How Long Does A Paternity Test Take?
Results for our At Home Paternity DNA Test and Legally Admissible DNA Tests are available 5 business days after receiving your completed samples in our lab*. We can provide results within 2 business days* of receiving your samples for an additional fee.
*providing the samples are of good quality and additional testing is not required.
Read on to learn more about the duration of the paternity testing process, or view our full guide on how to get a paternity test in Australia.
The process of having a DNA test performed at Identilab – from ordering a test to getting your results – involves multiple steps and depends on a variety of factors. A lot of people think that it all happens very quickly, and they can have their results instantly, probably because they’ve seen it happen like that on TV. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
Mailing Out Your Sample Collection Kit
Once we receive your order online, via email or over the phone, we prepare a sample collection kit and send it out to you with Australia Post. Orders received on a weekend or after 12pm on a weekday (Brisbane time) will be sent the next business day. For clients in Australia, depending on whether you choose Express Post or regular Priority Post, it could take about a week to receive your kit in the mail.
We use DHL Express to send collection kits overseas for clients who are having DNA testing performed for immigration purposes. The time it takes to deliver a sample collection kit to an overseas location depends on how long it takes to receive confirmation from the Department of Home Affairs as to where the kit should be sent, and where in the world the clients are located.
If you’re local to the Brisbane area, you can book a FREE collection appointment at the Identilab laboratory and cut out the transit time for your DNA sample collection to get to you.
Sample Collection
If you’ve ordered a Peace of Mind test, you can collect your DNA sample as soon as you receive your collection kit in the mail, and you can even send it back to us the same day with the supplied reply paid envelope. If you’ve requested a legally admissible test, you will need to organise a sample collection appointment with a medical professional (we recommend your regular family GP, clinic nurse, or select pathology collection centres). Identilab does not organise this appointment for you. Collection appointments for overseas clients who are having DNA testing for immigration purposes are scheduled by the Department of Home Affairs and can take several weeks to organise.
Once the sample has been returned to our laboratory, we will contact you via email to let you know we have received it. If all samples for your case have been received, processing will begin.
Laboratory Processing
The lab process involves multiple steps. We start by amplifying specific DNA markers in each sample, which copies them over and over again to obtain enough genetic material for analysis. We then run the samples on specialised equipment to obtain your DNA profile.
Our scientists carefully examine the DNA profiles in a computer software program to ensure the profiles are of sufficient quality. If they are not, we may have to process your sample(s) again, which will add to the time it takes to receive your results. Once we know a sample is of good quality and can be used, we perform our comparisons to see if the DNA evidence supports the relationship being tested or not. All this information is then compiled into a report for you.
Sending Out Your Reports
Before being released to you, your report is reviewed by another scientist to ensure that all processing has been performed correctly and the results are accurate. The results are then emailed to you as soon as the review process has been completed.
Please call us on 1300 114 294 or email us at [email protected] if you have any questions about our processing times.