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Home / Blog / Reasons You Might Get a Legal Paternity Test

Reasons You Might Get a Legal Paternity Test

When you take a legal paternity test, the results could be used in court proceedings. The results are more “official” for court purposes than other types of paternity tests because a qualified, independent witness supervises the entire DNA collection process to ensure there was no tampering of the sample.

Below are a few reasons why you might consider getting a legal paternity test:

  • Settling child custody and support disputes: If a couple is unmarried when a child is born, there must be a legal relationship established between the child and father before there can be a court-approved child custody or support arrangement. Therefore, a father who wishes to have at least partial custody of his child must legally establish paternity.
  • Inheritance: When a person passes away, there might be some questions as to who can be considered heirs of that person. A legal paternity or maternity test could be the best way to confirm a potential heir’s claim to inheritance by establishing a biological relationship. This is particularly common in cases involving valuable assets and large estates.
  • Immigration: Results of legal paternity tests are accepted in the immigration process as proof of a biological relationship, which can make the entire immigration process go more smoothly for incoming citizens.
  • Peace of mind: Sometimes, an individual has a strong urge or emotional need to establish a clear biological connection with another person. For example, someone who was adopted might have a longstanding desire to find out who his or her birth parents are. Doing so can be impossible without the assistance of biological testing.

For more information on how you can move forward with a legal paternity test, speak with an experienced Minnesota family law attorney at Appelhof, Pfeifer & Hart, P.A.

By Appelhof, Pfeifer & Hart, P.A. | Published May 24, 2018 | Posted in Divorce, Paternity | Tagged DNA collection process, legal paternity test

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