Adoption in India can be defined as a process performed legally wherein an individual, a couple or a husband and wife living in the country agrees to raise a child who is not their own and perform all the responsibilities of a good parent to him. The adoption process comes in different types and one"s choice will be dependent upon the major effects of this process not only to the birth mother but to the adoptive parents as well. The most common types of adoption in India include the following:

1. Open Adoption. This type allows the child to learn about the fact that he is adopted. This means that he will be allowed to access all records that relate to his adoption once he reaches the age of eighteen. Under this type the biological mother is also allowed to see the child and visit and communicate with him. Note, however, that this may be changed depending on the agreement of the two parties. This type also allows the birth mother to meet potential adoptive parents. She is allowed to choose who among the potential parents should adopt the child.

2. Semi-Open Adoption. This is quite similar to the first one. The only difference is that the biological mother is not permitted to have any form of physical/personal contact with the adoptive child right after the legal process is executed. Before this specific type of adoption in India is executed, the biological mother has the right to personally meet the prospective parents. Right after her child moves with the new parents, the biological mother is still allowed to receive photographs and letters directly from the parents or indirectly from the agency where her name is registered. Depending on how this compromise turns out, the semi-open type can be expected to develop into a closed or open type.

3. Closed Adoption. In this type, adoptive parents and the biological mother do not have any form of contact before and after the process. The majority of closed adoptions actually allow the act of sharing essential information like medical records. However, there are also agencies that strictly enforce the rule of closed adoption. This means that all types of records are not shared. This is usually used when the child to be adopted has just been removed from an extremely abusive surrounding.

4. Intra-Family Adoption. This is usually undertaken within one family. This takes place when a child is adopted by a family member after his or her biological parent remarried, suffered from a condition that makes the parent incapable of taking care of the child or died. These situations allow an eligible member of the family to legally raise the child.
Adoption in India is a legal process so its execution adheres to strict laws and standards. It is also important for you to make sure that you are qualified to become a parent before you ever adopt anyone. It is important for you to have a more stable income, a clean criminal record, a healthy body and an ability to offer a more secure environment as this will allow you to effectively raise your adopted child.