Legal Paternity Test

DNA COLLECTION: After you place your order with HomePaternity, a scheduling specialist will confirm your appointment based on your preferred location or time. If your preferred time is not available, we’ll work with you to find the closest time, or another time that works for you. A legal paternity test requires that all parties have their DNA samples collected at a certified facility such as a HomePaternity partner clinic, hospital, medical office, or health department. We have the largest network of sample-collection sites in the world, and thousands of locations from which to choose.

CHAIN-OF-CUSTODY HANDLING: Once the DNA is collected for the legal paternity test, the samples are sent securely in tamper-proof packaging to our accredited US-based laboratory, where DNA testing takes place.

THE TESTING PROCESS: Our laboratory technicians carefully handle and prepare your DNA samples for processing. Every paternity test with cheek-swab samples is run two separate times by independent teams. The results are then reviewed by our in-house team of PhDs and your report is prepared.

YOUR RESULTS: As soon as the results are verified, immediate and secure online access to the report is available for the decision-maker in the case, and a legal document that is admissible in a court of law is mailed to all tested parties.

Results are completely confidential, and your private genetic information is never shared with or sold to outside parties.

The main difference between a legal paternity test and a home paternity test is how the results report can be used. Results from a legal paternity test are court-admissible while results from a home paternity test are not. Courts accept results for a legal test because a chain-of-custody process with witnessed DNA collection is followed, which ensures the correct DNA has been submitted for testing.

DNA is collected for a legal paternity test at an approved facility near you. We work with thousands of approved providers across the U.S.A and around the world, including clinics, hospitals, and even mobile collection units. When you order your test, we make the appointment on your behalf at a time and place most convenient for each tested party. Participants in the test can have their DNA collected at different times and/or in separate locations.

Not all courts accept results from a legal paternity test—whether or not a report is accepted as proof of paternity is up to each individual judge. However, when a court accepts results from a DNA test as proof of paternity, that test must be a legal one and not a home one.

In most cases, a mother’s DNA is not necessary to obtain conclusive results for a paternity test. However, there are occasions when her DNA is helpful in strengthening results, such as in cases with DNA mutations and when possible fathers are related. If this happens, the lab will suspend testing and request a sample from the mother. If possible, it’s best for the mother to submit her sample upfront to prevent delays if her DNA turns out to be needed.