Legal paternity test

Whether an alleged father is the biological father of a child, with results documented to a standard that courts and government agencies accept. Inclusion is reported at a probability of 99.9% or greater. Exclusion is definitive — if the tested man is not the father, the result says so without ambiguity.

Anyone who needs a paternity result that will be relied on by someone other than themselves:

• Amending a birth certificate to add or correct a father's name
• Establishing or contesting a child support order
• Custody and visitation proceedings
• Claiming Social Security, veterans, or inheritance benefits
• Immigration petitions that require proof of a parent-child relationship

The laboratory analysis is identical to the non-legal test. What differs is the documented chain of custody, and that documentation is the entire reason a court will accept the result:

• Identity verified

  Every tested party presents government-issued photo identification.

• Photographed at collection

  A photograph is taken of each party at the time samples are collected.

• Witnessed collection

  A certified specimen collector performs and witnesses every collection. Parties cannot collect their own samples.

• Sealed transport

  Samples are sealed under tamper-evident wrap and routed directly to the accredited laboratory.

A home test kit cannot produce an admissible result, regardless of the laboratory's accuracy. Courts reject results where the identity of the samples cannot be independently established.

1. 01

   Schedule

   Call (206) 883-1850 or book online. Collections take place at our office or, for mobile service, at your home, workplace, or attorney's office.

2. 02

   Collect

   A certified collector verifies identification, photographs each party, and takes a buccal swab from the inside of the cheek. Painless, non-invasive, and under 15 minutes for a standard case.

3. 03

   Process

   Sealed samples go to an AABB-accredited laboratory.

4. 04

   Results

   Delivered securely within 2–3 business days of laboratory receipt.

Parties do not need to attend together. If the mother, child, and alleged father are in separate households, we schedule separate collections and assemble one case file.

One alleged father, one child, and the mother. The mother's participation is optional but strongly recommended — her sample lets the laboratory identify which genetic markers came from her, which strengthens the conclusion.

Additional alleged fathers or children can be added for an extra fee. Call to discuss pricing.