Getting started

3 easy steps

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• Schedule an appointment

  

  Contact Memorial Blood Centers Parentage & Immigration Services at 612-871-6636, or toll free at 800-982-9134 to schedule your appointment. Please have available the names and birth dates of all individuals involved in the testing. Our staff will work with you to schedule a convenient appointment time to have your DNA sample collected, answer any questions you may have about the process, discuss procedures and costs, and provide you with payment options.
  
  We can help arrange for DNA sample collections at our Minneapolis office, located in the Lifesciences Building, Suite 1114, 700 South 10th Avenue, or at our other Minnesota locations in Duluth, Hibbing or Virginia. We also can schedule DNA sample collection appointments and send sample collection kits to any one of the labs, clinics, or hospitals we have cooperative agreements with throughout the U.S. In addition, we work closely with U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide to send DNA sample collection kits to collect samples from individuals living overseas.

• Arrive at your appointment prepared

  

  Your DNA sample collection appointment will take approximately 15-30 minutes. When you arrive, you will be asked to provide: 

  • Photo identification for all participants over age 18 (e.g., a valid drivers license, student ID, passport, etc.)
  • Name and address of person(s) you designate to receive the results of your DNA test.* 
  • Names of other individuals involved in your case.
  • A minimum payment based on the type of testing performed. The balance is due before results are sent. Payment may be made by Visa or MasterCard (debit or credit), money order or cashiers check. No cash or personal checks are accepted. See our Fee Schedule for details.
  • Payment of a sample collection fee, charged by collection facilities outside of Memorial Blood Centers’ network of locations in Minneapolis, Duluth, Hibbing, and Virginia. The fees charged by the collection facility will vary depending on the location.

  * NOTE: Your results may be sent to you and to third-party representative(s) (e.g., attorney, doctor, social worker) if you have one. You will be asked to complete and sign a form that authorizes Memorial Blood Centers to release the test results to you and your designated representative(s). This authorization form will be provided to you at the time of your appointment, by the person collecting your sample.

• Receive your test results

  Routine paternity and family study cases
  You should receive test results within 10 business days from the date the last sample is received, and upon receipt of your final payment for testing services. Results are mailed to the representative(s) you designated and/or to the addresses provided at the time of the sample collection. To ensure confidentiality, results cannot be given over the telephone, and any changes to your original instructions—additional representatives or address changes—must be submitted in writing. Please fax, mail, or scan and email your request.

  Immigration cases
  Many factors outside of our control impact the amount of time it takes to complete your case when U.S. embassies or consulates are involved. Each U.S. Embassy or Consulate has its own procedures and policies that determine how and when DNA testing samples will be collected from individuals in their home country. As a result, turnaround time for completion of sample collection and DNA testing can vary—from two weeks to three months.

  In situations that require sample collection of individuals in foreign countries, it is important that you begin the DNA testing process with Memorial Blood Centers as soon as possible. We will send a sample collection kit to the designated U.S. Embassy or Consulate using an international shipping service. As soon as we receive the sample(s), testing will begin and should be completed within 10 business days. Upon receipt of your final payment, test results will be mailed to you and to the appropriate USCIS office, or sent to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate using an international shipping service.