For inter-country adoption through CARA, the NOC is often issued in about 4 weeks under the Supreme Court’s directive, but in practice the broader CARA review stage can take 1 to 2 months or longer depending on the case and documents.

What this means

  • A court-backed target now exists for CARA to issue the NOC within 4 weeks.
  • Real-world timelines can still vary because the adoption file must be complete and reviewed alongside the Article 5/other required documents.
  • Older process guides still describe the NOC stage as taking roughly 1–2 months , which suggests delays are still possible in practice.

Practical takeaway

If your paperwork is already in order, a reasonable expectation is about a month for the NOC, but you should plan for up to 1–2 months in case of backlog or document issues.

Context

This answer is about the CARA No Objection Certificate for inter-country adoption, not the full adoption timeline, which is much longer because court approval, birth certificate, and passport steps come later.

TL;DR: the target is 4 weeks , but a safer planning estimate is 1–2 months.