The Legalities of Oklahoma Adoption: Procedures and Parental Rights

Whether you are unable to have biological children of your own or if you want to give a child without a family a permanent home to live and grow, adoption is a means to connect children with parents who will raise them as their own. 

When an adult adopts a child, they will be responsible for the child’s welfare and will also be granted the same rights to the child that all parents have for their children. In other words, adoptive parents will be considered no different than birth parents under Oklahoma’s adoption laws. Once an adoption is completed, the parental rights of birth parents to a child will be terminated, and the adoptive parents will assume them.

If you are ready to start a family or expand your existing one through adoption, an Oklahoma City family law attorney at the Putnam Law Office can help and guide you throughout this complex process. Call today to schedule a complimentary consultation.

Adoption in Oklahoma

Both single and married people can adopt if they are over the age of 21. Normally, to begin the process, both of the birth parents of a child must agree to relinquish their parental rights to their child. Although, there are instances where both parents’ consent is not needed. Additionally, older children aged 12 and above will also have to consent to being adopted. The adoption can proceed in the county where the child lives, the adoptive parent lives, or the county where the parental rights of the birth parents have been terminated.

Prospective married parents will both have to sign an adoption agreement and agree to it. When this happens, a home study will take place, and it must go well for an adoption to occur. That is unless a biological parent and step-parent have been married for one year and have lived with the child for at least one year. Then, a home study will not be necessary.

The time it takes to go through the Oklahoma adoption process can vary. The quickest adoptions happen for stepparents or relatives who don’t have to abide by the required waiting period. For others, it will take at least six months. However, many adoptions take far longer than this. 

When an adoption is completed, the original birth certificate and all of the adoption records will be sealed. A new birth certificate will be issued with the name of the adoptive parents. Adopted children are entitled to inheritance; their adoptive parents may decide to hand it down to them, just as adoptive parents can inherit property from an adopted child.

Adopting can be life-changing, and in a good way, but the choice to adopt is not one to be taken lightly. Adopting parents are responsible for raising their adopted child in the same way that they would biological children. They are responsible for the physical, mental, and emotional care of a child. They are responsible for providing the child with a safe home and all their essentials. 

Speak to an Attorney at the Putnam Law Office Today

Please call the Putnam Law Office today at (405) 849-9149 or fill out our online intake form to schedule a free consultation with a caring and dedicated family law attorney who can help you with the adoption process.