• One prospective parent must be a U.S. citizen to be able to sponsor a child to enter the country.
  The other prospective parent must hold an Indian passport.
• Under Indian law, only a Hindu Sikh or Jain family can have a full and final adoption in India. Indians of other religious backgrounds and non-Indian Americans may have guardianship, which requires adoption to take place under the laws of their state of residence in the United States.
• To adopt a young child, the husband should be under age 45 and the wife under age 40, or their combined ages should be less than 90. Both parents must be in good physical and mental health and they must be married for at least two years. Single women may be considered on a case by case basis for children with special needs.
• Officials prefer childless couples but will consider families with 1-2 children if motivation is strong. Families with more than four children living in the home will not be considered. Guidelines are more flexible for parents adopting children with special needs.
• India gives preference to adoptions by Indian families, especially those still holding an Indian passport. Non-Indian families may expect the placement of a slightly older child or a child with minor medical problems.

Adoption Practices in India

The Indian government has approved Spence-Chapin to work with several Indian orphanages to place children with non-resident Indian families. Spence-Chapin is also approved to facilitate placement of Indian children with non-Indian American families. However, in recent years India has increased the number of children adopted domestically as a result of its effective education and awareness programs. Indian families residing in India are adopting approximately 60-70% of Indian orphans.

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For more information about the India Program, please contact Noella Rao, India Program Coordinator, at 631-979-5863 or nrao@spence-chapin.org. You are also invited to attend a free information session. We look forward to seeing you there!