Avuncular (Aunt/Uncle) DNA Testing
ReliaLab Test provides avuncular DNA testing to help establish a biological relationship between a child and a paternal aunt or uncle, most often used when the alleged father is unavailable for direct paternity testing. Testing is available nationwide through a network of more than 15,000 collection clinics, with local service from ReliaLab's team based in Nashville, Tennessee.
How Avuncular Testing Works
Cheek swab samples are collected from the child and the paternal aunt or uncle. Because the genetic relationship is once removed from a direct parent-child comparison, results are typically expressed as a likelihood rather than the near-certainty of a direct paternity test.
Which Type of Avuncular Test Do You Need?
Legal Avuncular Test
Every participant's identity is verified with photo ID, and collection is witnessed by a neutral, trained collector at a collection clinic or by a mobile collector. Choose this when the result may be reviewed by a court or used for legal purposes.
Order a legal test → Home KitInformational (Home) Avuncular Test
A kit is mailed to your home. Participants self-collect a cheek swab and mail it back to the lab. There is no witnessed collection, so this is for personal knowledge only.
Order a home test →How Legal Avuncular Testing Works
1
Order Online
Complete the order form below and choose either a legal or informational DNA test.
2
Visit a Collection Clinic
For a legal test, bring your Test Authorization Order and photo ID to the assigned collection location.
3
Sample Collection
A trained collector verifies identity and collects cheek swabs for legal testing. Home-test participants collect their own samples using the mailed kit.
4
Receive Results
Results are emailed securely, typically within 1 to 3 business days.
Order an Avuncular DNA Test
Choose a legal test for court-admissible results or an informational home test for personal knowledge.
Avuncular Testing FAQ
It's most often used when the alleged father is unavailable, deceased, or unwilling to test, and a paternal aunt or uncle can stand in for the comparison.
It's highly informative but generally less conclusive than a direct paternity test, since aunts and uncles share a more distant genetic relationship with the child than a parent would.
A grandparentage test comparing the child to a paternal grandparent may be used instead.
A legal test has a witnessed collection with photo ID verification and a documented chain of custody, making it admissible in court. A home test is self-collected and is for personal knowledge only.
Depending on the test type, results are typically emailed within 1 to 3 business days.
No. While ReliaLab Test is based in Nashville, Tennessee, avuncular testing is available nationwide through its 15,000+ collection clinic network or a mailed home kit.
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