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What Do You Need For a DNA Paternity Test?

Mar 10, 2017 | Paternity

What you need to do to get a paternity test

Thanks to the availability of DNA collection kits for personal or legal purposes, getting a paternity test has never been easier, and help is just a phone call away! Here’s what you need to do: easy as 1-2-3.

1. Determine How You’ll Use your Paternity Test Results

Legal Paternity Test

Do you anticipate needing your test results for child-support or custody decisions in court? If so, then you definitely want to order a Legal Paternity Test. With this type of test, DNA collections and submission of samples to the lab are supervised by an approved witness. This ensures that all participants in the test are who they say they are and so results are accepted by the courts. Just give us a call and we’ll make all arrangements for a witnessed legal test in your area. Easy!

Home Paternity Test

If you simply want results for your own information or peace of mind, then collecting DNA samples at home might be just fine for your needs. Order an at-home kit online and it will be shipped to you immediately. Keep in mind that results from at-home testing cannot be used in court. So if you think you may ever need your results for legal reasons, it would be wise to pay a little extra for a witnessed, chain-of-custody test.

Still Not Sure Which Test is Right for You?

Contact our caring case specialists directly at 1-800-681-7162: They can assess your unique situation and recommend the best DNA solution to answer your paternity question.

2. Do your DNA Sample Collection

The next step is to collect DNA from all participants, using our painless cheek swabs. Whether you are having the swabbing witnessed as part of a legal test or swabbing in the comfort of your home for a peace-of-mind test, this process is fast and easy.

Learn how to perform a cheek swab

Collecting DNA via cheek swab can be done on people of any age, including small children and even newborns. If you are interested on doing a paternity test while still pregnant, click the link below:

Learn about prenatal DNA paternity testing

3. Mail Samples to the Lab

Once DNA samples are collected from all participants, these samples need to be sent to the lab for testing. If you are doing a legal paternity test, the DNA collector (witness) will take care of mailing them for you. If testing at home, you can use the postage-paid envelope included in the kit or, for faster delivery, send samples via first-class mail or through a delivery service.

 Once DNA samples arrive at the lab, your results report is posted within two (2) business days to your secure online account. Be sure to ask your case specialist about rush processing.

That’s it—really is as easy as 1-2-3!

Call us at 800-929-0847: We’re here to help.

Do you have questions or comments about this topic? Share in the comments and we’ll answer.
6 Comments
  1. Mrs Barnett

    Can a paternity test be valid without having the father’s DNA and just be tested with child’s sister?

    Reply
    • DDC

      Hi, Mrs. Barnett. When a father is not available for testing, there are other options to help find answers. One of those options is an aunt/uncle test, which you mentioned. Another is a sibling test with a known child of the alleged father, and yet another (and the most preferred) is a grandparent test (with one or more of the alleged father’s parents). In all of these cases, the chances of getting conclusive results are greatly increased if the mother of child also contributes her DNA for testing. You can learn more about it here: https://dnacenter.com/blog/dna-paternity-test-without-father-2/

      Reply
  2. John

    Are there any documents I need to have besides my ID for the legal paternity test?

    Reply
    • DDC

      Hi, John. Most likely not, but without knowing the particulars of your case I cannot tell you for sure. Please contact the laboratory doing the testing to confirm what you’ll need.

      Reply
  3. K

    Can the test kit be sent to 2 different locations for testing?

    Reply
    • DDC

      Hi, K. Yes, absolutely. Just give us a call at 800-929-0847 (M-F, 8 AM to 6 PM Eastern).

      Reply

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