Legal Y-STR Male Lineage $325

Smaller companies who advertise cheap DNA testing allow participants to choose their own collector. Surprisingly, they even mail the collection kit right to the client. Please beware – this practice does not follow AABB chain of custody requirements. Their cheap Y-STR Paternal Lineage DNA test can end up being very costly to your family down the road.

It’s a direct violation of legal testing requirements for anyone associated with the legal Y-STR test to be in the possession of the collection kit. This includes any test participant, family member or friend. Once swabs have been in the possession of someone with an interest in the test result, there could easily be suspicion of tampering. For this reason, we never ship any legal DNA collection kit to anyone other than a doctor’s office or clinic.

Secondly, a legally binding DNA test must be collected by a medical or clinic professional. With PaternityUSA.com, you can use your doctor for the DNA collection, or opt for professional collection service at one of more than 4,000 clinic locations. Again, having someone known to the test participant act as a collector, or “witness” the DNA collection, does not meet legal testing standards. A collection by an associate, friend or family member can easily be discredited; causing you to have to pay for another test.

A legal test conducted outside of the chain of custody is easily contested and disputed in court; and more importantly will not stand up as evidence.

In contrast, we don’t bend guidelines that may risk injuring your case. The lab we work with follows every requirement to help ensure your result stands up in any legal matter facing your family. We understand the need for a legal DNA test is usually accompanied by a difficult situation. With that in mind, we handle every case with care and confidentiality.

DNA Collection

The collection process is very simple for our Y-STR male lineage tests. DNA is collected through a cheek swab, also known as a buccal swab, which is painlessly rubbed against the inside of the cheek. Our lab conducts all of our sibling DNA tests twice. For this reason we collect multiple swabs per person. As a general rule, be sure the mouth is clean before swabbing by rinsing with water. Participants should refrain from drinking coffee or tea or smoking for 3-4 hours before the DNA collection.

In cases where a family member may be deceased, depending upon the details surrounding the case, tissue or blood samples from the medical examiner or coroner’s office may be available. Their office should be able to advise you of what is preserved. Once you have established this information, call us to speak with a Case Manager to discuss your situation and how to proceed.

Other Types Of DNA Testing Services

A Y-STR male lineage DNA test is only done between two males, as the Y-chromosome is only passed to males by their father. If two males are not available to take part in a Y-STR male lineage DNA test, we do have other testing options for you and your family. A paternity or maternity test will always be conclusive. A grandparent test would be conducted using one or both of the alleged parent’s biological parents. A siblingship, or sibship, test would be a test done with another child who may share the same parent(s). If the alleged parent has a full brother or sister, an avuncular aunt/uncle DNA test is another option. Additionally, an mtDNA mitochondrial test will conclusively determine whether or not the test participants are from the same female lineage and can be done with either gender.

While a legal Y-STR male lineage DNA testing provides a court admissible certificate to prove a male lineage, if you find you only need results for your own peace of mind or curiosity, our informational Y-STR test may be best. Whether you chose informational or legal Y-STR male lineage DNA testing, rest assured that you are in good hands with PaternityUSA.com. Samples for both legal and informational tests are processed in the same manner.  The difference lies in the collection method – chain of custody.

Fully Accredited USA Lab

All legal Y-STR tests are performed in our partner AABB-accredited USA lab by PhD geneticists with 20+ years of experience. CLIA-certified for reliability, and AABB accredited for court admissibility.  Moreover all legal DNA tests adhere to AABB Standards for Relationship Testing Laboratories (17th edition effective January 1, 2026).