A home DNA test cannot be upgraded to a legal test since a chain of custody procedure needs to be followed for a paternity test to be legally binding.
Why Do I Need A Legal Paternity Test?
A legal test is required over a home paternity test if the results of the test need to be admitted in court.
Legal DNA Paternity Tests require the participant’s samples to be collected at one of our collection facilities or through a mobile collection by one of our professionals. The participant’s identity must be verified with government ID, a fingerprint is taken, and a photograph is taken or supplied by the participant.
Some of the specific reasons a legal test may be necessary are to:
- assist in obtaining Tax benefits for the parent
- assist in obtaining all entitled benefits for the child from both parents (i.e. life insurance, health care, social security, child support)
- establish rights to an inheritance
- confirm parentage in surrogate births, assisted reproduction or insemination
- be added onto the birth certificate of a child
- assist in obtaining custody of a child