary medical requirements.”
The Role of Central
Adoption Resource Authority: Your Adoption Ally!
The Central Adoption
Resource Authority (CARA) serves as a statutory body under the Ministry of
Women and Child Development, Government of India, to look after and monitor
both domestic and international adoption procedures.
The National Authority
of India under the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption (1993) provides
for the smooth, ethical, and open performance of every adoption procedure. The
organization enables authorized agencies to place orphaned, surrendered, or
abandoned children for adoption. A total number of approximately 18,000
adoptions were done over the past five years including both in-country and
inter-country according to the official data from CARA. Highlighting a
steady commitment to finding children a home with loving parents.
Detailed Child
Adoption Process in India: Steps to a Happy Adoption
1. Registration with
CARA
Registration with CARA
Prospective adoptive parents start their adoption journey by signing up on the CARA online portal.
Documents Needed:
- Identity Proofs:
Options include an Aadhar card, passport, or voter ID.
- Income Certificates:
This can be in the form of salary slips, bank statements, or income tax
returns.
- Medical
Certificates: These must meet CARA standards and confirm the health status
of the adoptive parents.
The process of sign-up
takes a few days and the registration stays valid until you complete the home
study. If the parents make mistakes or leave out information when they sign up,
they might need to sign up again.
2. Home Study Report
After you sign up,
CARA assigns a professional social worker to assess your home.
The social worker
looks at the adoptive parents' home environment. They check financial stability
and see if they are ready to be parents through adoption.
Normally this stage
takes between 1 to 3 months and the validity of this study report is up for 6
months. If the social worker doesn't approve home study, then the parents will
need to fix the issues they point out and go through a new assessment.
3. Matching the Child
with Parents
After home study
approval, CARA pairs potential parents with kids based on their choices.
Parents get two full days to choose whether they want to accept the match. The
pairing process can take from several months up to a year. If parents say no to
three referrals, CARA might cancel their registration. They can apply again after
they address any issues, but they might need to wait for a new sign-up period.
4. Pre-Adoption Foster
Care
Once parents accept a
match, they go to the child care center to build a bond with the kid. This
phase can last anywhere from a few days to many months depending on how old the
child is and how ready they are. For young kids (under 2 years old), the
process might involve quick visits to help them get used to their new
surroundings.
5. Court Approval for
Adoption
Right after the foster
care time wraps up, the concerned adoption agency running the adoption place
put through a court application.
Both the child and the
adoptive parents are required to appear in the judicial hearings. The process
takes anything from 6 months to one year. The child will go to court, but the
hearings are normally in private. The court will consider the case prior to
issuing the final adoption order. If the child is too young, the court may hear
the case without them, using reports and documentation to approve adoption.
6. Issuance of Birth
Certificate
Once the court grants
approval for the adoption, the agency helps to procure a new birth certificate
for the child, with the adoptive parents' names as legal guardians. The new
birth certificate will contain the name of the child, date of birth, and place
of birth. In case the original birth certificate is missing, the agency will
work with the court to determine the required information.
7. Post-Adoption
Follow-Up
Once the adoption is
complete, the child will be followed up by adoption agencies for two years to
facilitate an easy adaptation. Once two years of follow-up are complete,
parents can take the child abroad from India if moving out. The follow-up
process will be based on the policies of the host country.
If the child is taken
abroad, they should ensure legal documents, citizenship, and continued
surveillance to guarantee the well-being of the child.
The whole adoption
process may last anywhere from 6 months to 2 years, depending on numerous
factors including the availability of children, responsiveness of agencies, and
fulfillment of legal requirements.
Eligibility Criteria:
Are You Prepared to Adopt?
Age Requirements:
You are required to be
25 years and above for you to adopt a child. There should be a 25-year gap in
age between you and the child you are interested in adopting.
If you are single,
these are the age limits for adopting according to the age of the child:
- For a child who
is up to 2 years old, you can be 40 years old.
- For a 2 to
4-year-old child, you can be a maximum of 45 years old.
- For a 4 to
8-year-old child, you can be a maximum of 50 years old.
- For an 8 to
18-year-old child, you can be a maximum of 55 years old.
If you are a couple,
your ages should combine within these limits:
- For a child aged
2 years and below, your combined age can be as much as 85 years.
- For a child aged
2 to 4 years, it can be as much as 90 years.
- For a child aged
4 to 8 years, it can be as much as 100 years.
- For a child aged
8 to 18 years, it can be as much as 110 years.
- The upper limit
of the age of a child you can adopt is 18 years.
- When adopting a
step-child or a relative, age restrictions do not apply.
Gender Requirements:
- Married couples
can adopt a child of any gender, no matter how many children they already
have.
- If you’re a
single female, you can adopt a child of any gender.
- If you’re a
single male, you can only adopt a male child.
Marital Status:
- Anyone, whether
married or single, can adopt a child.
- However, if
you’re a couple, you need to have been married for at least two years
before you can adopt.
Other Conditions:
- You need to be
physically, mentally, and emotionally stable which is determined by the
medical fitness certificate issued by a government registered doctor.
- You should be
financially capable of supporting a child.
- If you already
have two or more biological children, you generally can’t adopt, unless
you’re adopting a special needs child, a child in immediate placement, a
relative, or a step-child.
Rights of the Adopted
Child
Indian adopted
children have some important rights to ensure their health and well-being and
smooth integration into new families:
- Right to
Identity: They are entitled to know about their identity and their
background, along with information on biological parents if any.
- Right to Love and
Care: The adopted child should receive love, care, and nurturing from
his/her adoptive family as the biological children receive.
- Right to
Education: Adopted children are also entitled to a good education, which
provides them equal opportunities compared to their peers.
- Right to
Protection: They deserve protection from abuse, neglect, or
discrimination.
- Right to
Participate: They can give their opinions and take part in decisions that
impact their lives, making them feel like part of the family.
By promoting these
rights, CARA, and adoptive families provide a home environment where every
child can flourish.
Legal Adoption &
Child Rights in India
Through legal
adoption, a child gains all rights, privileges, and responsibilities that
belong to biological children. CARA established its framework for adoption in
2006, by following essential guidelines:
- The best
interests of the child become the deciding factor throughout each phase of
the adoption process.
- Indian citizens
from the child's social and cultural surroundings get first priority for
adoption.
- All adoptions
require entry into the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance
System (CARINGS) making them transparent.
International
Adoption: Eligibility & Preferences in India
UNICEF's State of the
World's Children Report identified that 29.6 million (2.96 crore) children were
orphaned in India in 2014. But according to CARA, fewer than 500,000 reach
institutionalised care and only 3000 to 4,000 are adopted annually.
International adoption
in India has seen a decline in numbers post-pandemic, with 3,559 children
placed for adoption in 2020-21. Eligibility criteria remain stringent, favoring
Indian parents, while preferences include age, gender, and health status of
children.
Intercountry adoption
is facilitated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of India under
CARA (Central Adoption Resource Authority), which is a nodal agency that
operates under the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption (1993) to ensure
adoption is performed in a fair and legal manner. NRI(Non-Resident Indian), OCI
(Overseas Citizen of India), and foreign applicants are eligible, while single
women can adopt any child and single men can adopt boys only. Married couples
must have a minimum marital life of two years before becoming eligible for
adoption.
- What Are the
Eligibility Criteria? One needs very good physical, mental, and
emotional health. MedicalCertificate.in provides international
CARA-compliant medical certificates in just 42 hours. One must be
financially in good standing and compatible in marriage. Married couples
have an age limit (allocated by) not passing more than 90 years-subject to
the combined age. For singles, one must fall in the range of 45 years to
55 years as per the child's age. A Home Study Report from an accredited
body in the respective country must be prepared.
- Who Gets Priority
in the Adoption Process? NRIs and OCI will have a preference for
the adoption of Indian children over foreign applicants. Foreign parents
will be considered only on condition that no Indian or NRI/OCI applicants
select a child within that timeframe.
- How Does the
Adoption Process Work? The procedure begins with registration by
one of the Authorized Foreign Adoption Agencies, conducting the Home Study
Report. CARA does a matching of the parents with child profiles, which is
followed by legal verification of adoption. The adoption gets approved by
the Indian courts through a Court Process, and it is here that the child's
Indian passport is issued with an adoption decree for the visa to the new
country. Besides, the parents will also have to do CARA post-adoption
reports.
The Adoption Approval
Stamp: Why the Medical Certificate Matters!
Outlining that the
adoptive parents are mentally, emotionally, and physically fit to take care of
a child is one of the most important parameters of a child adoption process as
it outlines the healthy and stable life of the adoptive child. While submitting
a medical fitness certificate a CARA-compliant medical certificate is mandatory
as it verifies that the adoptive parents are legally not suffering from
incurable, contagious, or life-threatening diseases and are mentally and
emotionally healthy to take care of a child.
Here’s a basis of why
a medical fitness certificate for adoption is essential:
- The medical
certificate verifies that the adoptive parents do not have critical health
problems that would affect childcare because of medical conditions.
- The evaluation
process determines emotional strength and searches for serious psychiatric
conditions affecting parenting ability.
- Confirms no past
or present issues with alcoholism, drug dependency, or other addictions.
- The assessment
judges an adoptive parent's future health perspective to provide enduring
care to their child.
A suitable home
environment serves as a protective safety measure for promoting child
development properly.
The Adoption Regulations of 2022 issued by CARA under
the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 lays down the
medical certificate requirement. The medical certificate needs to be generated
from a registered medical practitioner.
CARA specifies a
particular format for medical certificates used in adoption which legalizes
adoption requirements and promotes authenticity and standardized assessments.
MedicalCertificate.in aims to replicate the
compassionate simplicity of adoption when it comes to medical certification
procedures.
CARA Medical Certificate Format for Adoption in India
The prescribed format
for this certificate exists as per guidelines set by the Central Adoption
Resource Authority (CARA) to ensure legal validity together with
standardization and transparency are:
- The certification
requires doctor’s information including their full name with NMC or State
Medical Council registration number. It should also have their details and
official contact information.
- Complete and
detailed personal information which includes names together with age and
sex and residential address and contact information.
- Medical
Examination for physical fitness, chronic conditions (diabetes,
hypertension, heart disease), mental and emotional health, substance abuse
history, and overall health/life expectancy.
- Doctor’s
Certification stands as a medical declaration that verifies the adoptive
parent(s) has the fitness needed for adoption.
- A doctor must
include their signature together with their registration details on the
medical fitness certificate.
A medical certificate
can be issued either on the doctor’s letterhead or the letterhead of a hospital
or clinic. In either of the conditions doctor’s clear details like their name,
education, registration details, and signature are the prime importance. They
also need to ensure that a proper detailed understanding of the medical
examination is mentioned in the medical fitness certificate complying with
CARA's standards. There are multiple CARA approved formats that are used by
different adoption agencies and thus it is always recommended to cross-check
the medical fitness certificate format with the adoption agency for conformity
to their particular protocols and to take the certificate from a genuine
platform only.
Types of CARA Medical
Certificates:
- Basic Medical
Certificate – Confirms the physical, mental, and emotional fitness for the
initial registration and home study.
- Comprehensive
Health Assessment Certificate – Contains a detailed health history, mental
health assessment, and substance abuse screening for court or
inter-country adoption.
- Updated Medical
Certificate – Required if the validity of the last one has expired to
confirm continued fitness.
- Varied
Agency-Specific Formats – Custom certificates designed to meet
agency-specific criteria.
MedicalCertificate.in eases the entire
adoption process by delivering CARA-compliant medical certificates for all
stages of adoption and as per the adoption agency. They ensure medical
documents are genuine, and issued with the proper investigation so as to ensure
the prospective parents don’t face hassle in the future. The company adheres to
government compliances and issues medical certificates with doctor consultation
in all formats including digital medical fitness certificates, handwritten medical
fitness certificates, and custom medical fitness certificates, and also ships
the handwritten document as requested.
What Health Tests Are
Required?
While submission of
your mental, physical, and emotional health is mandatory for CARA-approved
medical certificates, not every format requires you to undergo multiple medical
tests. Before undergoing any kind of medical test, it is recommended you get
your medical certificate cross-verified by a medical practitioner to understand
the format issued by your assigned agency or while you are submitting what are
the necessary details. However, if you are being suggested a specific format
for Caring, usually it requires a compilation of the following tests to be
conducted:
- Serology Test
- Haemoglobin Test
- Blood Smear Test
- Urinalysis –
Specific Gravity
- Urinalysis –
Sugar
- Urinalysis –
Albumin
- Other vital signs
must be checked as part of adoption screening to confirm adoption fitness.
Understanding Who Can
Issue Your Adoption Medical Certificate
To get a medical certificate
for adoption, you should know a couple of key things:
1. Registered Medical
Practitioners:
A registered MBBS
doctor can give you a medical certificate for adoption. You don't need a doctor
with a special "CARA-approved" status. Any doctor who has registered
with the National Medical Commission (NMC) or a State Medical Council can help.
This includes doctors from government hospitals, private clinics, or health
tech platforms. The key is that the doctor knows about the adoption process and
what specific details to put on the certificate.
2. Local Guidelines
Matter:
The process of medical
evaluation has to adhere to local rules and regulations, which may differ per
location. This implies that various locations might have extra requirements for
inclusion in the medical assessment. For instance, certain areas may demand
particular tests or health evaluations that others may not.
3. Consult Your
Adoption Agency:
It’s important for
prospective adoptive parents to get the right report format and specific health
requirements from their Specialized Adoption Agency (SAA). Your SAA will show
you what you need based on your local rules making sure you have the complete
picture.
4. Purpose of These
Regulations:
These rules have an
impact on making the adoption process easier to handle for adoptive parents.
Adoptive parents should follow local area rules and team up with adoption
agencies, making sure they adhere to all the rules and regulations.
Documents required for
adoption in India:
Both domestic and
international adoptions require specific documents and follow a structured legal
process. The prospective adoptive parents (PAPS) are required to submit:
- Identity proof:
Aadhar Card/Passport/Voter ID/Driving license/PAN Card.
- Address proof:
Aadhar/Voter ID/Passport/Electricity/Telephone bill.
- Proof of income:
Salary slip/Income certificate/IT returns.
- Medical
certificate that states the PAPs are free from chronic, contagious, and
fatal diseases.
- Marriage/divorce
certificate/death certificate of spouse (if applicable).
- Consent from
older children in the family.
- An undertaking by
a relative in the case of single adoptive parents.
Where to Get a Medical
Certificate for Adoption in India?
Prospective adoptive
parents have two options to obtain a CARA-compliant medical certificate:
Option 1: Offline –
Traditional Hospital or Clinic Certification
- Register for a
government-approved hospital with an MBBS-licensed medical practitioner
for a thorough examination.
- The doctor will
conduct physical and mental assessments to identify medical conditions.
- Adoptive parents
fulfilling medical requirements will receive a CARA-compliant certificate
from the doctor.
- Submit the
certificate physically or upload it to the CARA portal at the SAA.
Option 2: Online –
Digital Medical Certification
For faster and
hassle-free certification, adoptive parents can opt for online medical
certificate services like MedicalCertificate.in:
- Visit the website
medicalcertificate.in
- Fill in your
details, medical history, and existing health conditions.
- Submit a
15-second full-body walking video, with your height and weight and details
of your vitals including blood pressure and pulse.
- A
government-registered doctor will access your details.
- Once approved,
the doctor will issue a CARA-compliant digital or handwritten medical
certificate as per your preference.
Why
MedicalCertificate.in is a Game-Changer for Adoptive Parents?
The
journey of adoption is a beautiful adventure filled with hope and anticipation,
but it can also feel overwhelming. That is where MedicalCertificate.in
comes in – your go-to health companion in easing this process with
CARA-approved medical certificates available online. All it takes are a few
clicks, and aspiring parents can finalize their paperwork fast and easily,
setting the ground for an uncomplicated adoption procedure.
Since
its inception in 2021, MedicalCertificate.in has
evolved into a holistic health-tech platform committed to fulfilling the remote
healthcare requirements for users across the globe. With a focus on increasing
accessibility and convenience, the platform aligns with global and national
healthcare standards, including the World Health Organization (WHO), Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), National Medical
Commission (NMC), and Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). The platform
provides services such as online blood testing across more than 220 cities in
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Trusted
by users worldwide, MedicalCertificate.in boasts a 4.9-star rating on Trustpilot with over 2,200 positive
reviews. As a one-stop healthcare platform, it offers secure, reliable, and
easy-to-use services. Guided by the motto "Authentic, Secure, and Convenient,"
we remain committed to supporting families at every step of their adoption
journey with the right information and expert guidance.
For
more information, visit www.medicalcertificate.in,
email - care@medicalcertificate.in or call on 080-685-07810 and take the first step toward a smoother, stress-free
adoption journey.