Kinship Testing in Scotland

Our DNA paternity and kinship testing is only available for Scottish legal practices and instructing solicitors when the results are required for criminal, civil, or immigration purposes.  Please note that we do not take instruction direct from the public.

All samples follow a strict chain of custody and testing in a ISO17025-accredited laboratory to make our test reports acceptable to courts.  We do not do 'peace of mind' tests direct to the public.

We provide comprehensive support from initial advice on what can be expected from a report, provision of all the necessary forms and sample kits (we can also take the samples by arrangement), and finally reports (these will be accompanied with explanatory notes to enable solicitors and legal firms to understand and present the results to clients and courts, if requested). We are happy to act as expert witnesses as we frequently do in our criminal cases.

The sampling process is a simple one involving only the taking of a swab from the inside of the cheek of the subject. For paternity testing, we ideally require samples from both parents (or claimed parents) and the child (or children).

Once all DNA samples are received into the laboratory results are normally available within 8 - 10 working days. Shorter delivery times from 5 days to 8 hours are also available at extra cost. Samples are usually obtained as a simple mouth swab.

The price of a paternity test is £420 + VAT (in total for 2 or 3 samples), a SLAB-approved rate, including collection of samples.

* Home visits outside mainland Scotland may incur additional charges - please advise on initial enquiry.

To arrange a visit, or to discuss the process or what the tests can tell, please phone (0141 890 1111), fax (0207 760 7121), or email (enquiry@theforensicinstitute.com) for confidential information.