Is a home paternity test legally valid?

In North Carolina, a home paternity test is not legally valid in a court of law. In order to establish legal proof of paternity, a test must be performed in a lab that is accredited by the AABB (formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks). These tests must be performed by a lab that follows certain procedures that cannot be replicated in a home paternity test. Additionally, a court may request that the alleged father, the mother, and sometimes the child, to submit to a court-ordered paternity test. This is typically done by collecting DNA samples from cheek swabs or blood samples from the individuals involved. All parties must agree to the court-ordered paternity test and the results are used to make the determination of paternity. A home paternity test is not reliable in North Carolina for legal purposes because the test results are not kept confidential. Additionally, the results are not obtained under a strict chain of custody, which is necessary for legal acceptance. This means that the test results may be challenged or disputed in a court of law because there is no way to guarantee that the correct samples were tested and that the results have not been tampered with. Therefore, in North Carolina, the only way to legally establish paternity is through a court-ordered paternity test performed in a lab that is accredited by the AABB. This is the only way to ensure the utmost accuracy and reliability for a paternity test result in North Carolina.

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Is a home paternity test legally valid?

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