You’re probably familiar with the concept of paternity testing, but what can someone do if the alleged father is not available to provide a sample? You may be asking, “Can I do a paternity test without the father?”
There are many situations that can make it impossible to test the alleged father. He may simply be unwilling to cooperate, he may be absent for other reasons or he may have passed away. There is an assumption that nothing can be done, but do not despair! Although it’s always optimal to include the alleged father, there are definitely other options for establishing the paternity of a child. If you are unsure about what to do or how to get started, it’s well worth your while to call a well-established, accredited lab. They should be able to talk through your particular situation and identify what other options you might have with testing relatives of the alleged father.
Options for a Paternity Test without the Father
You need the willing participation of one or more of his biological relatives. Typically this can include:
- Other known children
- The mother and/or father of the absent father
- Full siblings of the alleged father
IMPORTANT NOTE: It is extremely important to include the child’s mother in any of the tests detailed below. This allows the lab to exclude the mother’s contribution to the child’s DNA profile; what is left will have come from the biological father—and it is this contribution that can then be compared to genetic data from his biological relatives.
Grandparentage DNA Test
A grandparentage test uses DNA samples from the alleged father’s mother and father and is the most desirable option for conclusive results. If you can provide samples for both parents the test result can be as definitive as a paternity test. Using just one grandparent of the child is still a good option, but the more data, the better.
Aunt/Uncle DNA Test
We has the capacity to run extended testing at our high-tech lab. This means we can look at significantly more DNA markers in these tests than the industry standard. This makes our tests more accurate and in many cases give a more conclusive result. An uncle or aunt test that includes the child and their mother is a good option if grandparents are unavailable.
Siblingship DNA Test
If the absent father had any other children, then this is a really good option. If both children share the same mother, the test is a full sibling test. If the other child has a different mother, then you should order a half-sibling tests. If the children do not share the same mother, it really is a good idea to test both mothers so that their genetic contributions to the children can be excluded.
How These DNA Tests Are Used
Tests with at-home DNA collection can only be used for peace-of-mind and informational purposes. If you need to prove paternity for a legal purpose, then all of these tests can be used, as long as DNA collection is witnessed. This is done very often for immigration cases.
