Get laboratory accreditation to carry out paternity tests
How to get accredited so your laboratory can perform official paternity tests as instructed by a court.
Applies to England and Wales
Overview
Courts can ask for a scientific DNA paternity test to check the parentage of a child if parties cannot agree on whether a DNA test should be done.
This is done under a Section 20 direction.
Only laboratories on the accredited laboratory list can carry out these tests.
Apply for accreditation
To be included on this list of accredited laboratories, you must provide the laboratory’s original certificate of accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 (or a certified copy). The certificate must be issued by an accreditation body which complies with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 and is a full member of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), or a body that is a signatory to an ILAC recognised regional co-operational body.
You need to fill in and sign the and email it to civil&familybusinesssupport@justice.gov.uk with:
- your current original/certified copy of ISO 17025 certificate
- your statement of adequacy
- (if you’re a non-UK organisation) a certified copy of your certificate showing current membership of a scheme that meets the requirements of Directive 95/46/EC
It would be useful if you could provide a flow chart along with your application. In it, set out how a request for a Section 20 test would be processed, from receipt up to when the test results are sent back to the court. This is not a compulsory requirement.
The use of intermediaries is not allowed.
Annual reviews ensure the continuing eligibility of each body on the list.
Your application will be acknowledged within 10 working days of receipt.
Additional laboratory requirements
As well as filling in the application form above, accredited laboratories must also agree to:
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comply with the Blood Tests (Evidence of Paternity) Regulations 1971 (as amended) or any revised versions
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comply with requirements about how your accredited status is represented in advertising or informational material
Data protection requirements
You should only retain personal data for as long as is needed, that is:
- 6 months for the retention of a DNA sample
- 12 months for the retention of records created as a result of a Section 20 court-directed test
You must ensure adequate data protection in accordance with:
- Part 1, Paragraph 7 and Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 1998
- Article 5 of the European Commission Directive 95/46/EC
You should attach a statement to your application form setting out how you will achieve this.
Updates to this page
Published 1 October 2014Last updated 27 July 2020 + show all updates
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Changed to email application
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Application form for accreditation updated.
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Application form updated.
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Content update
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Content update
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First published.