Get a paternity or family relationship test
This service provides information regarding the process of determining paternity and family ties and the laboratories qualified to conduct such tests.
According to the circular Medical Administration 38/2010 - a parental test (and any other family relation test) is conducted pursuant to a family court order or an order by a qualified religious tribunal (when allowed by law), pursuant to the Genetic Information Law, 2000. Without such order a test may not be conducted, even in cases where all parties agree about the test.
Who can apply
- Anyone can apply to get a test of first degree family relationship, for example siblings
- Paternity tests are usually made for mothers and their children in regards to a possible father
What you need
You'll need:
- a Family Court or Religious Court order approving testing, or a certified copy of the order, made by a court or a lawyer
- an ID card, passport or driver’s license of each person being tested
- 2 current passport photos of each person being tested
Cost
- The person requiring the test will pay for the test
- The cost of the test depends upon the number of people being tested and the type of sample
- You will get a quote after applying and submitting a copy of the court order
- You can check the fees on the Ministry of Health's services price list (service code L1133)
How to apply
The appointment can be made as part of a legal proceeding only and includes the following steps:
- Get a court order to perform the tests
- Contact a testing laboratory to obtain a price quote
- Pay the testing fees
- Make an appointment for testing
- Fax the court order for testing to the Forensic Biology Laboratory to 03-5127835
Which labs can do the testing
You can get tested at a Ministry of Health approved lab:
- Family relationship test laboratories (Appendix 7, page 36) (Heb)
- Postmortem genetic identity screening laboratories (Appendix 7, page 36) (Heb)
The application process
- Applicants will be invited to be tested only after a court order is issued for the test and after such order is presented to the laboratory and is reviewed in accordance with the law.
- In accordance with the Genetic Information Law, 2000, the results of the test will only be submitted to the family court or to the court that issued the order.
- Results will not be provided to tested persons, their attorneys or any other person on their behalf.
Notes
- You can do genetic testing on someone who has died by testing a biological sample taken at any medical institution or under other circumstances.
- In special cases, the court and the relevant health bureau may be asked to issue an exhume remains to take a sample.
How tests are conducted
A sample taken from each subject is tested for genetic markers in 15 (or more) independent chromosomal sites (STR).
Based on these tests, it can be determined whether the subjects are related or not.
Half of a person’s biological traits come from the biological father and half from the biological mother. The results of the test are based therefore on a comparison between the genetic markers of the child and those of the alleged biological parent:
- If a person has generic markers that don’t exist in his or her alleged biological parent (mother of father), that person cannot be the child of the alleged parent. If the results of the genetic test show such a mismatch, they rule out any family relation between the subjects with certainty.
- However, if all the markers checked in a person are also found in his or her alleged biological parent, the conclusion is a high probably that the two are a parent and a child. If the results of the test show such a match, this is considered evidence in court for “near certain” family relation between the subjects. However, it should be noted that there is a low probability that the result indicating a family relation is false.
How samples are taken
• A sample of oral mucosa is taken from the mouth of each living subject. DNA is extracted from this sample. The sampling does not hurt and is non-threatening, even for young children
• In case of subjects that are not alive, a usable biological sample should be obtained (such as a pathological sample left from a medical treatment or taken during surgery). In extreme cases, bodies are exhumed by a court order in order to take a sample.
Please note, if there is any difference or conflict between the information on this page and the law, the provisions of the law will apply.