DNA VUE
People often ask this before they book a court-admissible test. The short answer is that the collection doesn't go ahead. Our collector checks identity and obtains consent before any sample is taken. Without that consent or other lawful authority, we don't arrange the collection.
In England and Wales, a civil court can direct scientific tests to help decide parentage. A sample still can't be taken from a person without their consent. But the court may draw inferences from a refusal. For a child under 16, consent generally comes from the person who has care and control of the child. (Source: Family Law Reform Act 1969, sections 20, 21 and 23.) The rules differ in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
We're not a law firm. So we can't tell you whether to apply for a direction or how a judge might view a refusal. A family solicitor is the right person for that question. If a court does direct testing, we can arrange the sample collection and the chain-of-custody paperwork the laboratory requires. Chain of custody is the signed record of who handled each sample, from collection to the laboratory.
The analysis itself is carried out by our laboratory partner. That laboratory holds UKAS accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 for the testing activities within its accreditation scope. DNA Vue isn't a laboratory and doesn't hold that accreditation itself.
Some people ask whether a relative can take part instead. A grandparent test or a sibling test can sometimes compare family relationships when one person isn't available. The same consent rules apply to every relative who gives a sample. The strength of an indirect result depends on which relatives take part. Some cases need extra samples or further analysis. In some cases, results stay inconclusive because of biological or technical limits. If that happens, we review the case with the laboratory and explain the options open to you.
There are also routes we won't take, even when a refusal feels unfair:
These situations are often sensitive, and you don't need to explain more than you're comfortable with. What you tell us stays confidential. Your personal and genetic information is protected under our privacy policy, genetic data policy and terms and conditions.
If you're unsure whether everyone will agree to take part, speak with our team about how a legal collection is arranged.
A result counts as court-admissible because of how the samples were collected and recorded. The laboratory analysis is only part of it. A legal test and a peace of mind test can use the same science. What changes is the documented record around every sample.
For a court-admissible test, these steps form part of the process:
Chain of custody can sound technical, but the idea is simple. It is a signed record of who gave each sample, who collected it and where it went next. That record links the person in the room to the result on the report. Without it, nobody can show whose sample was tested.
People often ask whether a home test they did earlier can be used in court. A home kit has no independent check of who gave the sample. That is why eligible peace of mind tests may use a home collection kit, while legal testing requires every participant to attend a collection appointment.
DNA Vue is not a laboratory. We coordinate enquiries, appointments, sample collection, identity and consent paperwork, secure transport and the release of results. The analysis is carried out by our laboratory partner. That partner holds UKAS accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 for the testing activities covered by its accreditation scope. The accreditation belongs to the laboratory. It does not belong to us.
The court decides what it will accept. We do not. We cannot promise that a court or any other body will accept a result. Requirements can differ from one case to the next. Before you book, ask your solicitor, or whoever has requested the test, what they need to see. Then tell us at your first enquiry that the test is for legal purposes. Our team uses that information to set up the right collection and paperwork from the start.
Location rarely prevents a legal test from going ahead. We can book appointments at our testing location in Dartford, Kent. If someone lives elsewhere in the UK or overseas, we arrange collection through an appropriate local facility. For international cases, we coordinate collection and transport between each country and the laboratory. The same identity checks and chain-of-custody steps apply at every site.
Legal matters are often sensitive, so confidentiality matters as much as the paperwork. Your personal and genetic information is protected under our privacy policy, our genetic data policy and our terms and conditions. Once the laboratory authorises release, we share the outcome only with the customer or an authorised recipient, using the method agreed beforehand.
The laboratory's analysis is only one part of the wait. How long results take depends on the type of test, sample quality, laboratory processing and any extra analysis needed. For a court-admissible test, the steps before the laboratory count just as much.
We aren't a laboratory ourselves. We coordinate your court-admissible test with a partner laboratory accredited by UKAS to ISO/IEC 17025, for the testing activities covered by its accreditation scope. The laboratory does the analysis, and we handle the arrangements around it.
These are the things that most often shape the timeline:
In our experience, the slowest part is often getting every person to an appointment. The laboratory can only compare results once all the samples have arrived. So a single late appointment can hold up the whole case.
Chain of custody also plays a part. It's the signed record of who handled each sample and when. That paperwork is what separates a legal test from a peace of mind test. The checks take a little longer than a home kit, and they can't be skipped to save time.
We don't set the laboratory's processing time, and we can't promise a result by a fixed date. Most standard tests produce clear results. Some cases need extra samples, further analysis or a repeat test, and that adds time. If a result comes back inconclusive, we review the circumstances with the laboratory and explain the options open to you.
If you're working to a court date or a solicitor's deadline, mention it when you first get in touch. We'll explain the expected turnaround for your test before you book. Your solicitor can then tell you what the court needs and by when, and you can plan around a realistic timeline.
Once the laboratory authorises the results for release, we share them through the method agreed with you. They only go to you or another authorised recipient. Your personal and genetic information stays confidential and is protected under our privacy policy, genetic data policy and terms and conditions.
Call our team to talk through the likely timings for your court-admissible test.
Most standard tests give a clear result. Some cases need more samples, further analysis or a repeat test. In some circumstances, a result can stay inconclusive because of biological or technical limits.
An inconclusive result means the laboratory can't give a clear answer from the samples it has. It is neither an inclusion nor an exclusion. Our partner laboratory holds UKAS accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 for the testing in its accreditation scope. DNA Vue is not a laboratory. We coordinate your case and pass on what the laboratory reports.
Across the field, these are the reasons people most often ask about:
Close relatives come up more often than people expect. That's why we ask about every participant during your first enquiry. It's easier to plan for a relative at the start than to add one later.
If a result does come back inconclusive, we review the circumstances with the laboratory. Then we explain your options to you in plain terms. These options depend on what caused the result, the laboratory's requirements, your consumer rights and the terms of the service you bought. They may include:
For a legal test, a recollection follows the same steps as the first appointment. The collector checks each person's identity and obtains consent. New chain-of-custody paperwork is completed as well. Chain of custody is the signed record of who handled each sample and when. It's what lets a court rely on the result.
We can't promise a particular result. We also can't promise that a repeat test will always be conclusive, because the limits come from the samples and the science. Turnaround times vary with the type of test, sample quality, laboratory processing and any extra analysis needed. So a case that needs further work will usually take longer than first expected.
Any further samples are handled with the same care as the first ones. Your personal and genetic information stays protected under our privacy policy, genetic data policy and terms and conditions. If cost is on your mind, our pricing page sets out what each test includes.
If you'd like to talk through how an inconclusive result would be handled in your case, speak with our team before you book.
A test suits a legal requirement when the whole collection is documented from start to finish. The result on its own isn't enough. A court, an immigration authority or a solicitor also needs to see how the samples were taken and who gave them.
That documented trail is called chain of custody. In plain terms, it's a paper record that follows each sample from the person to the laboratory. It shows that nobody could swap, mix up or tamper with a sample along the way.
For a legal test, our process builds that record in these steps:
This is why a home collection kit can't support a legal case. We offer home kits for eligible peace of mind tests only. With a home kit, no independent person sees who gave each sample. The laboratory may analyse it in a similar way. But nothing on paper proves whose sample it was, and that proof is what a legal reader looks for.
The laboratory matters too. We are not a laboratory, and we don't carry out the genetic analysis ourselves. Our role is to coordinate enquiries, appointments, collections, identity and consent paperwork, secure transport and results. Our laboratory partner carries out the analysis and prepares the report. That partner holds UKAS accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 for the testing activities covered by its accreditation scope.
The final say belongs to whoever receives the report. Courts, immigration authorities and solicitors each set their own evidence rules. We can't promise that any of them will accept a result. What we can do is arrange collection in line with the laboratory's requirements for legal testing.
So before you book, ask your solicitor or the relevant authority what they need. Some may ask for particular documents or a set report format. Others may have rules about how overseas samples are collected. If you bring those written requirements to your first enquiry, it's much easier to match the test to the request.
That first conversation is where we ask whether the test is for legal purposes or personal peace of mind. Your answer shapes everything that follows, from the booking to the paperwork. Collections can take place at our Dartford testing location. We can also arrange collection through an appropriate facility elsewhere in the UK or internationally. For international cases, we coordinate the collections and transport between each participating country and the laboratory.
Turnaround times vary with the type of test, the quality of the samples and any extra analysis the laboratory needs. For that reason, we don't quote a fixed date for legal deadlines. We'll explain the expected timescale for your test before you decide.
Once results are authorised for release, we send them only to the customer or authorised recipient through the agreed method. Your personal and genetic information is protected under our privacy policy, genetic data policy and terms and conditions. Every case is handled in confidence from the first call onwards.
No, a home kit can't be upgraded into a court-admissible result after the fact. Legal testing requires every participant to attend a collection appointment, where our collector checks identity and witnesses the sample being taken. A home kit has no independent check of who gave the sample. If there's any chance you'll need a legal result, tell us before booking so we set up the right appointment from the start.
We can't promise that outcome, since the court decides what it will accept, not us. Requirements can differ from one case to the next. Before booking, we'd ask your solicitor or whoever requested the test what they need to see. Telling us at your first enquiry that the test is for legal purposes lets our team set up the correct collection and paperwork.
We won't collect a sample from anyone who hasn't given consent or isn't covered by lawful authority, even if the refusal feels unfair to the other party. If someone won't participate, the next step runs through a solicitor or the court rather than through us. We're not a law firm, so we can't advise on applying for a direction or how a refusal might be viewed.
No, DNA Vue is not a laboratory. We coordinate enquiries, appointments, sample collection, identity and consent paperwork, secure transport, and release of results. The analysis is carried out by our laboratory partner, which holds UKAS accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 for the testing activities within its accreditation scope. That accreditation belongs to the laboratory, not to DNA Vue.
Yes, location rarely stops a legal test from going ahead. We can book appointments at our testing location in Dartford, Kent, and for anyone elsewhere in the UK or overseas, we arrange collection through an appropriate local facility. For international cases, we coordinate collection and transport between each country and the laboratory, applying the same identity checks and chain-of-custody steps at every site.
A grandparent test or a sibling test can sometimes compare family relationships when one person isn't available. The same consent rules apply to every relative who gives a sample. The strength of an indirect result depends on which relatives take part, and some cases need extra samples or further analysis before a usable result is reached.