India’s Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) announced that it has started requesting additional information from prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) applying to adopt a child habitually resident in India.  

• Enhanced Home Study Report Requirements:

CARA announced in a November 27, 2017 circular that Home Study Reports for the dossier submitted to CARA must include a professional psychological evaluation of the (PAPs).

A licensed/trained practicioner must prepare a psychological evaluation of the PAPs with a definitve recommendation as a section or an annex of the home study report. The practicioner must include an interview of the PAPs lasting from 35 to 40 minutes and speak to their motivation, temperament, stress tolerance, frustration tolerance, emotional stability, and decision making ability. CARA also will require the report to incorporate an assessment of the PAPs’ relationship with extended family, and non-relatives who may have close contact with the child.

This new requirement will apply to any case in which the PAPs did not receive a No Objection Certificate.

• Passport Documentation:

CARA announced in a separate circular that as of November 24, 2017, it will require families to submit their Certificate of Conformity under Article 23 of the Hague Adoption Convention with an Indian Passport Application for a child.  

For more details, please consult the circulars published on CARA’s website. Should adoption service providers or adoptive families have any questions or concerns, please email the Office of Children’s Issues at adoption@state.gov or the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi at NDAdopt@state.gov.