There are 1.1 billion people in India, and Unicef estimates that 1.2 million of them are orphans. But only 7,112 Indian orphans have been adopted by American families since 1990, and only twice in all those years has the number of children adopted topped 500 in any one year.

The Laws
Adoption in India is regulated by the Central Adoption Resource Agency. CARA's chief mission is to find homes for Indian orphans in India. In fact, foreigners cannot actually adopt Indian children in India: Instead, they are given guardianship of the children and then must legally adopt them back in their own countries. India does not permit the adoption of unrelated children at the same time, and believes that biological siblings should be adopted together whenever possible.

There is no private adoption in India. Prospective foreign parents must work with what India calls an Enlisted Foreign Adoption Agency. There is a list of the 53 enlisted American agencies, and other information on adopting from India, on CARA's Web site.

When a child is legally free for adoption, Indian authorities first have 30 days to make a domestic referral. If that period passes and no match is found, they have 10 days to issue a certificate declaring the child available to be adopted by foreign parents. Indian citizens, whether they live in India or abroad, have priority in an Indian adoption, followed by persons of Indian origin living abroad and then non-Indian foreigners.

India is not, however, a party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, the international treaty that has been implemented by many countries around the world. So the adoption process for India will not change even though the Convention entered into force in the United States on April 1, 2008.

Parental Health And Marital Status

India allows both married couples and single women to adopt, but they cannot have more than three children already at home. Couples must be married for at least three years. Neither parent should be older than 55 and the couples' combined age must be no more than 90. There are no parental health restrictions.

How India Cares For Adoptable Children

Indian orphans are cared for in orphanages, in facilities that can vary greatly in resources, amenities, staffing and staff training. One very interesting aspect to India's attitude towards child welfare: Children over the age of six are asked for their consent to the adoption.

Time Frame For An Indian Adoption

Indian adoptions can be completed faster than just about any other country around these days. Prospective parents may have a referral in as little as one month after their homestudy is approved, and they can bring their child home in six to 10 months after their paperwork is accepted in India.

Travel Requirements For Russia
India is a one-trip country for adoptions, and only three to five days is spent in the country.

Cost Of An Indian Adoption

Plan on spending between $20,000 and $25,000 for one child, including homestudy, in-country fees and travel; airfare to India can be higher than to many other countries.

Key Resources
U.S. State Department profile

CIA Factbook profile

World Health Organization profile

U.S. Immigrant Visas Issued, by country