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Do I Need A Legal Paternity Test?

legal paternity test legal dna test

Do you really need a legal paternity test? Home DNA tests may be more accessible and affordable, but the results may not be legally acknowledged in court because they can be easily tampered with since there is no chain of custody procedure involved to confirm the identity of the participating parties. The remedy is therefore to go for a court admissible paternity test – this may sound more complicated than home DNA tests, but it’s still a relatively straightforward process.

When You Need A Legal DNA Test

Once the court imposes a DNA test, what you should do is order a legal paternity test. After the test order has been reviewed, an appointment with an approved DNA collector in your area (based on zip code) will be scheduled. The DNA specimen collection will need to be performed by an authorized third party to verify the identity of the donors. During the sampling process, government issued picture identification documents will be required, and photocopied. At no point in the process are the participants allowed to have any access to the testing kit. The DNA collector will ensure the samples are properly collected, sealed and sent directly to the laboratory for testing. Upon receipt, the laboratory will ensure the samples are sealed and that they chain of custody has been preserved. Then testing will begin, and an official result is issued. This procedure ensures none of the participants can dispute the result.

It is not possible to force a person to take a DNA paternity test without intervention by the Court, or other authorized agency. Even when a court orders the test to be performed it is still possible for the one of the parties to refuse – with all the legal ramifications that come with it. So essentially for the benefit of the child and clarity, it is always recommended that participants willingly submit to the testing, and save a lot of stress and unexpense all-round.

And once the test has been ordered by the Court then it is important to make sure to go to an accredited testing facility for your court admissible DNA test. Experienced providers such as Journey Genetic Testing will have the necessary technical, scientific and support structures, including collection points across the US, to meet all your DNA testing needs and make the whole process as stress free as possible.