Are At-Home Paternity Tests admissible in court?
No, At-home paternity test results are not legally admissible in family court. This is because they do not require a legal chain of custody be established, DNA sample collections must be performed by an independent DNA sample collector, and samples must be tested and analyzed by accredited laboratory.
Lack of Chain of Custody:
- Home test kits do not require a legal chain of custody: This means since home kits do not not require an unbiased third-party DNA sample collector to collect your samples, and take pictures of the participants and ship directly to lab which adheres to the chain of custody guidelines your results will not be accepted in court.
Accredited Laboratories
Not all DNA Tests are performed by AABB accredited labs: Although accredited labs do offer both Legal and Home DNA Testing options. There are labs that are not accredited and offer the same DNA testing services.
If you require a legal DNA test result please use an DNA testing company that offers AABB accredited DNA testing like IDTO DNA Testing Center to ensure your results will be recognized in court.
Limited Scope and Standards:
Many home tests analyze fewer DNA markers compared to court-ordered tests: This can increase the chances of inconclusive results or misinterpretations. This happens with DNA companies that offer 12 DNA markers or less for analysis.
Paternity Establishment Options:
Court-ordered paternity tests:
The only way to obtain legally admissible results is through a court-ordered test conducted by an accredited laboratory. A paternity petition will need to file and accepted first by the court before a judge will mandate testing.
This happens when unmarried couples do not agree on paternity and the filing of paternity petition by either the alleged father, mother or child could help towards the establishment of paternity.
Please note, the information provided in this post regarding paternity establishment is not legal advice and should be deemed as informational. It is also recommended that you consult a legal professional in your state to learn more about paternity establishment guidelines.
Non-Court Ordered Legal Paternity Tests:
A legal paternity test can be performed without a court order and the results can submitted as evidence in family court.
Conclusion:
In summary, It’s important to remember that using a home paternity test for legal purposes could are not legally admissible in court.
If you need legally-binding results, always choose a court admissible test from a DNA Testing company like IDTO DNA Testing Center. Contact our office at 877-680-5800 to get started.
