How it works

Order online, give the samples, and the lab's report comes by email. Here is what happens in each kind of test.

At-home tests

  1. Order online and tell us who is taking part.
  2. A kit arrives by mail, with swabs and an envelope for each person.
  3. Each person rubs a swab inside their cheek. The swabs dry, and each goes in its own envelope.
  4. Mail the samples to the lab.
  5. The lab's report comes by email.

A home test answers the question for you. It can't be used in court, because nobody independent saw who gave each sample. See the at-home paternity test.

Legal tests

  1. Order online and tell us who is taking part, and where each person lives.
  2. Each person goes to a collection site near them, with photo ID.
  3. A neutral collector checks the ID, takes a photo and the cheek swabs, and seals the samples.
  4. The samples travel to an AABB-accredited lab with signed chain-of-custody paperwork.
  5. The signed report goes to the people tested and anyone they name.

See the legal paternity test.

Prenatal tests

  1. Order online, from 7 weeks of pregnancy.
  2. The mother has a small blood sample taken from her arm at a collection site.
  3. The possible father gives a cheek swab.
  4. The lab compares the baby's DNA, found in the mother's blood, with his.
  5. The report comes by email.

See the prenatal paternity test.

Who takes part

Every adult tested agrees to the test. A parent or legal guardian consents for a child. We don't test samples taken from someone without their knowledge. See consent.

Your samples and data

The lab uses the samples only for your test. We never sell DNA data or share it with anyone you haven't named, and you can ask for your samples and data to be destroyed. See privacy.