DNA Paternity Test Kit

Paternity testing is a highly accurate method of identifying whether a man is a child’s biological father.

For a peace of mind paternity test, cheek (buccal) swabs are used to collect cheek cell DNA from the alleged father(s) and the child.

These samples can then be analysed and compared in the laboratory to identify matching DNA markers (loci) in the DNA samples.

Every person inherits half of their DNA from each of their biological parents, so such a comparison can help us to establish the probability of paternity.

When testing the biological father, both the man and the child will share enough identical sections of DNA to confirm a biological relationship. If the tested man is not the biological father, this will not be the case.

An AlphaBiolabs paternity DNA test looks at up to 45 DNA markers (loci) – double the industry standard for DNA testing – for a 100% accurate and reliable result.

A ‘peace of mind’ test means that the paternity test can be self-administered at home using one of our kits that we will send to an address of your choice, in discreet, plain packaging.

It can be used for your own knowledge and peace of mind, but as the samples will have been collected by you (self-administered) the results of the DNA test cannot be used in legal proceedings.

It is still a 100% accurate and reliable form of paternity testing, and if you only need it for your own knowledge, then it is a more affordable solution to determining the paternity of a child.

A ‘court-approved’ paternity test is a test that can be used as proof of paternity in legal cases. The difference here is that the DNA samples are collected by a third party under chain of custody conditions. In these circumstances, a trained sample collector will ensure the DNA samples are collected from the right people, that the correct consent is obtained, and that the DNA samples are safely transported back to the laboratory to prevent the possibility of tampering.

The process in the laboratory and the results are just as accurate for a peace of mind test as they are for a legal paternity test. However, having the DNA samples collected under chain of custody conditions reduces the possibility of foul-play for legal paternity testing, such as tampering and bogus sample donation (e.g. the wrong person’s sample being used due to a fraudulent submission).

If you require a paternity test for your own knowledge, you can order a peace of mind paternity test online now.

If you require a paternity test for legal matters, you will need to instruct us for a legal paternity test.

We are approved by the Ministry of Justice to perform parentage testing, and our DNA test results are accepted by UK courts, UK Visas and Immigration, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), Family Court and HM Passport Office.

Our standard paternity test is already industry-leading, as it analyses 25 DNA markers (the industry standard only analyses 16-21 markers).

What makes AlphaBiolabs unique is that we can also analyse up to 45 DNA markers. This allows more genetic material to be analysed, which strengthens the result and provides additional reassurance.

This is ideal for customers who want the most powerful DNA test available.

It is also particularly useful:

• Where a close male relative may be the biological father of the child
• In cases that do not include the mother’s sample
• Simply where additional reassurance of a result is preferred

You can order a peace of mind paternity test online now for just £99, for results the next working day.* Alternatively, you can choose to receive results the same working day* for an additional £70.

The cost of the test includes all fees for laboratory testing and analysis.

Your test kit will be sent directly to your chosen address in discreet, plain packaging. Royal Mail First Class shipping is included with the cost of your test, or you could choose to receive your test kit sooner with Next Working Day Courier (+£9.95).

*working days from when the samples arrive at our laboratory before 10am

Your paternity test kit will be dispatched as soon as we receive your order and is usually posted out the same day (provided you instruct us before 2pm).

Royal Mail First Class delivery is included within the cost of your test, and usually takes 1-3 working days.

If you would like to receive your test kit sooner, you also have the option to upgrade to Next Day Working Courier (+£9.95)

Once the DNA samples arrive at our laboratory, testing can begin, and your secure, password-protected results will be emailed to you the next working day* as standard (or the same working day* if you have paid for this service).

All DNA test results are emailed out from 4:30pm each day.

*working days from when the samples arrive at our laboratory before 10am

A paternity test is performed by analysing and comparing the DNA samples of the alleged father with that of the child.

The DNA samples are obtained using cheek (buccal) swabs which are rubbed gently and painlessly on the inside of each donor’s cheek to collect cheek (buccal) cells. A peace of mind paternity test – done for your own personal information – allows you to collect your own DNA samples quickly and easily at home, without the need for a third party to verify the sample collection.

Once you have returned the DNA samples to our laboratory, they are analysed by our in-house geneticists to determine whether the man is the biological father of the child.

If the tested man is the biological father, both will share enough DNA markers (loci) to verify a biological relationship. If the tested man is not the biological father, this will not be the case.

A paternity test can be performed at any time on a person of any age, including newborn babies and grown up children/adults.

There is no minimum age requirement, and the procedure for collecting the DNA samples is totally painless. The DNA samples are collected using a cheek (buccal) swab which is rubbed gently and painlessly on the inside of the cheek to collect cheek (buccal) cells.

However, consent is crucial in DNA testing, regardless of the age of the participants. Any person over 16 years of age must provide their own consent (a signature) for their DNA samples to be used in testing.

For children under the age of 16, consent must be provided on their behalf by a parent or guardian with parental responsibility for the child.

A paternity test can also be performed during pregnancy. This is called a prenatal paternity test, and requires a blood sample from the mother and cheek swabs from the mother and alleged father(s).

A non-invasive prenatal paternity test can be performed as early as 7 weeks into pregnancy (or 9 weeks since the mother’s last period). You can learn more about prenatal paternity testing here.

DNA testing can be an extremely emotional time, and not all our customers want other people to know that they are undertaking such tests.

That’s why we go to great lengths to ensure 100% privacy and confidentiality for our customers, from the moment you place your order, to the delivery of your results in a secure way.

Steps we take to ensure confidentiality throughout the testing process include:

• Shipping your test kit in discreet, plain packaging
• Sending your secure, password-protected results direct to the email address you provide when placing your order
• Keeping all correspondence confidential. For example, online payment transactions do NOT name AlphaBiolabs as the recipient on bank statements
• Limiting access to your personal data to those people who have a business need to know
• Protecting your data from being disclosed in an unauthorised way, by using a secure server for financial transactions on our website
• Adhering to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

No, the mother’s sample is not required for an AlphaBiolabs paternity test.

AlphaBiolabs uses the very latest technology and techniques in DNA analysis to perform paternity testing.

Every human being is born with a DNA profile that is completely unique to them (except for identical twins, who share the same genetic material).

Each person inherits half of their genetic material from each of their parents, with mum and dad each passing half of their DNA profile to their children.

These profiles make up the building blocks of a person’s DNA.

In the laboratory, it is possible for DNA scientists to analyse the DNA of an individual and identify where a person shares matching ‘building blocks’ – alleles – with one or more people.

DNA markers that are shared between the tested individuals can determine whether they are related.

If you’ve been shopping around for a paternity test, you may also have noticed that many testing laboratories talk about the number of loci analysed within the cost of the test.

Loci is in fact the scientific term for the locations of DNA markers within a strand of DNA: a genetic ‘street address’ for a DNA marker within the DNA strand.

Because loci are located on chromosomes and we inherit one chromosome from each of our parents, each locus (location in the DNA strand) is home to two alleles (one from each parent).

AlphaBiolabs’ DNA tests, including our paternity tests, analyse up to 45 DNA markers (loci) – double the industry standard – to determine whether two or more people are biologically related.

In DNA test example (A.) you can see that the child has inherited half of its genetic material from its mother, and half from the alleged father. This indicates that the man and child share enough DNA markers to verify a biological relationship.

In DNA test example (B.) you can see that the alleged father does not share any DNA markers with the child and is therefore excluded from paternity (i.e. he cannot be the biological father).

Our paternity testing is 100% accurate and reliable, based on the samples we receive at our laboratory.

Better still, AlphaBiolabs is UKAS ISO 17025 accredited, meaning that we meet the highest international quality standard for testing laboratories, as recognised by the government.

DNA testing can be used to learn a number of things including susceptibility to a range of diseases; however, the DNA sample that is taken for our paternity test will only be used for paternity testing.

Customers can be reassured that information regarding their test results is only released to those individuals that the customer nominates.

AlphaBiolabs conforms to the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Samples are destroyed after three months and all identification paperwork –hard copy and electronic files – are destroyed after 4 years.

Home peace of mind paternity testing is completely legal, provided the correct consent is given for the sample donors participating in the DNA test.

The Human Tissue Act 2004, which covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland, includes a section (Section 45) on the non-consensual analysis of DNA and creates a new offence of DNA ‘theft’.

It is unlawful to have human tissue with the intention of its DNA being analysed, without the consent of the person from whom the tissue came. In Scotland, The Human Tissue (Scotland) Act 2006 deals with the uses of human tissue, and similarly includes the non-consensual analysis of DNA. The offence of DNA theft thus applies UK-wide.

Failing to obtain or misusing consent could result in penalties of up to three years imprisonment, a fine, or both.

As such, regardless of who is instructing the DNA test, authority is needed from or on behalf of each person whose samples are provided for DNA testing. This is required by all testing laboratories, not just accredited laboratories like AlphaBiolabs.

Any person aged 16 or over must provide their own consent (a signature) to take part in DNA testing.

For children under 16 years of age, consent must be provided by a parent or guardian with parental responsibility for the child.

In the UK, a mother has parental responsibility for her child automatically from birth.

A father usually has parental responsibility if he’s either:

• Married to the child’s mother
• Listed on the birth certificate (after a certain date, depending on which part of the UK the child was born in)

We never disclose any information to any person or body unless specifically told to release this information by the individuals taking the test.

This has never happened in over 15 years of performing DNA paternity testing.

Yes, it is possible to perform a paternity test before a baby is born. This test is known as a non-invasive prenatal paternity test or a NIPP test.

The testing process for a non-invasive prenatal paternity test is based on the same principle as a standard paternity test. By examining the baby’s DNA together with the parents’ DNA, it is possible to determine which half of the baby’s DNA is inherited from the mother and which half is from the father.

Unlike other prenatal paternity tests which involve taking cells from the placenta (chorionic villus sampling or CVS test) or extracting a sample of amniotic fluid (amniocentesis) – both of which carry a small risk of miscarriage – all that is required for a NIPP test is a blood sample from the mother, and cheek (buccal) swabs from the mother and the alleged father.

This means that an AlphaBiolabs Prenatal Paternity Test is 100% risk free for mother and baby.

The test can be performed as early as 7 weeks into pregnancy (or 9 weeks since the first day of the mother’s last period).

An AlphaBiolabs Paternity Test kit includes:

• Peace of mind DNA test instruction sheet
• A self-addressed envelope to send your DNA test samples back to us
• Two collection swab packages containing two swabs in each package
• Individual DNA test sample envelopes for the alleged father and the child

Your test kit will be sent to your chosen address in discreet, plain packaging, for full confidentiality.

If you want to test more than one child with the same test, you can add extra children to the package when ordering and more swabs will be provided in the DNA test kit (additional charges apply).

It’s easy to order a Paternity Test online now.

If you’re unsure if the test is right for you, or simply want more information, call our friendly and discreet Customer Services team on 0333 600 1300 or email info@alphabiolabs.com.