Prior to ordering your paternity test, you should be aware that there are two main types: the Legal Paternity Test and the Home Paternity Test. As long as the correct procedure is followed for sample collection there should be no difference in the accuracy and validity of the results obtained by either of these two. The difference lies in what one wishes to do one they have the results in hand.

Legal Paternity Test

The main difference between the two tests lies in the admissibility of the results as evidence in the Courts of Law. The requirements for a Legal paternity test needed to be officially recognized in Court vary between countries, but in general, there must be an independent third person, usually a lawyer or a court-appointed expert, who can testify that each of the samples tested in the laboratory really originated from the corresponding donor/test participant and who moreover, can provide evidence that at no point could the samples have been switched or contaminated. The procedure involved in a legal paternity test is commonly referred to as a ‘chain of custody’.

The involvement of a third person is absolutely necessary and the additional procedural steps that need to be employed, both by the legal representative and by the laboratory, naturally make the Legal paternity test more expensive. It is also usually necessary for the individuals choosing the Legal test to travel to the office or facility of the legal representative for the test to be performed.

Home Paternity Test

Sample collection for the home paternity test can generally be carried out at home by the donors themselves. This test is also referred to as a peace of mind test. The procedure is easy to understand and can be performed by practically anybody. ‘Peace of mind tests’ are recommended when the person wishing to do the test only harbors doubts regarding the issue of paternity and does not need any document for legal purposes. We normally recommend that a home test is performed if the outcome of the test is in doubt as it may save a lot of costs and effort required in a legal test if the result does not turn out as expected.

In a few words, the choice between a home and legal paternity test depends on the intention of using the results as evidence in a legal dispute. If chances of this are low, then the home test offers equally valid results with more convenience and at a lower price.

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