FAQs
Here we have answered your most frequently asked questions. If we cant answer you questions below, please contact us via the form on the contact page or call us on 0203 603 1189.
Our sister service, www.dadcheckgold.com provides legal or Court approved paternity/maternity DNA tests as they are on the Ministry of Justice official list for legal parentage (maternity and paternity) tests. These can be used for the following reasons, for example:
- Birth Certificate changes
- Immigration DNA test for the Home Office or Passport Office
- A maternity DNA test (generally required for Immigration applications)
- DNA test required for the Family Courts
- CSA/CMA requirements
- DNA tests on deceased persons (forensic DNA testing)
- Surrogacy DNA tests for a Parental Order
- Sperm donor testing (alleged father and child)
If you have a solicitor (or social services are involved) and they are dealing with your DNA testing case, then please direct them to dadcheck®gold or to contact the team on 0191 543 6334 or sales@dadcheckgold.com
For dadcheck®gold legal (accredited) DNA tests only, our laboratories are recognised by the Ministry of Justice as “a body that may carry out parentage tests directed by the civil courts of England and Wales under section 20 of the Family Law Reform Act 1969”. The laboratories hold the international accreditation standard, IEC/ISO 17025 for testing laboratories.
Following release of the DNA test report, should we be made aware of any changes to or inaccuracies in the relationship background as provided to us at the time of ordering, please be aware that the results as presented in the original report may no longer be valid.
If additional analysis is required, a further fee of £44 will apply for re-analysis and a new test report.
We are often asked about the difference between the two types of human relationship DNA test, personal information (peace of mind) and “legal”:
Using the personal information tests, the ordering party will receive our DNA sampling kit, ensure the consent form has been signed appropriately and take the check samples (it is a simple cotton bud on the inside of the mouth, just rubbed around the cheek and each person can do their own or ideally an adult in the case of a child, a helpful video can be found here). Upon receiving the samples, we take them in to the lab and conduct the analysis. The result provided is based on the samples which we receive. We can deliver the results the next day – just place the correct order online or ask one of our staff to help you. If you go this route, there can be no checks made on the identity of the person providing the incoming samples.
For a legal DNA tests ordered through our sister service, dadcheckgold.com – a DNA test that can be used for legal purposes, then we have to be in control of the sample collection and we undertake a protocol to identify the person providing the samples. This will be undertaken by one of our registered samplers or a medical centre if sampling is outside of the UK. The samples then come directly back to our laboratory – maintaining what is often called a “chain of custody”. This legal test can be used, for example, to change Birth Certificates, court proceedings, for Passport applications or Home Office applications. Due to the extra work required, legal DNA tests are more expensive and sometimes our clients prefer to undertake a personal information (peace of mind) test beforehand.
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:
Article with advice for support routes: https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/memberarticles/when-a-dna-test-brings-shocking-results
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.
thatDNAcompany® at home DNA tests are intended for no-nonsense, no hidden cost DNA testing, to help you answer biological relationships such as paternity, siblingship or grandparent amongst others. Whilst we always prefer that the mother takes part in the DNA test, we understand that this is not always possible. thatDNAcompany® only offers personal information or peace of mind DNA tests. You can order a DNA test kit suitable for your needs online or by phone and please do call if you need any advice about a testing situation.
If you need a DNA test for any legal purposes, such as such DNA tests for Birth Certificate changes, immigration, surrogacy etc., then our sister service, dadcheckgold.com will be able to assist.
You will be coming directly to a highly experienced UK based laboratory which has been providing DNA testing services for over 20 years with the assurance that we are fully based in the UK.
By using our own laboratories based in County Durham, Northeast England, we can offer you exceptional value for money and still with the same quality of processing and analysis that you should expect from such a sensitive purchase. Unlike some DNA testing companies, you can rest assured that your samples will not be sent abroad or to any other testing laboratory.
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 thatDNAcompany® DNA test detects the presence of shared regions of this unique genetic code, 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. In paternity testing, 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 thatDNAcompany® DNA test is for personal information use only, it is not a legal DNA test. If you wish to have a legal DNA test for use in court, to change a birth certificate or another legal reason, then you will need an accredited (legal) DNA test. This is available from our sister service, www.dadcheckgold.com. For more information please visit the website, call 0191 543 6334 or e-mail sales@dadcheckgold.com.
All quoted days are in working days. A working day is classed as Monday to Friday – we do not operate on weekends or Bank Holidays.
The day we receive your properly consented samples is Day 0.
Results Delivery:
Next Day = results will be delivered after 4pm the following working day. For example, if we receive your samples on Tuesday, your results will be available on Wednesday. If your samples are received on Friday, your results will be the following Monday, except where Bank Holidays occur.
2 Day = results will be delivered after 4pm on the second working day. For example, if we receive your samples on Tuesday, your results will be available on Thursday.
If there are any delays due errors made on consent forms, Parental Responsibility queries or to repeat laboratory work, then we will actively update the ordering party by email with a new expected results due date.
Once you have placed your order, a single personalised DNA test kit will be sent to the address of the ordering party.
At the checkout, you may select for an additional test kit to be sent to an alternative address for an extra £12.50.
Our standard services includes free 1st class delivery. At the checkout, you can upgrade to Royal Mail Guaranteed Delivery before 1pm for an extra £9.50.
The kit will arrive in a discreet, fully opaque envelope without any branding and will include:
- one sterile mouth swab for each donor
- consent forms for each donor
- a helpful Information Leaflet
- a pre-paid return postage envelope.
We keep you updated every step of the way by e-mail, including when the kit is shipped, when your fully consented samples arrive at our laboratory with an expected results date provided to you, and when your results are available.
When you place your order you will create your own account password and we will e-mail you a unique user-name. You may use these to track the progress of your case in the “My Account” section of our website. This is where you will find an estimated completion date once samples have been received and your result’s .pdf for download when available.
If there is a delay for any reason, we will inform you by telephone and e-mail. 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.
It is important to ensure the correct people take part in the DNA test as we can only provide results based upon the samples which we receive.
A paternity DNA test would give the most conclusive results, but this can only be carried out if we can obtain DNA samples from the alleged father.
In paternity tests, a DNA test proves with 100% certainty if a tested male is not the alleged father of a child.
Conversely, a paternity DNA test proves that a tested man is the alleged biological father of a child with at least 99.99% certainty (if the mother is involved in the testing process).
Please note that this figure may be reduced if the mother of the tested child does not participate in the test.
If and alleged father is not available for testing, then tests such as sibling, grandparent, or aunt/uncle DNA tests can also be performed. The biological mother of the tested “child” should always take part in such tests. Occasionally when tests there is no parental involvement at all, a biological relationship may exist between two (or more) tested people, but it cannot be detected because of the relatively low amount of DNA shared between the tested individuals. This would be the one thing we would like to make you aware of before embarking on such a test.
All quoted days are in working days. A working day is classed as Monday to Friday – we do not operate on weekends or Bank Holidays.
The day we receive your properly consented samples is Day 0 and this is when your quoted turnaround will begin.
Paternity Test Results Delivery:
Next Day = results will be delivered after 4pm the following working day. For example, if we receive your samples on Tuesday, your results will be available on Wednesday. If your samples are received on Friday, your results will ordinarily be the following Monday, except where Bank Holidays occur.
2 Day = results will be delivered after 4pm on the second working day. For example, if we receive your samples on Tuesday, your results will be available on Thursday.
Complex Tests Results Delivery:
4 Days = As complex tests such as sibling, grandparent, aunt/uncle tests require a little more analysis than a standard paternity test, we quote approximately 4 working days. We will always endeavour to provide the results as soon as possible though.
The 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. After the Report is issued, we can discuss the result with any test participant and also the person with Parental Responsibility for the child.
You will receive an e-mail when the Paternity Test 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.
Our paternity DNA tests are most 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.
If and alleged father is not available for testing, then tests such as sibling, grandparent, or aunt/uncle DNA tests can also be performed. The biological mother of the tested “child” should always take part in such tests. Occasionally when tests there is no parental involvement at all, a biological relationship may exist between two (or more) tested people, but it cannot be detected because of the relatively low amount of DNA shared between the tested individuals. This would be the one thing we would like to make you aware of before embarking on such a test.
In cases where the alleged father or any person other than the child’s mother signs on behalf of the child under 16 years, 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. For further information regarding Parental Responsibility, please see FAQ ‘What is Parental Responsibility (PR)?
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.
Please see FAQ’s “What is the consent form?” and “What is Parental Responsibility (PR)?” for further information regarding father and child only DNA tests.
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 thatDNAcompany® 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 0203 603 1189.
As this is a personal information at-home DNA test, you must be sure of the identity of the persons participating and we expect you to warrant those identities.
There is no requirement for any donor to provide proof of identity to us.
We shall report based on the samples which we have received.
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.
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 used. 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 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. This can cause a delay to your expected completion date.
There is a helpful Information Leaflet within the sampling kit and a video showing how to take a sample here: How to take a sample
The original DNA test report is uploaded as a .pdf to a secure web-link which is provided to the person who ordered the test. 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.
The paternity test results will say whether the alleged father IS EXCLUDED or IS NOT EXCLUDED as the biological father of the tested child.
- IS EXCLUDED: This means that the tested father cannot be the biological father of the tested child because they do not share enough DNA to confirm the biological relationship tested.
- IS NOT EXCLUDED: This means that the tested father is likely to be the biological father because testing determined that he and the tested child do share a biological parent/child relationship with a high degree of probability.
An inclusion paternity test result i.e. tested father is the father will include:
- A Probability of Paternity value (%)
- A Likihood Index value
If you have any questions about your Test Report once this is issued to you, please contact our helpful team.
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.
Your Test Report will be uploaded as a .pdf onto our secure website. You may access this with the password created upon ordering and the user-name provided by email to the ordering party only.
A hard copy of the report can be posted to the ordering party only for an extra £10 payable upon ordering at the checkout. Any further copies of the report such as by e-mail may be chargeable.
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.
Once the results of the test have been issued to the ordering party, we can then discuss the results with any of the test participants over the age of 16 years and the person who signed for Parental Responsibility of a child under 16 years. Please expect that we may ask for evidence of identification before any discussions about the test.
In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and our GDPR Policy, all information, including the results and DNA profiles are kept for 12 months following reporting stage and then securely destroyed.
After we have sent out your DNA test reports, we will store your physical DNA samples for three months and after this period, they are incinerated.
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 deleted 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.
We use 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.
Included in this is the requirement for all work to be witnessed and double-checked by a second competent member of scientific staff. We have every confidence in our team and supporting Quality Management System .
You will be coming directly to a highly experienced UK based laboratory which has been providing DNA testing services for over 20 years.
As this is an at-home DNA test with no ID or third party verification requirements, we expect you as the family to ensure that the correct people put themselves forward for sampling. We can only report based on the samples which we receive.
Shortly after you have completed your online order, we start to produce a DNA sampling kit which is tailored specifically for your case, with named and numbered swabs being issued to the contracting party. 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.
The definitive way to determine if twins are identical or non-identical (also known as ‘fraternal’ twins) is to carry out a twin DNA test, commonly known as a Zygosity test.
We will issue a twin DNA kit and there is no need for any parental involvement. A simple cheek cell sample from each of the twins will give our laboratory all we need to provide you the answer. All processing from the beginning of your order to the end is performed in our UK based laboratory. We will never send your samples abroad or to any other company for processing meaning the result can be provided to you sooner!
In the laboratory we will test the DNA samples from the twins using 23 markers to determine if they are genetically identical 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, or order a twin DNA test online, please click here, or you may also contact us on 0203 603 1189 or e-mail sales@thatdnacompany.com
That DNA Company: Extended Services
Do you require a DNA test for legal purposes? (An accredited test)
This is for changing the name on a birth certificate at the Registrars office, Home Office or Passport Office applications, family court proceedings, inheritance disputes or liaison with the Child Support Agency (CSA). As this is a different level of service, please visit our sister service, dadcheck® for this type of test.
Are you from the legal profession?
If you are from the legal profession (e.g. solicitor) or a Local Authority and require our DNA testing services, please call 0191 543 6334 or visit dadcheckgold.com
