In an adoption, the adoptive parents may need to obtain a consent and relinquishment from the biological mother and father. To be valid, South Carolina Code of Laws Section 63-9-340 provides that the consent and relinquishment "must be signed in the presence of two witnesses one of whom must be on of the following:

  1. a judge of any family court in this State;
  2. an attorney licensed to practice law in South Carolina who does not represent the prospective adoption petitioners;
  3. a person certified by the State Department of Social Services…to obtain consents or relinquishments;
  4. when the consent or relinquishment is obtained outside of this State, by an attorney licensed to practice law in that state, by a person designated by an agency of that state, by a person or agency authorized by that state’s law to obtain consents or relinquishments or to conduct investigations for adoptions, or by a qualified resident of that state authorized by a South Carolina family court."