It is important to understand whether your individual circumstances require a home or legal paternity test. A DNA test is able to offer peace of mind, or they can be carried out for legal purposes.
The result of a paternity test, whether it is a legal test or for peace of mind, will be exactly the same, and you will be able to accurately determine a biological relationship between an alleged father and child.
Reasons for a home paternity test:
- Establish a biological relationship between an alleged father and child
- Peace of mind
Reasons for a legal paternity test:
- Establish a biological relationship between an alleged father and child
- Changing the father’s name on a birth certificate
- Proving paternity in a court of law
- Child custody cases
- Wills
- Probate disputes
- Immigration applications
Choosing a company
You can choose any DNA testing company to administer a home paternity test, however, we would recommend choosing an ISO accredited laboratory to ensure the highest standards and accuracy. In order for a DNA test to be eligible for use in a court of law, the company administering the test must be accredited by the Ministry of Justice. It is important to check that the company you chose for legal DNA testing is accredited.
Sample collection
A home paternity test requires a DNA sample from each person being testing and a consent form, there is no need for an independent witness to be present during the collection of the DNA. Because there is no independent witness present, there is potential for the participants to alter the results by submitting another person’s DNA, for this reason home paternity tests are not accepted in a court of law.
The process for a legal paternity test is different, a registered nurse or doctor will be sent to collect the DNA samples from each participant. During the collection, the nurse will check a valid photo ID for each participant as well as being provided with two passport photos. These samples are then sent directly back to the laboratory for testing.
Documentation
A home paternity test only requires a form of consent, which provides the testing laboratory with the authorisation required to test the DNA sample. A legal test requires two passport photos and a valid form of identification, such as a passport of driving license.
Results
The results of a home or legal paternity will be the same, providing the same level of accuracy when proving or excluding paternity. Only the results from a legal DNA test will be court admissible.
DNA Testing
If you are still unsure on whether you need a home or legal paternity test, please get in touch with our team. DNA Legal provide legal paternity tests that are accredited by the Ministry of Justice, and accepted by the UK Border Agency for cases involving immigration.