AR HB1921

Consent to adoption cannot be withdrawn after a decree of adoption is entered.

A natural person may withdraw consent to adoption within 10 calendar days, or 5 calendar days if a waiver of the 10-day period is elected, after the consent is signed or the child is born (whichever is later), by filing an affidavit with the probate division clerk.

If the withdrawal period ends on a weekend or legal holiday, the person may file the affidavit the next working day; no filing fee shall be charged.

Consent documents must inform the person of their right to withdraw consent and provide the address of the probate division clerk, and must state that the person may waive the 10-day period and elect a 5-day maximum withdrawal period.

The withdrawal period does not apply to agencies or minors over 12 years of age whose consent to adoption is required; courts may excuse the filing period for biological parents in stepparent adoptions.