Parenthood can bring many unknowns—and not knowing who the father of your child is can raise stressful questions:
DNA Paternity Testing With Over 20 Million Tests Performed
Confirm your child’s father with the most accredited DNA testing lab in the world
Get a Free Expert Consult: 1.800.520.6231Discreet
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Over 99.99% Accurate
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More people choose DDC for their paternity test than any other laboratory on Earth.
- How can I privately confirm who the father is?
- How complicated is this process?
- How confident can I be in the results?
- Who can I trust to help me get answers?
You deserve answers.
With paternity testing from DDC, you can find out who the father is and get answers to help you and your family move forward. Paternity testing determines biological fatherhood using easy, convenient testing methods that vary depending on your unique situation.
Don’t live with uncertainty about your child’s father.
Call for a free consultation today, and get answers to help you take the next right step.
Best DNA Testing Options
Legal Paternity Test
Legal DNA paternity testing (also known as chain-of-custody testing) provides results that may be used as proof of relationship for child support, custody, immigration, the birth certificate, Social Security, or other legal reasons. DDC helps make the on-site testing requirements easier to help you get accurate answers and move forward.
At-Home DNA (Non-Legal) Paternity Test
Home paternity testing is an easy and convenient way to confirm paternity of a child for your own peace of mind—no clinic visit required. Just order your test kit, follow the instructions, and ship your samples back to our lab and get answers within 1–2 days of receipt at the lab.
Not sure which test you need?
We also offer a Non-Invasive Prenatal Paternity Test that provides paternity answers during pregnancy. Give us a call, and we’ll help you determine which test is right for you.
3 Easy Steps to Get the Answers you Need
Call for a Free Consultation: 1.800.520.6231
Call to have a free consultation with a member of our compassionate, knowledgeable customer service team and discover testing options and pricing that are best for your situation. Our team is ready to help you get the answers you need, in any situation.
Collect Sample
Whether you choose a home test, or a legal test, we make sample collection fast and easy:
Home Test: We’ll ship your collection kit directly to your doorstep in plain, discreet packaging. Collect your sample easily with the included cheek swabs, then return in the prepaid mailer included in your kit. Alternative sample types are also possible, such as fingernail clippings or cigarette butts.
Legal Test: Call us to set up your DNA collection appointment at a local clinic in your area, sometimes as soon as the same day. We can even set up different appointments in different locations if all parties cannot attend the same appointment.
Receive Private, Secure Results
Get fast, accurate results in as soon as one business day. When your results are ready, you’ll get an email with a link to our secure portal, where you can view your complete report.
World leaders in paternity testing
Go to your DNA collection appointment at one of our 3,500+ nationwide locations as soon as the same day!
Accreditations
Why DDC?
Get results from the most accredited lab in the world, with more than 1 million DNA samples processed each year. DDC is the world leader in paternity testing, and performs more paternity tests than any other lab. We are also trusted by government agencies and institutions to be the preferred paternity testing center.
28
Years of DNA testing expertise
3,718
Collection locations across the USA
23,470,350
Paternity clients served
First and only test accredited by the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB)
The only test endorsed by the American Pregnancy Association (APA)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is paternity testing?
Paternity testing is a painless method for determining if a man is the biological father of a child through the collection of small cheek-swab samples from both parties.
How does a paternity test work?
If you’re wondering how to get a paternity test or aren’t certain how it works, rest assured: the actual process is easy and quick. DNA is collected from the inside of the participants’ cheeks using a simple, painless swab. The DNA paternity test compares the collected sample from the possible father to that of a child (minor or adult) to determine the likelihood of a father/child biological relationship between the tested parties.
Where can I get a paternity test?
It’s essential to use a trusted and accredited lab like DDC to perform the testing to ensure accurate results. To get the process started, call us at 1.800.520.6231 to order your home test. We’ll send your kit right to your home, where you can take the test and mail it to the lab for processing. Legal and non-invasive prenatal paternity tests are also available from DDC, with over 3,500 collection centers nationwide.
How are DNA samples collected?
Paternity test DNA samples typically require just a simple cheek swab from the possible father and child. If desired, the mother can be tested as well. As the most advanced lab in paternity testing, we’ve recently added the capability to test several alternate DNA sample types for the possible father, including cigarette butts, fingernail clippings, and ear swabs. In addition, paternity can be determined by testing other relatives instead, such as the paternal grandparents or an aunt or uncle.
How long does it take to get paternity test results?
DDC prides itself on delivering quick and accurate results. Home-test and legal-test results are posted 2 business days after samples are received at our lab, although next-day results are available for an additional fee.
What are the benefits of paternity tests?
DNA testing is the gold standard for determining the paternity of a child. The advantages of paternity testing include:
- Access to legal rights and privileges such as health insurance and child support (legal paternity tests only)
- Insights about medical history (e.g., inherited conditions)
- The chance to develop emotional bonds and a sense of identity
- Peace of mind
What is the difference between a legal paternity test and a home paternity test?
The main difference between a legal paternity test and a home paternity test is how the results report can be used: results from a legal paternity test are court-admissible while results from a home paternity test are not. Courts accept results for a legal test because a chain-of-custody process with witnessed DNA collection is followed, which ensures the correct DNA has been submitted for testing.
What samples can we accept from the Father?
- For legal cases, we can accept buccal (cheek) swab, or blood sample.
- For non-legal cases, we can also accept blood on items, fingernails/toenails, ear swabs, cigarette butts, mucus, saliva, or semen/condom. For these “non-standard” samples, we first run a viability test to make sure we can collect enough DNA from the sample. No viability test is needed for buccal/cheek or blood samples.
- Samples can be submitted anonymously for non-legal cases—no need to provide us with any more information than you feel comfortable with. However, we always maintain the strictest confidentiality for all of our tests.
Does the mother need to be included in a paternity test?
In most cases, a mother’s DNA is not necessary to obtain conclusive results (>99.999% confidence) for a paternity test. However, there are occasions when her DNA is helpful in strengthening results, and the lab will suspend testing and request a sample from the mother. This is most likely if there are two possible fathers who are closely related, including brothers. If possible, it’s best for the mother to submit her sample upfront to prevent delays if her DNA turns out to be needed.
Other DNA Tests
Paternity Testing During Pregnancy
A Non-Invasive Prenatal Paternity Test provides paternity answers during pregnancy by analyzing the baby’s DNA from a simple blood sample from the mom. Our technically advanced, non-invasive test is AABB-accredited, accurate, can be performed as early as 7 weeks, and is completely safe for the mother and pregnancy.
Immigration DNA Test
An immigration DNA test can be life-changing. As an AABB-accredited testing facility, DDC meets stringent requirements and completes thousands of these immigration tests each year, with results ready in as little as 2 working days after samples arrive at the lab.
With over 5,000 DNA-collection facilities in all 50 states and 160+ countries, we schedule appointments at locations most convenient for each tested party. Call today for a free confidential consultation.
Other Relatives DNA Testing
When the possible father is not available or willing to participate in testing, we can perform DNA tests from other available relatives, including grandparents, aunts/uncles, or two siblings to confirm relationships. Just like a paternity test, we’ll ship the kits right to your doorstep in discreet packaging which contains everything you need to complete the test right from home.