Adoption and roots

For adoptees from India searching for their origins, and the status of intercountry adoption.

Since the 1970s several thousand children from India have been adopted by Dutch families. Many of them later search for their origins. The INEA expertise centre offers adoptees information, psychosocial and legal support and help with tracing family. The adoption file can be requested from the organisations that were involved at the time.

The Netherlands is phasing out intercountry adoption. Since May 2024 no new adoption procedures can be started; ongoing procedures are still being completed. The Dutch government publishes the current state of affairs.

Useful links

• INEA inea.nl
  Dutch expertise centre for intercountry adoption: help with roots and searches.
• Government of the Netherlands – Adoption (Dutch) rijksoverheid.nl
  Current policy and the phase-out of intercountry adoption.
• Fiom fiom.nl
  Specialist in questions of parentage and family tracing.
• CARA cara.wcd.gov.in
  India's Central Adoption Resource Authority; also handles root searches.