The waiting period is governed by section 9-9-209(b):
(b)(1) A consent to adopt may be withdrawn within ten (10) calendar days, or, if a waiver of the ten-day period is elected under subdivision (b)(3) of this section, five (5) calendar days after it is signed or the child is born, whichever is later, by filing an affidavit with the probate division clerk of the circuit court in the county designated by the consent as the county in which the guardianship petition will be filed, if there is a guardianship, or where the petition for adoption will be filed, if there is no guardianship. If the ten-day period, or, if a waiver of the ten-day period is elected under subdivision (b)(3) of this section, the five-day period ends on a weekend or a legal holiday, the person may file the affidavit the next working day. No fee shall be charged for the filing of the affidavit. The court may waive the ten-day period for filing a withdrawal of consent for agencies as defined by § 9-9-202(5), minors over ten (10) years of age who consented to the adoption, or biological parents if a stepparent is adopting.
(2) The consent shall state that the person has the right of withdrawal of consent and shall provide the address of the probate division clerk of the circuit court of the county in which the guardianship will be filed, if there is a guardianship, or where the petition for adoption will be filed, if there is no guardianship.
(3) The consent shall state that the person may waive the ten-day period for the withdrawal of consent for an adoption and elect to limit the maximum time for the withdrawal of consent for an adoption to five (5) days.
Ark. Code Ann. § 9-9-209(b). Furthermore, section 9-9-214(c)–(d) states,
(c) If at the conclusion of the hearing the court determines that the required consents have been obtained or excused and the required period for the withdrawal of consent and withdrawal of relinquishment have passed and that the adoption is in the best interest of the individual to be adopted, it may (1) issue a final decree of adoption; or (2) issue an interlocutory decree of adoption which by its own terms automatically becomes a final decree of adoption on a day therein specified, which day shall not be less than six (6) months nor more than one (1) year from the date of issuance of the decree, unless sooner vacated by the court for good cause shown.
(d) If the requirements for a decree under subsection (c) of this section have not been met, the court shall dismiss the petition and the child shall be returned to the person or entity having custody of the child prior to the filing of the petition.
Ark. Code Ann. § 9-9-214 (emphasis added).
17
