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Glossary · DNA & Paternity

Chain of Custody

Chain of custody is the documented, witnessed handling of a sample from collection to result — identity verified, collection observed by a neutral party, transfers logged. It is what separates a legal paternity test, usable in court for support or custody matters, from a peace-of-mind home kit that uses the same science without the documentation. If results might ever be needed legally, the chain-of-custody version is the one that counts.

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