In This Article
In This Article
Some DNA tests (like maternity or paternity tests) can help confirm whether or not you’re biologically related to someone. When there is a match, it suggests that two people may be relatives.
A grandparent DNA test can help establish paternity or maternity if the father or mother is unavailable. It can also check the biological relationship between a grandchild and their grandparent.
We asked our medical reviewer, Dr. Rizza Mira, to help explain how grandparent testing can help determine fatherhood, motherhood, and grandparentage.
There are several reasons why you might consider a grandparent test. For instance, you may want to:
Grandparents, grandchildren, parents, or the court can initiate the test.
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The first step is DNA sample collection. DNA samples must be taken from the child, the child’s mother, and one or both grandparents from the father’s side.
Testing both grandparents allows a DNA company to reconstruct the father or mother’s DNA. They can compare it with the child’s DNA to establish paternity or maternity with better accuracy.
According to Dr. Mira, the duo grandparentage test is the best way to reconstruct the alleged mother or father’s DNA and compare it with the child’s. It can also predict how likely a child is related to their maternal or paternal grandparent.
But if only one grandparent is tested, it can lead to inconclusive results. Since it’s less accurate, it may not be enough to establish legal paternity, maternity, or grandparent rights.
“In this situation, having one of the parents undergo DNA testing for comparison may be necessary,” says Dr. Mira.
Grandparent DNA testing can be done in medical facilities with the supervision of professionals. But you can also take a grandparent test at home.
A cheek swab sample is usually more common. A medical technologist will gently scrape the insides of your checks with a cotton swab to collect a buccal sample.
Besides a buccal swab, some DNA testing companies require blood samples from the parties involved.
Yes. You can get grandparent testing to support legal cases.
But this is only possible if the samples are collected and processed in court-approved facilities. Examples include hospitals, health departments, and medical offices.
A court can accept your grandparent test results if a qualified professional:
Talk to a lawyer if you want a legal grandparent test. The child’s legal guardian may refuse testing. If this happens, you can ask the court to order the test.1
Most at-home grandparent DNA tests can’t be used in court, even if they provide the same results as a legal test. They don’t meet the criteria necessary for legal DNA testing.
Courts may grant legal rights to grandparents if they can establish a biological relationship with their grandchild.2 Listed below are some of them:
If your daughter (the child’s mother), son (the child’s father), or legal guardian prevents you from seeing your grandchild, you can appeal for visitation rights.
All you need to do is take a legal DNA test that proves your genetic family relationship with the child.1
Laws vary across U.S. states, and courts tend to side with the parent. But there are situations when you can be granted the right to be a part of your grandchild’s life.
Establishing a genetic link between you and your grandchild is the first step in achieving this goal.
Grandparents who want to plan their estate and ensure their grandchild’s inheritance may want to prove their grandparent status.
If a child wants to claim inheritance based on their genetic relationship with the alleged mother, father, or grandparent, a DNA test may also confirm their rights to the estate.
For example, if a father dies without a will and has a child out of wedlock, a DNA test can determine whether or not they can claim inheritance.
The Wills, Trusts, and Claims section of the Inheritance Act of 1975 allows the use of DNA results to resolve inheritance disputes.3
A person can choose who to leave their possessions to. But if they die intestate (without a will) and the probate court has to decide on inheritance, they will base their decision on legally established ties.
If you want the right to inherit the property of someone you believe is a biological grandparent, you may need DNA testing to prove it in court.
You can take a grandparent test if you want to confirm the maternity or paternity of a child, and the child’s mother or father isn’t available for testing.
It can be useful if the mother or father is missing or deceased, and their parentage has not been previously established.
Grandparents should also consider this DNA test if they want to gain legal rights or simply want reassurance that they are biologically related.
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