Legal DNA Paternity Testing

A legal DNA paternity test is done if one wants to pursue matters in a legal court, for example, over issues of alimony or inheritance. Its use also extends itself to immigration DNA tests where the legal test might be a required alongside immigration documents.

The procedure for a legal paternity test is different to an ‘at home’ test.  The procedure required in a legal paternity test is commonly referred to as the ‘chain of custody’ and enables your paternity test results to be presented in a court of law.

Results, cost and legal test specifications 

Your legal paternity test kit will be dispatched within 48 hours following confirmation of order. In the kit, you will find all that is required to get the test done including the necessary paperwork, instructions for taking DNA samples and the sampling kit.

The price of the legal paternity test is $395. Please note that this price does not include the sampler’s fees. You will first receive your results by email within 3 to 5 working days. You will also receive notarized hard copy approximately 10 working days later.

The procedure in a legal paternity test

In a legal paternity test, a neutral third party will be responsible for taking DNA samples from the people involved in the test; usually this person will be referred to as the Sampler. Often, a doctor or a qualified nurse can act as the sampler for your test. The neutral third party acts as a witness to the sample collection ensuring that none of the swabs have been tampered with and that there has been no exchange of swabs or deliberate contamination of the DNA samples.

Changing the name on a birth certificate will also require a legal paternity test that follows the same procedure. Should you require your DNA report for immigration purposes please visit our page on immigration DNA testing.

It is important to note that legal DNA testing is available for our DNA paternity testing as well as other relationship DNA tests.