Consent For DNA Testing

Under Irish Law if a person is above the age of 18 they must give there consent for there DNA to be tested. When you donate a sample of DNA you must sign a consent form which gives your consent that your DNA can be tested.

If a person is a minor and is under the age of 18 he/she is therefore unable to give their consent for there DNA sample to be tested. In the majority of cases consent must be given by a child's mother in order for the child's DNA to be tested. If consent from the mother is not given, our laboratory will not conduct a DNA Test.

There are however some very exceptional cases where for example the mother is deceased or the Father has full custody of the child whereby a DNA test can be conducted without the mother's consent. In this instance we require certifiable written proof in the form of legal documents that stand up to legal scrutiny before we will consider conducting a DNA test.

Due to Irish law we require that the consent from is filled out properly and is signed by the relevant parties. Before DNA testing commences in the laboratory the consent form is thoroughly scrutinised. If adequate consent is not given by the relevant parties, the DNA test will not be conducted.