{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10-10-7503-2.3","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 10, § 10-7503-2.3","heading":"Permanent relinquishments","body":"\n\nA. A permanent relinquishment may be executed by a person whose\n\nconsent to the adoption of a minor is required by Section 7503-2.1\n\nof this title. The permanent relinquishment shall be in writing and\n\nshall relinquish all of that individual's rights with respect to the\n\nminor, including legal and physical custody and the right to consent\n\nto the minor's adoption.\n\nB. Permanent relinquishments may be made only to:\n\n1. The Department of Human Services;\n\n2. A child-placing agency; or\n\n3. Any other person, with the written consent of the Department\n\nor court.\n\nC. A permanent relinquishment shall be in writing, executed\n\nbefore a judge of the district court in this state, recorded by a\n\ncourt reporter and contain:\n\n1. The date, place, and time of the execution of the permanent\n\nrelinquishment;\n\n2. The name and date of birth of the person executing the\n\npermanent relinquishment;\n\n3. The current mailing address, telephone number and social\n\nsecurity number of the person executing the permanent\n\nrelinquishment;\n\n4. Instructions that the permanent relinquishment is\n\nirrevocable, except upon the specific grounds specified in Section\n\n7503-2.7 of this title, upon which the permanent relinquishment can\n\nbe revoked and the manner in which a motion to set aside the\n\npermanent relinquishment must be filed; and\n\n5. The name of the person or agency as described in subsection\n\nB of this section to whom the permanent relinquishment is being\n\ngiven and who shall have the right to give consent to the minor’s\n\nadoption.\n\nD. A permanent relinquishment must state:\n\n1. That the person executing the document is voluntarily and\n\nunequivocally consenting to the adoption of the minor;\n\n2. An understanding that after the permanent relinquishment is\n\nexecuted, it is final and, except for fraud or duress, may not be\n\nrevoked or set aside for any reason except as otherwise authorized\n\nby the Oklahoma Adoption Code;\n\n3. That the person executing the permanent relinquishment is\n\nrepresented by counsel or has waived any right to counsel;\n\n4. That the execution of the permanent relinquishment does not\n\nterminate any duty of the person executing the permanent\n\nrelinquishment to support the mother or the minor until the adoption\n\nis completed;\n\n5. That the person executing the permanent relinquishment has\n\nnot received or been promised any money or anything of value for the\n\npermanent relinquishment, except for payments authorized by law;\n\n6. Whether the individual executing the permanent\n\nrelinquishment is a member of an Indian tribe and whether the minor\n\nis eligible for membership or the minor is a member of an Indian\n\ntribe;\n\n7. That the person believes the adoption of the minor is in the\n\nminor's best interest; and\n\n8. That the person executing the permanent relinquishment has\n\nbeen advised that an adult adopted person born in Oklahoma, whose\n\ndecree of adoption is finalized after November 1, 1997, may obtain a\n\ncopy of such person's original certificate of birth unless\n\naffidavits of nondisclosure have been filed pursuant to Section\n\n7503-2.5 of this title and that the relinquishing parent may sign an\n\naffidavit of nondisclosure.\n\nE. When it appears to the court that the parent or guardian\n\nexecuting a permanent relinquishment desires counsel but is indigent\n\nand cannot for that reason employ counsel, the court shall appoint\n\ncounsel. In all counties having county indigent defenders, the\n\ncounty indigent defenders shall assume the duties of representation\n\nin such proceedings.\n\nF. The transcript of the court proceedings pursuant to this\n\nsection shall be placed in the court record.\n\nG. The verification of the court shall be in substantially the\n\nfollowing form:\n\nI, _______________, Judge of the District Court in and for\n\n__________ County, State of Oklahoma, a Court having original\n\nadoption jurisdiction, do hereby certify, that upon this day,\ntion\n\nin such proceedings.\n\nF. The transcript of the court proceedings pursuant to this\n\nsection shall be placed in the court record.\n\nG. The verification of the court shall be in substantially the\n\nfollowing form:\n\nI, _______________, Judge of the District Court in and for\n\n__________ County, State of Oklahoma, a Court having original\n\nadoption jurisdiction, do hereby certify, that upon this day,\n\n__________ personally appeared in open Court, before me, and orally\n\nand in writing executed the above and foregoing permanent\n\nrelinquishment for adoption.\n\nIn executing this acknowledgement, I further certify that the\n\nsaid ___________ acknowledged that the person executed said\n\nrelinquishment to adoption freely and voluntarily, and that it was\n\nexplained to such person by or before me, the undersigned Judge of\n\nthe District Court, that in executing the relinquishment, the person\n\nwas surrendering all parental authority whatsoever over the minor;\n\nand that with such explanation made to the person relinquishing the\n\nminor by or before me, the undersigned Judge of the District Court,\n\nthe person executed the relinquishment, freely, voluntarily and\n\nintelligently for all uses and purposes therein set forth.\n\nI further certify that it was explained to the relinquishing\n\nperson that this relinquishment is irrevocable and final except for\n\nfraud or duress and may not be revoked or set aside except and\n\nunless no Petition to Adopt is filed within nine (9) months after\n\nplacement of the minor or if this or some other court decides not to\n\nterminate the rights of the other parent of the minor. I further\n\ncertify that I am satisfied that the relinquishing person\n\nunderstands the consequences of an adoption; the relinquishing\n\nperson has represented that such person has not received or been\n\npromised any money or anything of value for the giving of the\n\npermanent relinquishment except for those payments authorized by\n\nlaw; the relinquishing person has represented that such person is\n\nnot under the influence of alcohol or medication or any other\n\nsubstance that affects the person's competence; the person fully\n\nunderstood the English language and communicated in the English\n\nlanguage at all times during said hearing, or all information was\n\ntranslated into the relinquishing person's language, and was fully\n\nunderstood by the person; and if the relinquishing person was the\n\nbiological parent, such parent was advised regarding the affidavit\n\nof nondisclosure.\n\nH. A permanent relinquishment shall be signed before any judge\n\nof a court having probate or adoption jurisdiction in this state or\n\nin the state of residence of the person executing the permanent\n\nrelinquishment.\n\nI. 1. a. If an individual permanently relinquishing the child\n\nresides in a country or place other than the United\n\nStates of America, other than a member of the United\n\nStates Armed Services stationed abroad, the permanent\n\nrelinquishment of the individual may be obtained by a\n\nwritten instrument signed by such person and\n\nacknowledged before an officer of the legal\n\nsubdivision of the government of the place of such\n\nperson's residence who is authorized to administer\n\noaths under the laws of such country or place.\n\nb. If the foreign country's government does not involve\n\nitself in adoption matters, the permanent\n\nrelinquishment may be executed before an officer of\n\nthe Judge Advocate General's Office of the United\n\nStates Armed Services or before an officer of the\n\nUnited States Embassy located in that country,\n\nprovided the execution of a permanent relinquishment\n\nis not a violation of the laws of the foreign country,\n\nor a violation of international law or treaty between\n\nthe foreign country's government and the United\n\nStates. The permanent relinquishment shall reflect\n\nthat the permanent relinquishment is not given or\n\naccepted in violation of the laws of the foreign\n\ncountry or in violation of international law or treaty\nn of a permanent relinquishment\n\nis not a violation of the laws of the foreign country,\n\nor a violation of international law or treaty between\n\nthe foreign country's government and the United\n\nStates. The permanent relinquishment shall reflect\n\nthat the permanent relinquishment is not given or\n\naccepted in violation of the laws of the foreign\n\ncountry or in violation of international law or treaty\n\nbetween such foreign country's government and the\n\nUnited States.\n\n2. If an individual permanently relinquishing the child is a\n\nmember of the United States Armed Services stationed in a country or\n\nplace other than the United States, the individual's permanent\n\nrelinquishment may be acknowledged before an officer of the Judge\n\nAdvocate General's Office or other legal officer possessing the\n\nauthority to administer oaths.\n\nJ. If the written instrument containing a permanent\n\nrelinquishment is written in a language other than the English\n\nlanguage, the petitioner must have it translated into the English\n\nlanguage by a person qualified to do so, and must file the original\n\ninstrument together with the translation with the court. The\n\ntranslation must be sworn to as being a true and correct translation\n\nby the person translating the document.\n\nK. Except as otherwise required by subsection I of this\n\nsection, when the person permanently relinquishing the child for the\n\npurposes of adoption resides outside of Oklahoma, the permanent\n\nrelinquishment by such person may be executed in that state or\n\ncountry in the manner set forth in the Oklahoma Adoption Code or in\n\nthe manner prescribed by the laws of the state or country of such\n\nperson's residence.\n\nL. 1. A court before which a permanent relinquishment has been\n\nexecuted may enter an order terminating parental rights of the\n\nparent of a child if such parent has executed a permanent\n\nrelinquishment for adoption pursuant to the Oklahoma Adoption Code.\n\n2. Any order terminating parental rights of a parent pursuant\n\nto this subsection shall state that the termination of parental\n\nrights shall not terminate the duty of the parent to support the\n\nchild of such parent. The duty of the parent to support the child\n\nshall not be terminated until such time as a final decree of\n\nadoption has been entered.\n\n3. Any proceedings held pursuant to this subsection shall not\n\nrequire the state as a necessary party.","path":["OK Code","Title 10"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os10.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"44ce7631dc6890270cbfe912da78c3306adcdc565de5821083d66663976558fb","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10-10-7503-2.2","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10-10-7503-2.4"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}