Several private laboratories in Accra do DNA tests, mostly for paternity. What matters is not where, but which kind of test - because the cheaper one is useless in court, at an embassy or in an inheritance dispute.
Two kinds of test
| Private (“peace of mind”) | Legal | |
|---|---|---|
| Who collects the samples | Often you, with a swab kit | The laboratory or a doctor, in front of a witness |
| Identity checked | No | Yes: a Ghana Card or passport, and photographs, for everyone tested |
| Chain of custody | No | Every step of the sample’s journey is signed for |
| Accepted by a court or embassy | No | It can be, if the laboratory is one they accept |
| Cost | Lower | Higher, because of the paperwork |
A private test tells you the answer. A legal test proves it to somebody else. If there is any chance the result will be needed for a court, a visa, a birth certificate correction or an estate, do the legal test first.
Before you pay
- Ask who will use the result - the court, the embassy or the lawyer - which laboratories they accept, and do the test there. Embassies running immigration DNA tests usually name their own panel of laboratories.
- Ask where the analysis is done. Some Accra laboratories collect samples and send them abroad, which takes longer.
- Ask how long the result takes, and how it is delivered. A result told over the phone to whoever calls is a privacy problem.
- Bring identification for every adult, and the child’s birth certificate.
Testing a child
A child’s sample needs the consent of a parent or guardian. Where parents disagree, the question belongs in front of a court, which can order a test; a lawyer or the Department of Social Welfare can advise on how to ask.
What the result does and does not do
A test answers a biological question. Changing a birth record, a surname or maintenance follows a separate process, in which the result is evidence.
— Correcting a birth certificate — Swearing an affidavit — Professional services in Accra