• INDIA ADOPTION REGULATIONS 2022

    October 21, 2022

    CARA has published the new Adoption Regulations 2022, which include several changes that may affect prospective adoptive parents.  For PAPs currently in the adoption process, and those considering starting an adoption from India, we advise you to review the full regulations on CARA’s website: http://cara.nic.in/

  • India: Relaxing Quarantine for International Travelers

    On February 10, 2022, India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced new guidelines for international arrivals, which includes lifting the 7 day quarantine requirement, effective Monday, February 14, 2022.  Click here to read more:   GuidelinesforInternationalarrivalsupdatedon10thFebruary2022

  • India: Quarantine Requirement for International Travelers

    All international travelers are still required to obtain a negative COVID test prior to arrival and complete a self-declaration form through Air Suviddha. Upon arrival, travelers must quarantine for 7 days and take a RT-PCR test on the 8th day. Exemptions to the quarantine are not available at this time.
    https://indianexpress.com/article/india/covid-19-guidelines-international-travellers-india-7717355/

    Please check the US Embassy website for more information on COVID-19 requirements.   https://in.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/

  • ​INDIA: Advisory on Tourist Visas

    ​Embassy of India

    Washington DC

    ​​Advisory on Tourist Visas

                The Govern​​ment of India has decided to issue fresh tourist visas with effect from 15 October, 2021 for group tourism and from 15 November, 2021 for individual travel.  In this context, the following may be noted:

    All foreign nationals intending to visit India for tourism will be allowed to enter India on e-Tourist Visa/regular paper Tourist Visa through chartered flights (for group tourism only) with effect from 15 October, 2021.

    All foreign nationals intending to visit India for individual tourism purposes will be permitted to enter India on e-Tourist Visa/regular paper Tourist Visa with effect from 15 November, 2021. Such travel will be allowed through Vande Bharat Mission, Air Bubble Scheme or by any scheduled/non-scheduled commercial flight allowed by the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation.

    Foreign nationals will not be allowed to enter India through land routes on e-Tourist Visa/regular paper Tourist Visa.

    A Single Entry e-Tourist Visa/regular paper Tourist Visa valid for a stay of up to 30 days will be issued, which will have to be utilized within a period of 120 days from the date of issue. This visa will be issued on a gratis basis for a limited time once to each applicant.

    It may be noted that existing valid e-Tourist Visa/regular paper Tourist Visa issued before 6 October, 2021 will continue to remain suspended and travel on such visas is not permitted.

    The process of obtaining e-Tourist Visa/Regular Tourist Visa may be accessed at the following links:

    e-Tourist Visa – https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html. The applicant may note that the Embassy does not process e-visas and any enquiries in this regard will need to be made directly on the e-visa portal.

    Regular Tourist Visa through the Embassy of India –https://www.indianembassyusa.gov.in/extra?id=88

    Applicants are also advised to go through the guidelines for international travel to India available at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/Guidelinesforinternationalarrivals17022021.pdf.

     

  • Adoption Travel – India

    May 5, 2021

    The Indian Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) and the U.S. Embassy have in the past months been working diligently to process cases as expeditiously as possible, while following Indian quarantine protocols to combat COVID-19. With the recent surge in ​COVID-19 cases, the situation is changing rapidly and there are multiple cities and states in India under lockdowns. For the latest travel information and health alerts related to COVID-19 in India, please review the information on the U.S. Embassy New Delhi’s website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/India.html. 

    On April 30, President Biden signed a presidential proclamation that suspended certain types of travel for non-U.S. citizens present in India. The proclamation does not affect adoptive children, who may continue to travel to the United States and seek entry. Additionally, U.S. Embassy New Delhi continues to process visas for adoptive children. However, CARA has requested that the U.S. Central Authority ask prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) to postpone travel until after the current surge. 

    There are currently direct flights running from India to the U.S. on United Airlines and Air India. We strongly urge families currently in India to book one of the direct flights back to the United States, as transiting Europe is not an option for Indian citizens (which would include the adopted child(ren)) due to U.S. and European travel restrictions currently in place. We cannot predict whether these or other flight routes will be affected by the pandemic situation in the future. As we do not have a role in travel arrangements, we recommend families stay in touch with ASP representatives.

    We all hope this situation eases in the near future so families can continue their plans for adoptions in India without significant further delay.

    Sincerely,

    Office of Children’s Issues

  • Random Covid testing at Delhi airport, mandatory quarantine for those found positive

    Random testing of passengers arriving from states witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases will be done at the Delhi airport and those found positive will be “mandatorily quarantined”.

    “As per the latest government mandate, District Disaster Management Authorities will conduct random COVID-19 testing of passengers coming from the states where the cases are increasing,” Delhi Airport said in a statement on Wednesday.

    “After collections of samples, the travellers would be allowed to exit. However, those passengers who are found positive will be mandatorily quarantined as per the protocol of the ministry of health and family welfare,” it added.

    The Delhi government had earlier declared that random testing of coronavirus will be held across airports, railway and bus stations.

    Over 53,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported in India in the last 24 hours, out of which Delhi contributed with 992.

  • INDIA: Renewal of IAN’s CARA License

    On March 26th, 2021, CARA issued the renewal of International Adoption Net’s license to process inter-country adoption cases from India.  IAN has been licensed and working with adoptions from India for 10 years, and we’re pleased to announce this latest reauthorization of our organization. 

     We look forward to continuing to serve adoptive families and children through our India program!

    CARA license.jpg

  • India: New COVID Testing Requirements

    March 4, 2021

    U.S. Embassy New Delhi has informed the Office of Children’s Issues that India’s Civil Aviation Ministry in addition to requiring a negative COVID test result 72 hours prior to departure from the United States to India, a negative COVID test, taken up to 72 hours prior to departure, is now required to enter New Delhi from these five states in India:

    • Maharashtra
    • Kerala
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Madya Pradesh
    • Punjab

    Other domestic travel restrictions and requirements are currently in place for other states. Requirements for testing after domestic travel may impact prospective adoptive parents being able to visit children in orphanages in affected states. We caution that the situation is fluid and requirements could change rapidly with little to no notice. We recommend you monitor the embassy website for updates on travel requirements and restrictions, and to check the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website for more information, as well as the website of the state to which you plan to travel.

    Sincerely,

    The Office of Children’s Issues
    U.S. Department of State

  • Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Card

    According to the Embassy of India Consular Services:

    It is informed that VFS Global is the service provider for OCI services for the Embassy of India, Washington DC or its Consulates in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York and San Francisco. Its operations have started from 04 November 2020.

    All the OCI applicants are requested to visit the link https://visa.vfsglobal.com/usa/en/ind/apply-oci-services for details.

    Apart from the applicable Government of India OCI fees, the applicants will also be required to pay US$ 15.90 as service charge to VFS Global and US$ 3 as contribution to Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF).

    In case of any other specific queries related to OCI services, please email to fsoci.washington@mea.gov.in

    The details of the VFS Global Application Centre are as under:

    1025 Vermont Ave, NW

    Suite 320,

    Washington, DC 20005

    (It may also be noted that due to the ongoing Covid pandemic, there will be no walk-in service at VFS Global until further notice.  All applications shall only be dealt with by post.)

  • New Delhi, India: 7 day domestic travel quarantine no longer required

    According to the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India, the 7 day quarantine requirement for domestic travel no longer exists.  However, travelers are advised to keep monitoring the Government of India information on the website in case the policies change.

    Quarantine requirements vary by state in India, travelers will need to research and confirm the quarantine(s) required for any state(s) they plan to visit within the country.  Review the U.S. Department of State travel advisories before planning any international travel, and keep in mind that all travel information is subject to change.