Legally Admissible
Paternity DNA Testing

Legally admissible paternity DNA tests are often necessary in cases of child support, child custody, adoption, court order, birth certificate, will or estate, tax forms, or other legal reasons.

​

A legally admissible paternity DNA test requires that all tested parties have their DNA samples collected, handled, and tested by an AABB-Accredited laboratory like Universal Genetics / Advanced Genetics. In order for a legally admissible DNA test to be considered valid by government agencies or immigration authorities (U.S. Embassies, U.S. Consulates, and USCIS), “Chain of Custody” for each of the participants in the case needs to be preserved.

​

Chain of Custody is the chronological documentation, showing the collection, custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of evidence. In a legally admissible paternity DNA Test, it means proper identification of the tested parties and proper collection and handling of the specimens, all of which is documented. In addition, AABB requires that everyone involved in the testing process from the specimen collector to the DNA analyst be a third party who has no interest in the outcome of the test. Only DNA test results generated following proper Chain of Custody procedures are legally admissible and accepted by government agencies and immigration authorities such as U.S. Embassies, U.S. Consulates, USCIS, and Passport Agencies.

​

Our laboratory has one of the largest networks of Collection Sites across the U.S. that will be able to preserve Chain of Custody for your legally admissible Paternity DNA Test, so finding a convenient location near you would be easy.

ATTENTION NEW YORK RESIDENTS ONLY

According to NYSDOH (New York State Department of Health) guidelines, we are NOT able to offer this service for New York state residents without first obtaining an immigration request, a doctor’s prescription, or court order.

3 AABB ACCREDITED DNA TESTING LABORATORIES AT YOUR SERVICE

Please note that we have the resources of 3 fully independent AABB accredited DNA testing laboratories in 3 major cities in the U.S., therefore, many of the cases we handle do not require the use of DNA sample collection sites. Only when the circumstances are so demanding such as unreasonable long distance from our locations or medical conditions impeding a participant to physically attend his/her appointment at any of our laboratories, we will consider assigning a DNA sample collection site to be used in a case. However, we reserve the right to evaluate the situation on the case by case basis and determine how to handle each DNA sample collection appropriately to safeguard the integrity of the process.

REQUIREMENTS TO INITIATE YOUR IMMIGRATION DNA TEST

We will need the following for each participant:

​

• Names

• Dates of Birth

• Address

• Phone Numbers

• Doctor’s prescription (only needed for New York residents)

​

If all parties are in agreement, there is need for only one common address and telephone number.

​

Also, all adult parties are required to have valid and proper identification at the moment of DNA sample collection.

​

If a minor or person incapable of giving consent is participating in a DNA test, the legal guardian or – parent – as declared on the official birth certificate of the minor – must be present at the moment of the DNA sample collection appointment to authorize for the DNA testing of that individual.

​

Once you have provided the required information accurately, we will contact you to obtain the necessary payment. At that point, we will inform you where we are going to be collecting the DNA samples for all participants involved. If the samples are being collected at one of our laboratories, we will arrange an appointment for you immediately. If we are using a DNA collection site, we will provide you all the pertinent information and instructions to coordinate a DNA sample collection appointment with them.

​

All the information required to initiate this case can be provided in our online form. If necessary, you can use the notes section in the online form to provide any additional instructions for our staff.