Adoption Agencies and Information for India
India is currently open to adoptions by U.S. citizens. All recognized
adoption agencies (or, as they are normally referred to in India, placement agencies)
in India are local and must be registered with their Indian state Volunteer Coordinating
Agency (VCA). No placement agencies provide national coverage, so prospective
adoptive parents must determine the Indian state from which they propose to adopt.
In 2006, there were 320 U.S. visas issued to children adopted from India.
Most relinquished children in India are from unwed mothers or from families too
poor to care for them. As a result of gender discrimination, the majority of children
adopted by Americans are girls. India gives preference to adoptions by Indian
families, especially those still holding an Indian passport. Citizens of countries
other than India must work through an adoption agency in their home country that
appears on a list of agencies approved by the Indian government. Only an Indian
agency recognized and listed by the Indian Government may make children available
for adoption by foreigners.
The official national agency that oversees the intercountry adoptions in India
is the Central Adoption Resource Agency. Its contact information is:
Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA)
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
West Block VIII, Wing II
2nd Floor, R. K. Peram
New Delhi - 110 066
Tel: 91-011 618-0194
INDIA EMBASSY AND CONSULATES IN THE UNITED STATES:
Embassy of India, Washington, D.C.
2107 Massachusetts Ave, N. W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
Phone: (202) 939-7000
For more information about adoption from this country and about adoption
agencies that can assist you, please visit the websites below. Prospective
adoptive parents are advised to fully research any of the adoption agencies they
plan to use for adoption services. | 
