You can arrange a paternity test through a relationship-testing provider, order a personal-knowledge kit where available, schedule professional legal collection, or contact the child-support agency handling an existing case. During pregnancy, you need a prenatal testing arrangement that includes maternal blood collection.
Start with how the report will be used—not simply the nearest clinic. A location that collects routine medical samples may not support the paternity service, legal documentation, or prenatal blood draw you need.
If you are using GameDay DNA, select your state in the DNA testing location directory, review the cities served, and confirm the appropriate collection arrangement before traveling. Services and appointment availability vary by location.
Where Can I Get a Paternity Test for Personal Knowledge?
A self-collected home kit may be appropriate when the child is already born and you want private, non-legal information.
You order the kit, collect the required cheek-swab samples using its instructions, and return them to the laboratory. Cleveland Clinic’s paternity-testing overview describes this collection-and-mailing process. The genetic analysis happens in the laboratory, not at home.
Before purchasing, confirm the performing laboratory, participants included, complete price, sample-return instructions, and availability in your location.
GameDay DNA’s self-collected informational kits are not offered to New York State residents. Contact the team about the appropriate legal collection pathway before ordering.
A Home Kit Is Not a Different Kind of Laboratory
“At-home” describes how samples are collected. “Accredited laboratory” describes a facility’s assessed credentials. These should not be presented as opposing categories.
A home kit can send samples to an accredited laboratory, while legal testing adds professional identity verification and documented collection. GameDay DNA distinguishes those collection pathways on its current legal testing page.
Read how accurate home paternity tests are for the difference between genetic analysis and sample identity.
Where Can I Get a Legal Paternity Test?
For an official-use report, arrange collection through a provider that can meet the receiving organization’s requirements.
Legal testing involves professional sample collection, participant identity verification, paperwork, and documented chain of custody. The alleged father and child are generally the primary participants; the mother may be recommended or required.
GameDay DNA’s legal paternity testing page explains the appointment pathway. Select your state and preferred city, then confirm availability for the actual service.
Do not assume every location accepts walk-ins or that every listed site performs every DNA service. Obtain an appointment confirmation before traveling.
Confirm the Case Requirements Before Booking
Ask the court, agency, attorney, or other recipient whether it requires a particular laboratory, case number, participant arrangement, collection procedure, or direct report delivery.
A legal collection does not guarantee acceptance for every purpose. The receiving organization determines whether the report meets its requirements.
Read the legal paternity test process for what happens before, during, and after collection.
Does the Testing Laboratory Have to Be Near Me?
Not necessarily. The location collecting samples and the laboratory performing the analysis may be different facilities.
The AABB directory of accredited relationship-testing facilities states that a listed facility can help arrange sample collection if no facility is nearby. Its listings also distinguish certain collection and verification/reporting sites from facilities performing testing.
Ask which laboratory will analyze your samples and what credentials apply. Do not assume a retail office, collection partner, and laboratory all hold the same accreditation.
If you are comparing providers, read how to choose a DNA testing provider.
Where Should I Start if a Child-Support Case Is Open?
Contact the agency handling the case before purchasing a private test.
Under 45 C.F.R. § 303.5, state child-support agencies arrange genetic testing in eligible contested paternity cases and identify laboratories meeting the applicable requirements. The regulation also addresses testing charges and possible recovery of costs.
Ask how testing is requested, whether a collection has already been authorized, and whether an independently arranged report would be considered.
A privately purchased test is not automatically reimbursable or a replacement for the agency’s process. Read paternity testing and child support for more context.
Where Can I Get a Court-Ordered Paternity Test?
Follow the actual order or the instructions from the office handling the case.
It may identify a provider or require a specific collection and reporting process. Confirm any proposed substitution before choosing a different laboratory or appointment.
Court-ordered testing is not a separate kind of biological comparison. It describes the authority requiring participation. Voluntary legal testing may use documented collection without a judge having ordered it.
Read whether a doctor’s or court order is needed to distinguish authorization, voluntary legal collection, and compulsory testing.
If someone refuses to participate, a testing company cannot compel attendance. Seek guidance through the relevant legal or administrative process.
Can I Get a Paternity Test at a Hospital or Doctor’s Office?
Sometimes, but ask in advance.
Routine healthcare services do not automatically include relationship testing. A hospital or medical office may help coordinate collection, decline the service, or refer you elsewhere.
DDC’s guide to hospital paternity testing explains that testing is not normally part of standard delivery care and that collection arrangements depend on the facility.
If you want collection shortly after birth, discuss the arrangement with the hospital and provider before the due date when possible. Confirm who collects the samples, what authorization is needed, and whether the process meets any official-use requirements.
Read how soon a baby can be DNA tested after birth for newborn-specific considerations.
Where Can I Get Prenatal Paternity Testing?
Non-invasive prenatal paternity testing, also called NIPP, requires a maternal blood sample and generally the alleged father’s cheek-swab sample. It is not a cheek-swab-only test.
Cleveland Clinic describes how the maternal blood sample is analyzed for pregnancy-associated DNA and compared with the alleged father’s sample.
Use GameDay DNA’s prenatal collection directory and confirm the arrangement before scheduling. A site that supports routine cheek-swab collection may not support the necessary maternal blood draw.
Ask about eligibility, collection responsibilities, the complete price, and legal versus informational options. An at-home prenatal order still requires the appropriate blood-collection arrangement.
For the main questions, read our prenatal paternity testing FAQ.
Can Participants Test in Different Cities?
Separate collections may be arranged when appropriate.
AABB’s relationship-testing FAQ states that accredited facilities can schedule participants together or separately according to their needs.
Coordinate this through the provider so the samples and documentation belong to the same case. Do not independently purchase unrelated kits and assume the laboratory will combine them.
Tell the provider where each participant is located before requesting the final quote and appointments.
Where Do I Start for Immigration DNA Testing?
Start directly with the appropriate AABB-accredited relationship-testing facility—not with a standard home kit or routine legal collection order.
AABB states that U.S. visa, passport, and citizenship DNA cases must be initiated directly between the petitioner and an accredited relationship-testing facility.
GameDay DNA does not provide or coordinate immigration DNA testing. It refers those inquiries directly to DDC. Visit the immigration DNA testing referral page for the appropriate next step.
What Should I Check Before Paying?
Confirm the performing laboratory, selected service, participants, authorization, collection arrangements, and intended use.
Ask for the complete price, including applicable tax, shipping, collection fees, extra participants, or optional processing. Compare equivalent services rather than treating a personal-knowledge kit and documented legal collection as identical purchases.
Review privacy terms, too. The FTC’s genetic-data privacy guidance recommends researching the company and understanding who can access genetic information and how it is protected.
Read DNA testing costs and payment options for more quote-comparison questions.
How Do I Find a GameDay DNA Collection Option?
Open the state-by-state location directory, select your state, and review the cities served.
If your city is not listed, contact GameDay DNA with your preferred city and state. The team can check whether a nearby option supports your test. Do not assume that coverage in a state means every service is available in every city.
Before traveling, confirm the appointment, address, required participants, accepted identification, documents, and any collection instructions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Where to Get a Paternity Test
Where is the best place to start?
Start with the intended use. For personal knowledge, ask about an available home kit. For official use, obtain the recipient’s requirements and arrange documented collection. For an open child-support case, contact the agency first.
Can I walk into any laboratory for a paternity test?
Do not assume so. Confirm that the location supports the exact service and collection process. GameDay DNA advises confirming availability and an appointment before traveling.
Can I order online?
Online ordering may be available, but it does not determine the collection pathway. Confirm whether the purchase is a self-collected kit, an appointment request, or another service—and whether it is available in your location.
Read are online paternity tests accurate? before evaluating an online offer.
Do I have to visit the laboratory that analyzes the DNA?
Not necessarily. A collection site can submit samples to a different performing laboratory. Verify both roles and the required documentation.
Can a hospital collect a newborn’s sample?
Possibly, but arrangements depend on the hospital. Paternity testing is not normally included as part of routine delivery care. Ask beforehand.
Can the father and child attend different locations?
Separate collections can be arranged through an appropriate provider. Coordinate the case before collection rather than arranging unrelated tests independently.
How much will it cost?
Request the current complete quote for the service and participants. AABB notes that facilities set their own fees, so there is no single price covering every provider or arrangement.
How long will results take?
Ask for a service-specific estimate and its starting point. Appointments, shipping, sample receipt, documentation, and additional analysis can affect the total timeline. AABB recommends obtaining the estimate from the facility arranging testing.
Can I test a child without the other parent’s permission?
Do not rely on a universal yes-or-no answer. Confirm who has authority to authorize the minor’s collection, what documents are required, and whether any order or dispute affects the situation.
Does finding a legal collection site guarantee court acceptance?
No. Verify the receiving organization’s requirements before collection. Professional identification and chain of custody are important, but they do not guarantee acceptance for every proceeding.
Conclusion: Find the Right Pathway Before the Nearest Address
Where you should get a paternity test depends on the report’s purpose and the participants’ circumstances.
A home kit may fit private post-birth questions where available. Official-use reports require the appropriate documented collection. Prenatal testing needs a maternal blood-draw arrangement, and an existing agency or court case may have its own instructions.
Start with GameDay DNA’s location directory, select your state and city, and confirm the required service before scheduling. Contact the team if you need help identifying an appropriate collection option.
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