Art. 1148 Time limitations; finality

If you sign a document giving up your parental rights (called a surrender), you only have a limited time to challenge or cancel it. You must file to undo the surrender within 90 days after you signed it.

There's another important limit too. If the child gets adopted before those 90 days are up, your window to challenge the surrender closes right then, even if it's earlier than the 90-day mark. So whichever happens first, the 90 days passing or the adoption being finalized, that's your deadline.

This rule exists to give adoptions a sense of permanence. Once the time limit passes, the surrender stands and generally cannot be undone, no matter the reason. If you're thinking about challenging a surrender, you need to act fast and talk to a lawyer right away, since waiting could mean losing your chance entirely.