FAQs

Relationship DNA testing can be a life-changing event and we would recommend that before ordering a test you think carefully about the potential outcomes and have considered if testing will be in the best interests of those involved.

If you find that any person requires extra support to deal with the outcome of a DNA test, then there are a number of online resources for support with this:

npefellowship.org  The international organisation, the NPE (Non-Parental Event) Friends Fellowship provides emotional, educational and practical support to those who have discovered that one or both parents were not their biological parent(s).

bps.org.uk It is always recommended that you speak to your GP for advice before reaching out to a phycologist. If you do need the services of a psychologist, then you can do so through the link provided.

The dadcheck®silver service is a premier DNA test for paternity testing and also for genetic information concerning other relationships. It is intended as a human identification service for the general public and is offered at two levels;
a) as a personal information DNA test and
b) as a test suitable for use in legal proceedings.

We are highly responsive, sensitive to your needs and provide a high level of customer service. We appreciate the sensitivity of this purchase. By using our own UK based laboratories, we offer you exceptional value for money and the highest quality laboratory processing and analysis.

We offer many types of DNA testing services for the determination of human biological relationships. We are expert in immigration DNA testing, in providing DNA tests for surrogacy and also for inheritance matters.

We operate our own accredited* UK laboratories and we do not send samples to other laboratories for processing. For personal information DNA testing for paternity and other biological relationships, you may order online or by telephone.

Please note that we do NOT carry out tests relating to distant ancestry (genealogy etc), or for animals (e.g. pedigree testing).

chXout on the other hand, a registered trademark belonging to Complement Genomics Ltd, offers services to the non-human DNA testing market. A range of DNA testing services for animals, plants and fungi have been designed for businesses, citizen scientists and professionals alike.

*For legal tests only

The definitive way to determine if twins are identical or non-identical (also known as ‘fraternal’ twins) is to carry out DNA testing known as Zygosity Testing.

In the laboratory we will test the DNA samples from the twins using 23 markers to determine if they are genetically identical for at all the DNA markers, or if they have similar but different DNA profiles as is expected with full siblings (i.e non-identical twins). This produces extremely accurate results which will conclusively determine if twins are identical or not.

For further information about this type of test, please contact us on 0191 543 6434 or e-mail sales@dadchecksilver.com

When you place your order you will create your own account password.  You will then use this along with the user-name which will be issued to you by email.  You may use these to track the progress of your case in the “My Account” section of our website.

When your fully consented samples arrive at our laboratory, you will be sent another e-mail to confirm their receipt and the expected results due date. When you log in, you will be able to see an estimated completion date, plus any messages we may have for you. If there is a delay for a re-test or some other issue, we will inform you by this route and also by e-mail/telephone. For example, it may be that in the case of a test where the alleged father has given consent and the mother is not participating, that we ask to see evidence of Parental Responsibility. This may require you to show us an appropriate marriage or birth certificate.

The estimated completion date will also be found at this login and may be updated from time to time and is non-binding. It will generally be 4 working days from receipt of all of the fully consented samples into our laboratory for our standard service or 2 working days for our express service. Your results will generally be uploaded after 4pm on the designated completion day.

When your results have been uploaded, you will be sent an e-mail to inform you of the availability of the results and to remind you to log in.

We determine whether or not an individual is the biological father of a particular child by using the latest and most robust DNA testing technology. This is often referred to as a paternity DNA test. We are also experts in establishing genetic relationships between other individuals, for the purpose of grand-parentage, sibling and avuncular (aunt/uncle) testing. For example, this is often used for establishing relationships if an alleged father is not available, for example if the alleged father is unwilling, unavailable or deceased.

Our service is based upon the fact that each and every one of us is unique. This uniqueness comes from our genetic code, which we have inherited equally from our biological mother and biological father. The dadcheck®silver paternity test detects the presence of shared regions of this unique genetic code (we look at 23 markers), which can in turn be used to determine if individuals are related. We analyse your genetic code and the results are displayed as a series of coloured bands. We then look at these bands from both mother and alleged father to see if every band in the child is present in the parents. If so, there is a good chance that the child and parents are biologically related.

Please be aware that the dadcheck®silver DNA test is for either:
a) personal information or as a separate option,
b) for legal purposes such as Birth Certificate change, Immigration (Home Office/Passport Office) etc.

If you wish to have a DNA test for use in court, to change a birth certificate or another legal reason, then you will need a test suitable for this purpose (sometimes called an accredited paternity test). This means that we have additional procedures to consider, including sampling undertaken by a third party. We will discuss this with you at the time of ordering. Please call 0191 543 6434 or e-mail sales@dadchecksilver.com for this service.

If you are from the general public and have more complex DNA testing needs, then we can assist with these. This might be one of the following:

A private legal (accredited) DNA test for Birth Certificate changes.
Immigration  DNA test for the Home Office or Passport Office
A maternity DNA test (generally required for Immigration applications)
DNA tests on deceased persons (forensic DNA testing)
Surrogacy DNA tests for a Parental Order
Sibling DNA Tests (full, half or not related)
Sperm donor testing (alleged father and child)
Grand-parentage DNA testing
Avuncular DNA Testing for aunts/uncles.

If you have any questions, we will be happy to help.

If you have a solicitor (or social services are involved) and they are dealing with your DNA testing case, then please direct them to our service for professionals, which is: www.dadcheckgold.com. You can ask them to call 0191 543 6334 or e-mail sales@dadcheckgold.com.

For our legal DNA tests, our laboratories are recognised by the Ministry of Justice for legal DNA testing and we hold the international accreditation standard, BS EN ISO 17025 for testing laboratories.

For our personal information DNA tests, once you have placed your order, a personalised DNA testing kit will be sent to the address(es) of your choosing. The kit(s) will arrive in a fully opaque envelope and will include a consent form, two sterile mouth swab per donor, a pre-paid return postage envelope and a ‘Communicating with you’ sheet.

For our legal (accredited) DNA tests, there is a strict chain of custody for the sample collection process. Therefore, the sampling kit is not issues to the family directly but instead, to one of our own registered sample collectors or the medical centre of your choice. Further information regarding this process can be found on our website under “Legal DNA Tests” or by calling us on 0191 543 6434.

The prices for dadchecksilver personal information DNA tests are as follows:

Service 1: a) £145 for alleged father, child and mother, 4 working day turnaround*.

Service 1: b) £185 for alleged father, child and mother, 2 working day turnaround*.

Service 2: a) £215 alleged father, mother and two children, 4 working day turnaround.

Service 2: b) £255 alleged father, mother and two children, 2 working day turnaround.

Service 3: a) £285 alleged father, mother and three children, 4 working day turnaround.

Service 3: b) £325 alleged father, mother and three children, 2 working day turnaround.

Service 4: a) £215 two alleged fathers, one child and mother, 4 working day turnaround.

Service 4: b) £255 two alleged fathers, one child and mother, 2 workingday turnaround.

Service 5: £145 for child 1 and child 2, 4 working day turnaround.

Service 6: £145 for child 1, child 2 and mother, 4 working day turnaround.

Service 7: £215 for child 1, child 2, mother 1 and mother 2, 4 working day turnaround.

Service 8: £145 for child and one grand-parent, 4 working day turnaround.

Service 9: £145 for child, mother and one grand-parent, 4 working day turnaround.

Service 10: £215 for child, mother and both grand-parents, 4 working day turnaround.

Service 11: £145 for child, mother and paternal uncle/aunt, 4 working day turnaround.

Service 12: £145 for child and paternal uncle/aunt, 4 working day turnaround.

The prices for dadchecksilver legal (accredited) paternity tests, for immigration (paternity and maternity) and for surrogacy cases are as follows:

Service 13: £349 alleged father, mother and child (paternity test suitable for legal purposes)**.

Service 14: £467 alleged father, mother and two children (paternity test suitable for legal purposes)**.

Service 15: £585 alleged father, mother and three children (paternity test suitable for legal purposes)**.

Service 16: £349 for alleged mother, child and father (paternity or maternity test for immigration)**.

Service 17: £499 alleged mother, father and two children (paternity or maternity test for immigration)**.

Service 18: £649 alleged mother, father and three children (paternity or maternity test for immigration)**.

* Quoted turnaround times are approximate

** Extra postage/courier charges may apply. Independent 3rd parties may charge a sampling fee.

For personal information tests, the price includes the kit(s) (swabs, consent forms, return postage paid envelope(s), the laboratory testing, the reporting and any telephone support that may be required.

We strongly recommend that the mother of the child is involved in any paternity testing process and there is no reduction in the price if the mother is not tested. Further donors (e.g. additional children) can be tested for £70 each.

Some people will require an extra kit or an extra report (to another address). There will be an additional charge of £12.50 for any replacement kits or reports.

For tests suitable for legal purposes, the price includes the kit(s) (swabs, consent forms, return postage paid envelope(s)), co-ordination with the sampler, the laboratory testing, reporting of the results in the format required for the legal purpose and any support that may be required. Additional samle collection fees may apply but we will discuss this with you at the point of enquiry.

Unlike with personal information tests, the mother of the child must be involved in any DNA testing process. Further donors (usually additional children) can be tested for £150 each.

Analysing your genetic code using a DNA test is the most accurate way of determining whether or not a biological relationship exists between individuals.

The dadchecksilver paternity test proves with 100% accuracy if a man is not the alleged father of a child and proves that a tested man is the alleged father of a child with at least 99.99% certainty (if the mother is involved in the DNA testing process, we can generally improve on this figure).

For grandparentage, avuncular (aunt/uncle) and sibling testing, the relationship is more distant and the results will generally be lower than a standard paternity DNA test. If for example, the mother does not participate, then this number will reduce and can be highly variable. It can be between 50% and 90% depending upon your family’s genetic background. In a grand-parentage test, if we can test both grandparents and there is no issue of paternity, we may get a probability of relatedness of up to 99%.

If you are wishing to have one of these particular DNA tests, then it is important that you understand the limitations of the technology and we would always suggest that these DNA testing data are taken in context with other evidence you may have. We much prefer you to call or e-mail us to place these type of orders, so we can arrange to discuss the case with you. We can then advise on the most appropriate DNA test which will give a conclusive and useful outcome for you and your family.

All people providing a sample for any type of dadcheck®silver DNA test must give their consent by signing the personalised consent form which will be provided with the sampling kit.

We will not process samples for any paternity test or other DNA test unless we have the signed (written) consent of each of the adult participants and if a child under 16 is involved, consent from a person with parental responsibility for the child (or children) taking part – for further information regarding Parental Responsibility, please see FAQ ‘What is Parental Responsibility (PR)?

In cases where the alleged father signs on behalf of the child, we always ask to see proof of parental responsibility e.g., the full birth certificate or a marriage certificate to the mother. This can be sent us to by email.

We will not process any samples without the appropriate consent and evidence of this where it is any person other than the child’s mother signing on behalf of the child. This will effect your expected results due date if we have not received this evidence before the samples arrive with us. 

You should be aware that it is a serious offence, punishable by imprisonment, to personate another body for the purpose of providing a bodily sample (e.g. for a DNA test) or to proffer the wrong child for that purpose.

It is also a criminal offence to have in possession bodily material for which a DNA testing is intended, without appropriate (qualifying) consent. If the consent form has not be signed properly or appropriately, we will not proceed with the test.

If you wish to provide a sample for a dadcheck®silver DNA test you must be absolutely sure that it is your sample and that you have signed the consent form which gives us permission to carry out the test.

Please note however that an individual may withdraw their consent at any time during the testing process but not after the paternity or DNA Test Report has been issued.

Consideration must also be given to older children e.g. 10+years and under the age of 16 years as they are likely to be able to understand the nature and possible consequences of a DNA test. We strongly recommend that the person with parental responsibility discusses the DNA test with the child and takes their views into account.

From the time we receive all the properly consented samples, the test will take approximately 4 working days if you have ordered the standard service and approximately 2 working days if you have ordered the express service. We will not give progress reports until the Paternity Test Report is ready. This Paternity Test Report will only be sent to the person ordering the DNA test and we will not discuss the case with any other person unless we have written permission to do so.

You will receive an e-mail when the Paternity Report has been uploaded and this will generally be after 4pm on the expected day of delivery. Please do not call for results before this time, as staff will not be able to update you until the report has been signed off by the Quality Manager.

If we have any issues with the data (such as the need to repeat the sampling), you will receive an e-mail to keep you updated.

Parental Responsibility (PR) means that the person concerned has all of the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority that a parent of a child has by law (as defined in the Children Act 1989). Where a child’s parents were married to each other at the time of the child’s birth, each parent will have Parental Responsibility for the child. However, if a child’s parents are not married to each other, the mother shall automatically have Parental Responsibility over the child. Where the parents are not married to each other, the alleged father will acquire Parental Responsibility if he acts with the mother to have his name recorded on the child’s birth registration after 1st December 2003. An unmarried alleged father will not be able to claim Parental Responsibility unless he acquires it by:

• Having his name on the child’s birth certificate (for births registered after December 2003).
• Obtaining a court order.
• Registering a legally written agreement subject to the mother’s consent.
• Marriage to the child’s mother.
• Being granted a residence order.

People other than parents may acquire Parental Responsibility by appointment as a guardian or by an order of the court.

In cases where the alleged father signs on behalf of the child, we always ask to see proof of parental responsibility e.g., the full birth certificate or a marriage certificate to the mother. This can be sent us to by email.

We will not process any samples without the appropriate consent and evidence of this where it is any person other than the child’s mother signing on behalf of the child. This will effect your expected results due date if we have not received this evidence before the samples arrive with us. 

Helpful information regarding who may have Parental Responsibility can be found here.

The dadchecksilver paternity test is more conclusive if we can test all three of the child, mother and alleged father.

A test without a sample from the mother will not provide the same degree of certainty as a test with samples from both parents, but nevertheless, we would expect to report a probability of paternity in excess of 99%. Please note that tests which do not involve the mother are not acceptable for legal purposes.

Not at all. Our samples are taken by gently rubbing a soft cotton swab around the inside of the mouth. Full instructions of how to take the samples are included in the “That DNA Company” sample collection kit and on our helpful video available on our website.

The procedure is simple and painless and can be used on young children and newborn babies.

If you are unsure and would like some guidance on the DNA sampling process then please watch our video or call us on 0191 543 6434.

For personal information DNA tests there is no requirement for any donor to provide proof of identity.

For legal (accredited) DNA tests, we need to prove the identity of the donors, we will require each donor to provide ONE of the following at the sampling appointment:

This can be either:
a) A valid passport
b) Official travel documents issued to foreign nationals granted permission to remain in the UK
c) Current full UK paper or photo card driving licence
d) Current EU/EEA identity card
e) Current CIS (construction Industry certificate) CIS4 or CIS6
f) HMRC PAYE coding notice for the current tax year
g) Current Benefits Agency/DWP notification letter which is less than 5 months old
h) Current EU Residence permit
i) Current Northern Ireland voters card
j) Your current full birth certificate
k) Other photo IDs may be acceptable, but only after specific written approval from us.

Ideally, please take a copy and the original to the sampling appointment and we will verify the copy against the original. We may also wish to photograph the relevant parts of the documentation at the time of sampling. We may also photograph the donor at the time of sampling as evidence of who we have actually sampled on the day.

We would also appreciate it if you could also provide ONE of the following as proof of address (unless it has already be used for an identity check):
a) Current EU/EEA identity card with address
b) Original bank statement HMRC PAYE coding notice for the current tax year
c) Current Benefits Agency/DWP notification letter which is less than 5 months old
d) Current local authority tax bill
e) Original credit card statement
f) Current Benefits Agency/DWP notification letter
g) Recent utility bill (not telecommunications)
h) Original mortgage statement
i) Solicitors correspondence
j) Local council tenancy agreement
k) HMRC correspondence showing NI number

Where applicable, these must clearly have the name and address of the donor, be less than 5 months old and not printed from internet.

For children (under 16) where the above documents may not be available, then we would like to see the original birth certificate please, and ideally the full version where there is provision for the name of the father. A valid passport (if they have one) or a valid NHS birth record will also suffice.

For legal (accredited) tests the sample collection procedures are different to personal information tests and we must take steps to correctly identify each participant at the time of sampling. We do this through an extensive network of sample collectors who will have been previously sent the kit and consent forms and will follow our identity checking procedures. They will send the samples directly back to us. You will also be photographed at the time of sampling.

Our samplers may be our own staff, entities who have joined our registered samplers scheme, registered medical practitioners or a member of a company specifically subcontracted to collect samples for us.

Additional charges may apply for sample collections and any use of next day delivery/couriers.

We operate a nationwide collection service and also have arrangements in place for international identity checks and collections, most often used for immigration and surrogacy purposes or if one of the participants is based overseas.

The identity check and buccal cheek cell sampling will be conducted by either a member of Complement Genomics Ltd staff or will be undertaken by an independent third party supplier such as a registered medical practitioner, a sample collection company (an approved supplier to Complement Genomics Ltd) or one of the participants on our registered sampler scheme.

If the samples submitted for this particular DNA test were not collected by staff directly employed by Complement Genomics Ltd, the company (Complement Genomics Ltd) is not responsible for any errors or omissions which may have been made by these entities during the sampling process.

As dadcheck®silver uses a home testing kit, you must be sure of the identity of the persons participating and we expect you to warrant those identities. You should be aware that it is a serious offence, punishable by imprisonment, to personate another body for the purpose of providing a bodily sample (e.g. for a DNA test) or to proffer the wrong child for that purpose.

There is no requirement for proof of identity to be supplied to us for personal information DNA tests.

Please note that it is NOT necessary for all individuals who are giving a sample to all be present together at the same sampling venue at the same time or indeed to be in the same place for sampling. However, at the time of sampling, a child who is under sixteen MUST be accompanied by the person with Parental Responsibility, as indicated on the consent form.

With self-sampling, on rare occasions we are unable to obtain a complete DNA profile, or there may be issues with contamination/mixed profiles. The actions we will take are as follows:

1) Discoloured (e.g. due to food/nicotine) swabs or mouldy swabs (due to the long time taken to return them to us) will not be processed. We will inform you of this point via e-mail and offer you a replacement kit for a charge of £12.50.

2) If we do not gain enough DNA from one swab to complete the test, we will conduct the work once more, then process the second swab before taking the decision to re-sample. This can cause a delay to your expected completion date which we will notify you of by email.

If we have started the laboratory work and find an issue such as no DNA on the swab, mixed profiles or adulteration, then we will inform you of this point and offer re-sampling for a charge of £44.

The original report is uploaded as a .pdf to a secure web-link which is provided to the person who ordered the test. The postal copies of the reports are also sent to the person who ordered the test as well as all test participants over the age of 16 years, plus any person who has signed as having Parental Responsibility for a child under 16 years.

The reports are in a standardised format, which complies with relevant legislation* and either excludes the alleged father or provides evidence that he is indeed the tested child’s biological parent.

If the dadcheck®silver paternity test is negative (that is, the tested man is not the child’s biological alleged father), the report will say:

‘Based on the analysis of 23 independent autosomal DNA markers, Mr John Smith has been excluded as the biological alleged father of Teresa Green because greater than two of Mr John Smith’s DNA components are absent from the DNA profile of Teresa Green. In summary, Mr John Smith is not the biological alleged father of the child, Teresa Green’.

If the dadcheck®silver paternity test is positive (that is, the tested man is likely to be the alleged father), the report will say:

‘The probability of paternity is 99.99xxx% (assuming equal prior odds) based on the analysis of 23 independent DNA markers. Hence the alleged father, Mr John Smith, cannot be excluded as the biological alleged father of Teresa Green.

The DNA results are ‘X’** times more likely if Mr John Smith rather than an unrelated male is the biological father of Teresa Green. In summary it is more than 99% likely that the alleged father Mr John Smith, is the biological father of Teresa Green’.

We do not issue the original data (DNA profiles), since interpretation of these data is highly complex and requires a trained operative.

* The Family Law Reform Act 1969 as amended by The Family Law Reform Act 1987 and The Family Law Reform Act 1987 (commencement No.3) order 2001 and The Children Act 1989.

**The value of ‘X’ will vary between cases but will usually exceed 50,000.

For our other DNA tests, you will receive a written report from one of our geneticists and the Quality Manager which explains the test we have done and the results obtained, with any caveats and assumptions.

We shall only correspond with the person who has ordered the DNA test (the ordering party), unless we receive their written permission to enter into correspondence with those other parties involved in the paternity testing case. We will only discuss the case if we are confident we are talking to the ordering party. Please expect that we will ask you for your case number and certain other details of the case.

The original report is uploaded as a .pdf to a secure web-link which is provided to the person who ordered the test. The postal copies of the reports are also sent to the person who ordered the test as well as all test participants over the age of 16 years, plus any person who has signed as having Parental Responsibility for a child under 16 years – per your instructions on the online order form.

Results will be uploaded onto the secure web space we will provide for you and also dispatched by first class post.

After we have sent out your DNA test reports, we will store your DNA swab samples for three months and after this period, they are incinerated.

All associated DNA test paperwork and records are kept for 12 months and then destroyed.

We strongly recommend that you save a paper or electronic copy of the Test Report for future reference as your account login details will be destroyed 12 months following reporting stage and we will have no access to your information. 

If you lose the Test Report, we cannot re-issue this after 12 months following reporting stage and a new test would need to be ordered.

We are registered under the 1998 Data Protection Act. You can find more information about how we protect your privacy by reading our privacy policy.

dadcheck®silver uses all reasonable precautions to make sure that samples received for testing cannot be mixed up. Our team of highly skilled and qualified scientists adhere to strict laboratory requirements of internationally recognised quality standard, ISO 17025 (an accreditation for testing and calibration laboratories).

We operate a tried and tested Quality Management System and included in this is the requirement for all work to be witnessed and double-checked by a second competent member of scientific staff.

The use of overseas surrogate mothers by British couples is increasingly common. Surrogacy contracts (if indeed there is one) are not enforced by UK law and are only legally binding in a small number of countries. These situations can be both highly complex and given the nature of the arrangement, emotionally highly charged.

If you are considering entering into a surrogacy contract you will find it can be a lengthy and complicated process and besides the obvious issue of the new child’s passport and nationalisation, is the need for a UK based parental order that transfers legal rights from the surrogate mother.

In the UK, the law says that the mother of a child is the woman who gives birth to that child and the father is the man she is married to at the time of conception. Therefore, if the overseas surrogate mother is married, although the prospective parents’ names should be on the child’s birth certificate (given a parental order has been agreed), the child is not necessarily recognised as automatically eligible for British nationality.

The intended parents must apply to the Home Office for registration of the child as a British citizen before applying for a UK passport. On the other hand, if the surrogate mother is single, such an application to the Home Office is unnecessary provided that the father has provided evidence that he is genetically related to the child.

There are two types of surrogacy which present different legal implications:

The first, “traditional” surrogacy, or artificial insemination, involves insertion of sperm into the fallopian tube of the surrogate mother, who will consequently be the biological mother of the child. As a result, the surrogate mother must agree to a series of legal obligations transfer her rights as the parent of the child to the individual(s) who have opted for surrogacy.

The second, “gestational” surrogacy, more commonly known as in vitro fertilisation (IVF), involves implantation of an externally fertilised embryo where the biological parents do not involve the participation of the surrogate mother; therefore the child and the surrogate mother are biologically independent of one another. Whilst the embryo may have one, both, or neither parents as participants in the surrogacy, under UK law the mother and father of the child is the woman who gives birth to the child and the man she is married to at the time of conception.

Both of these possibilities require the use of accredited DNA paternity testing, as this is imperative to confirm the biological father of the child and, ideally, also the biological parentage of the mother if the surrogacy is gestational.

If you are involved in such an arrangement and need a DNA test, please contact us by email or telephone in the first instance.

We conduct many immigration associated DNA tests for both private clients and those represented by the legal profession.

Our DNA tests can be used to support HMPO and UK Visas and Immigration applications.

This may include passport applications and UK Citizenship applications amongst many others.

Our team of highly skilled and qualified scientists adhere to strict laboratory requirements of internationally recognised quality standard, ISO 17025 (an accreditation for testing and calibration laboratories).

We have been assisting families with such applications for over 20 years and are able to work both UK nationwide and worldwide using our DHL Express Worldwide courier account for fast and efficient shipments overseas.

We have built a strong relationship with overseas medical centres, especially in Pakistan and South Africa which enables us to offer you a very smooth operation. We do however work worldwide using medical centres for sampling of the family’s choice.

For further information, or to request a quotation, please contact us on 0191 5436434 or e-mail sales@dadchecksilver.com

Using DNA testing technology, we can determine whether twins are fraternal or identical.

In fraternal twinning, two different eggs (ova) are fertilised by two sperm to produce two genetically distinct children, which share the same genetic relationship as siblings born at different times (full siblings). The twins could be male or female, there is no bias.

In identical twinning, a fertilised egg (an ovum) splits into two and then the two embryos develop independently. The two babies have the same original genomes (a carefully chosen phrase).

For fraternal twins we expect to see a different DNA profile from each other (but still be able to statistically calculate the relationship) and for identical twins, we expect to see the same (identical) DNA profile.

For general curiosity testing, this type of test is sufficient to resolve any question of fraternal vs identical.

Shortly after you have completed your online order, we start to produce the DNA sampling kit(s) which is tailored specifically for your case, with named and numbered swabs being issued to the parties as requested. This is the point of commencement of our service to you.

If you order a kit and immediately wish to cancel (i.e. before we have started to produce a sampling kit), then we will issue a refund. We do not generally issue refunds after the kit has been produced and sent to you, as our service to you has started. However, we may grant a partial refund (which is solely at the discretion of the Management) if we have not yet started the laboratory work. Please note that before ordering, we expect you to ensure that all participants of the test have agreed to it and have expressed their willingness to consent to it.

It will not. A DNA test for human identity testing is completely different from the COVID-19 test and one does not affect the other.

The sampling process for a DNA test is the same as before the crisis – we would just ask you to take a few extra precautions.

For the health and safety of all parties involved including our own team, we ask that any person self-isolating, infected with or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms not to take any samples until they have fully recovered or received a negative PCR COVID-19 test.

The government’s advice is updated regularly and please follow these recommendations, especially with regard to social distancing and shielding. You can spread the virus even if you don’t have symptoms.

For legal DNA testing, the samples must be collected by an independent third party, a person who will verify the identities of the participants. If you are the person (or professional) ordering the test, we will ask if you or anyone in the donors household is symptomatic, isolating or shielding at this time. We would be very grateful if you could be clear with us on this matter.

If we consider there to be a risk to the collector, we reserve the right to refuse the collection and we will attempt to make alternative arrangements. Our samplers will not be symptomatic but we still need to protect them and their families from exposure to the virus if possible. They will observe social distancing (except during the physical sample collection), wear a mask (to protect you from them) and gloves. They have also been asked to use hand sanitiser.

Unlike with testing for COVID-19 (back of the throat/nasal), the sampler does not need to be “face on” with the subject and the sampling can be conducted from the side of the donor as the cheek can be effectively reached from there.