To start a paternity test , simply contact or drop in to some of the local labs.

Once you arrive :

All test participants are asked to present government-issued identification (such as a Driver’s License) and to complete a Client Identification and Consent Form. The legal guardian must sign this form for test participants who are minors. The sample collector takes fingerprints and photographs of all test participants.

Buccal Swab Collection :

Samples for a DNA test, such as a paternity test, are routinely collected using the painless and simple buccal swab—similar to a cotton-tipped swab, but made of the special material Dacron®. The swab is rubbed against the inside cheek of the test participant, and loose cheek cells adhere to the swab. Unlike regular cotton swabs, Dacron® provides a consistent surface for sample collection and DNA extraction.

DNA Test in the Laboratory :

Some labs send the swabs to a national laboratory in a sealed, tamper-evident package. When samples arrive in the laboratory, the staff checks to see if the package seal is intact. Each sample is recorded into their database. When all the samples for a paternity test case have arrived, the lab will start the DNA test, which follows the following five steps:

1. Samples from each person are divided in two for Dual Process™. From this point on, two independent laboratory teams take the samples through the DNA testing process.
2. DNA is extracted from the buccal swabs and purified.
3. The extracted DNA is added to a special chemical mix for the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), a process that targets 16 specific locations in the DNA (called loci) and makes billions of copies of each location.
4. The products of PCR are analyzed to create a DNA profile, a genetic equivalent of a fingerprint for each tested party.
5. The child’s DNA profile is compared with the alleged father’s, and statistical analysis is performed to determine the probability of paternity. A 0% probability of paternity represents an exclusion (the alleged father is not the biological father) and at least a 99.99% probability represents an inclusion in a standard trio (the alleged father is the biological father).

Paternity Test Report :

The paternity test results can be ready within 3 - 4 working days after the lab receives the samples. (prenatal testing will take a few days more.)

Why would somenone want a DNA-Paternity test?