Chain of Custody for Legal DNA Testing

A legal DNA paternity test is used when there are issues of child support, visitation disputes or support payments. The DNA samples are collected using mouth swabs, just as happens with a home DNA paternity test. However, a home DNA paternity test is not court admissible as it does not follow the strict chain of custody that is entailed in a legal paternity test. A legal DNA paternity test involves having the DNA samples taken by a doctor or nurse, commonly referred to as a swabber. The role of the swabber is to authenticate who the DNA samples came from and the swabber will also be in charge of signing passport photos provided of those taking the DNA test. One the sampling is done, then the swabber will seal the samples into an envelope and send them back to the laboratory to be tested.

Related articles: Reasons For Using DNA Paternity Tests