Govt introduces new regulations to make inter-country adoptions easier

The Central government has brought out regulations to ease inter-country adoptions under the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act (HAMA).

According to the Adoption (Amendment) Regulations 2021, families adopting under the Act can receive a no-objection certificate from the government’s nodal adoption body Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) to take the child abroad.

Until now, the NOC was issued only by a court.

Till now, there were no regulations for CARA regarding inter-country adoptions under HAMA, which covers Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains. The Act deals with the rules for adopting children as it gives an adopted child all the rights enjoyed by a biological child.

In a notification issued late on Friday, the Women and Child Development Ministry said CARA shall issue a no-objection certificate for Hague-ratified countries.

The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation is an international convention that has been signed and ratified by India in respect of inter-country adoptions.

CARA will issue the NOC based upon a verification certificate from the district magistrate of the respective region in the country.

In cases of countries outside the Hague Adoption Convention in respect of inter-country adoptions, a letter accepting the adoption from the government department concerned of the receiving country shall be sought by CARA in order to issue the final support letter by the agency, it said.

A senior ministry official had earlier said the regulations are being brought in as there were many challenges under HAMA regarding relocation with an adopted child to another country.