Frequently Asked Questions

A DNA test for paternity can be relatively cheap. But other types of services may be more expensive as they may need a different type of analysis that is more complex and time-consuming. You must also keep in mind that the more samples we analyze the more the price will increase. The type of sample you choose will also affect the price.
 
The cheapest tests are those carried out using oral swab samples.

We accept a variety of payment options. You can pay by credit card or bank transfer amongst other methods of payment. See our payment options by clicking here.

Yes, paternity can be established without even testing the alleged father. What we can, in fact, suggest if you are unable to get a DNA sample of the alleged father for a paternity test is to opt instead for one of the many relationship testing services we offer. What we do in this case is testing the relatives of the alleged father (perhaps his parents, his brothers or his sisters) to see whether they are biologically related to the children of the alleged father.
 
Biological relatives will share common DNA to some extent or other and this is what makes relationship testing possible. We know for example, that uncles or aunties will share 25% of their genes with their nieces or nephews.

We offer a result turnaround time of 5 to 7 working days on paternity testing, most relationship tests, DNA profiles and non-invasive prenatal paternity testing.
 
As we offer a variety of DNA tests, the turnaround times for different tests will vary. We recommend checking individual test pages for more information or contacting our customer service team if the information is not readily available.

A paternity test is a comparison of specific regions on the DNA of the alleged father and child (and often the mother) to see if the child tested has inherited the same genetic regions as the alleged father. These regions are known as genetic markers and form the basis of a paternity test. If the alleged father is the biological father of the child tested, they will have the exact same genetic markers because of the fact that a child inherits 50% of their genes from their biological dad.

Paternity testing is indeed extremely accurate. There are no other tests that can be done between alleged father and child besides paternity DNA testing as no other test can give such a straight cut and accurate result.
 
There used to be other tests carried out in the past, for example, blood group comparison between the alleged father and child, but these have today become disused as they have too many pitfalls and are deemed unreliable.

It might seem odd to include the mother’s DNA sample in paternity testing but we at homeDNAdirect South Africa, always recommend paternity testing with the sample of the alleged father, the child and the mother. In most cases, clients do not provide us with the mother’s sample but we do suggest it when available as we can provide a more accurate result.

A home kit is standard for all DNA tests except for our non-invasive prenatal paternity test. Our home test kit contains everything our clients need to collect their samples by themselves, without any assistance by a professional. Samples are collected with the sterile mouth swabs inside the kit. These are used for a painless sample collection carried out following a few step-by-step instructions also provided in the kit. You really cannot go wrong as it is so straightforward and elementary. Visit this page for more information about how to use our kit and collect samples.

We send out our kits shortly after we have received your payment. We send it out by courier and the kit arrives in a plain envelope - there will just be the name of the person receiving the kit. In terms of sizing, the kit is around 20cm x 14 cm - small and flat enough to easily slip through your letterbox. Please note that kits cannot be delivered to P.O boxes.

Your DNA test results can be used for court cases only if the test is done following what is called a "chain of custody". You must make sure to select our legal paternity testing option if you want your results to be appropriate for any court proceedings and conform to court standards.
 
homeDNAdirect South Africa offers legal testing. Get more information about testing for court cases.

The chain of custody is a prescribed way for the samples to be collected in a legal test. This involves getting the test participants sampled by a neutral third party sampler who must be a witness to the test. This person must also declare that all samples have been collected from the correct people (those actually required to take part in the test). There is a strict process whereby all test participants are identified.

Paternity test results will not change whether you do a legal test or a home test.
 
If the alleged father is the real father of the child, the probability of paternity is 99.9%.
 
If the alleged father has not fathered the child, the probability is 0%.

We have earlier said that clients collect samples using oral swabs. These are not, however, the only samples we can test. We offer our clients in South Africa the possibility to carry out a DNA test with different samples including hair samples, semen stains, cigarette ends and toothbrushes. Our labs are fully equipped to handle many types of samples and can even work with the smallest quantities of DNA.
 
To learn more about this, go to our page on discreet samples.

Hairs can make relatively good samples to use if they meet the following two criteria.
 

• Hairs must have the hair root attached – this is where the DNA is found. Hairs without roots are not suitable.
• We require you send us a minimum of 4 hairs; ideally 4 to 6. With fewer hairs, we have a lower chance of successful DNA extraction.

Yes, if you suspect cheating and have what you believe is a DNA sample we can test, then opting for infidelity DNA testing could be a good choice to help you find answers. Get additional information about our infidelity testing services.

Accreditation is an award or certification of conformity. In our case, the DNA testing laboratories are accredited ISO 170 25 because they comply with the rigorous standards required by ISO 17025 – this put in layman’s terms means they excel at what they do. Learn more about our laboratory DNA test accreditations.

This is a bit of a difficult question to answer as samples vary so much but we can definitely provide you with a rule of thumb: the older the sample, the higher the chance of not having a successful extraction. The best thing for you to do is call us for a full evaluation. Call us or have us call you.

The cost of a paternity test is of R2495. There are no extra fees.