Order processing may take between 1-3 business days, although every effort is made to process and mail testing kits the same business day, when ordered prior to 3:00 PM EST on regular business days. You can expect to receive your testing kit from 2-14 business days from the date of your order depending on the location you requested your kit to be shipped to (domestic receipt of orders is usually 2-4 business days, orders shipped outside of the U.S.A, may arrive between 6-14 business days). Orders are not processed, shipped, or delivered on weekends or holidays.  We will make every effort to ship your package as quickly as possible. Journey is not responsible for any delays from the USPS, or delays from any country outside the United States, once the order is shipped.

Duty and Taxes: For international orders, a customs duty may be incurred (the amount of which is determined by your country of residence).  This is the sole responsibility of the person ordering a DNA testing kit. Any delays due to Custom’s regulations is out of our control and not the responsibility of Journey.

Domestic orders are shipped via USPS Priority Mail. International orders are shipped USPS International Priority Mail. Please be aware that once we ship your item, it is out of our control. We are not responsible for any lost packages.  Upon shipment, you will receive a confirmation email with your tracking number by the USPS.  For domestic and international orders, you can track your package at USPS.com. Once your order has shipped, please directly contact USPS with any inquiries about the status of your package.

Journey is not responsible for unexpected shipping delays caused by circumstances such as severe weather or natural disasters.  Similarly, we are not responsible for unexpected shipping delays caused by circumstances related to the courier itself, such as clearance delays.  In cases such as these, please directly contact your courier with any inquiries about the status of your package.

In the case that USPS is unable to deliver a package due to an incorrect address entered by the customer, the customer’s refusal to pay duties, multiple failed attempts to reach the customer at point of delivery, or otherwise, Journey is not responsible for payment of return shipping costs levied by the courier.  Similarly, Journey is not responsible for the payment of re-shipping the merchandise to the customer.  In cases such as these, the customer is responsible for all shipping costs associated with returned packages due to failed delivery.

If an incorrect address was provided in the order form and the kit must be to be re-delivered as a result of the incorrect address provided, the cost is $25 for the replacement kit plus shipping. In the event the kit is returned as non-deliverable, and a payment for the new kit is not provided within 72 hours of notification by email to the ordering party of such a return, the returned kit will be refunded per our Refund Policy for the time and expense incurred by Journey in the preparation and expense of the kit, shipping, and administrative costs.

Journey provides a prepaid envelope in Journey testing kits to USA addresses. If the samples returned from the client to Journey are determined by the carrier providing the return to require additional shipping fees, it is the responsibility of the client to pay such postage prior to sending the samples to the lab. In the event the return carrier determines such samples were sent requiring additional shipping fees that was not paid, and Journey is required to pay such shipping fees, the cost of the additional shipping fees and an administrative fee of $25.00 will be required to be paid prior to the release of testing results.

By purchasing a DNA test from Journey either through our online order form, or over the phone, you are agreeing to the following refund policy.

Due to the personalised nature of the DNA collection kits, including the Make Your Own Kit option, which is customised for each client, all payments are final and no refunds will be processed once the collection kit, or in the case of a Make Your Own Kit email, is sent. A collection kit is considered sent once the shipping label has been generated. If a written request for a refund is requested prior to the shipping of the collection kit, or email is sent in the case of a Make Your Own Kit, an administrative fee of $50 will be deducted from the amount refunded. It is agreed that there are no exceptions to this policy.

After purchasing a Journey DNA test (i.e. paternity test or family relationship test), whether a kit is ordered or you choose the Make Your Own Kit option, you have 90 days to collect the DNA samples and send those samples to the lab for testing. If the samples are not received, and testing is not initiated within 90 days of the purchase date, your account will become inactivate/closed. There are no refunds for accounts that have become inactive and closed.

Samples must be submitted with the same names for the those being tested as indicated on the order form. If different names are submitted for testing, or different individuals are requested to be tested from those listed on the order form, or a different test is requested to be performed after ordering, there will be a $25 administrative fee due per change, as wellas any difference in the cost of testing. In the event the change of test is less than the amount originally paid, no refund will be due.

Once a DNA sample is submitted to the laboratory, it will be consumed for the purpose of the DNA test. The sample will not be returned to the submitter.

While in some cases Journey may provide a prepaid return envelope to USA addresses , it is the responsibility of the ordering party to make certain that the DNA samples arrive at the lab during this time period. Journey is not responsible for any samples that do not arrive in the time frame stated above. It is the ordering parties responsibility to record any tracking information on return mailers to determine if the samples have been delivered to the lab. Journey does not record return mailer tracking numbers nor is Journey responsible for providing such tracking numbers on the clients private page or through email.

The decision on whether to re-open the case belongs to Journey, and the decision made is agreed to be final.

If possible, it is always recommended to include/test a known parent of the child in question to a first-order index test to allow the most conclusive results possible. Sibling, grandparent, avuncular, and paternity testing may add the mother at the time of the order at no additional cost. If additional parties are added after the testing has been completed, or additional testing is requested using existing samples, there will be additional fees for testing.

First order index tests include the Avuncular, Grandparent, and Sibling test. First order index tests are typically used to determine the percentage of probability that two people share a biological relationship. The test is strictly a statistical analysis of the biological material two people have in common. The results of a first-order index test will determine whether two people are more or less likely to be related based on the genetic material exhibited by each person and the result will determine an avuncular, grandparent or siblingship index.

Sibling test results provide a probability of relationship between one known (primary) sibling and one or more additional siblings. Primary siblings are determined by a) being listed as the primary sibling on the order form, or b) the first sibling listed as being tested if no primary sibling is designated. If information is provided on the order form that indicates the testing should be conducted differently that what is ordered, Journey will use that information to determine the best type of test to perform. The decision of Journey is final in these cases. If two or more of the individuals performing a half sibling test are known first cousins, there is a possibility that a false inclusion may occur due to the high percentage of DNA shared between those two relationships. A direct paternity test with both suspected fathers in these cases is encouraged to be performed in place of a sibling test when a cousin relationship exists. We are unable to perform testing between known first cousins to determine a half sibling relationship.

Grandparent and Avuncular testing results show the probability of relationship between a child (minor or adult) and a suspected relative (grandparent or aunt or uncle).

If the index is less than 1.00, this indicates likelihood of non-relatedness. If the index is greater than 1.00, this indicates that the two tested individuals are more likely to be true biological relatives: The higher the value of the index, the greater the likelihood that the two individuals are true biological relatives. First-order index tests may not provide conclusive results in some cases.

Upon ordering testing services, either by phone or on a Journey owned website, all customers agree that they are familiar with, and agree to abide by, the Journey explanation of First Order Testing and understand that all testing fees are final, regardless of the results provided. It is also understood and agree to that there are no exceptions to this policy.

The average processing time for paternity/maternity or relationship testing is approximately 1-2 working days, depending on the test, from the date that the specimen is received by the laboratory. Y-Chromosome testing requires 5 business days once all samples have arrived. As with any biological testing, some exceptions may occur. The typical reasons for extended testing are:

Poor DNA sample quality

The need for more genetic markers to be examined

Names and/or relationships different from what was ordered

The priority of the laboratory is the quality of the testing and the absolute accuracy of the results. The 1-2 business day turnaround time cannot be guaranteed if an exception is encountered, and the laboratory will not under any circumstances sacrifice the quality of the test in order to speed up the turnaround time. Exceptions may take an additional 5 business days in some cases. By submitting a DNA sample for testing, you indicate that you understand and accept this possibility.

Any sample submitted for DNA testing other than a buccal/cotton swab or blood card (FTA card) from a certified Medical Examiner is considered an alternative non-standard sample. Non-standard samples require a viablity test prior to standard testing. There is an additional fee for each non-standard sample submitted for testing. All non-standard sample fees must be paid for prior to sending the sample to the lab. No testing will occur on non-standard samples that have not been paid for prior to testing.

Journey is not responsible for the quality or suitability of any such sample submitted. Different samples have various degrees of success when performing DNA tests. It is understood and agreed that by submitting such a sample that there may be times that insufficient DNA profiles may be obtained from the samples submitted and the sample may not be suitable for testing. It is understood and agreed that by having the testing laboratory exam the DNA sample provided, whether a successful DNA profile is obtained or not, that the testing has been completed and that no refund will be made if the sample is not compliant (unable to provide a DNA profile to be tested). If an additional sample is desired to be sent there will be an additional fee charged prior to testing for the new DNA sample.

By submitting the sample, the customer agrees that they have complied with the sample collection instructions provided in the kit or on our website. If we find out during the testing, or after the testing has been completed. that your sample or any required documentation is non-compliant because the instructions were not followed, or if the samples have been deliberately tampered with, the case will be closed and no report will be issued. There will be no refund of fees paid under any condition for non-compliance. If additional testing is requested, the full cost of a new test will be charged.

Legal DNA testing results are available through Journey testing and our affiliate AABB accredited laboratory. AABB requirements state that a third party, who has no interest in the outcome of the testing, must receive the legal DNA kit(s). Journey may be requested to send a legal DNA kit(s) to a certified collector/collection site based on the zip code provided on the order form. There is no guarantee of a collection site in every zip code. We will send the kit to the closest location in these cases and notify the ordering party of the location, via email, after the kit(s) has been shipped. The responsibility of paying the per-person collection fee belongs to the person ordering the test, and is due at the time the order is placed.  Journey is not responsible for any collection fee that may be required. If we are notified by the collector that a collection fee is due and has not been paid, testing will be halted or results not released, until payment to the collector is made.

Journey will not, under any circumstance, discuss a case or testing results with any person, including the ordering party over the phone. All requests for information concerning a case must be submitted on a support ticket. Any phone calls regarding current cases will be referred to the support form.

The reason for this is as follows:

1. We value your privacy. By requesting all communication be via email to the email address provided at the time of the order, we seek to eliminate the possibility of any unauthorized person or persons obtain information they do not have a right to;
2. We use the written communications as part of your case file. This allows us to review in an objective manner any issues that may arise on your case and helps eliminate communication errors before and after the case is completed. Support tickets are answered in most cases within 24 hours during regular business hours. By using this website you agree to this method of communication and understand our reasons for doing so.

Each private test includes one digital report that will be electronically provided to the ordering party on a private client page that will be created once all samples have arrived at the lab that are to be tested. In the event any additional services are requested, and Journey chooses to provide those additional services, additional fees will apply. Please see the section titled Service Fees and Testing Information above for a list of additional fees. A report is considered delivered once it has been posted and an email notification is sent to the email address associated with the order.

Specific results are not guaranteed. In most cases a conclusive result can be obtained, however as we are unable to determine what each genetic profile is prior to receiving the DNA sample, this cannot be guaranteed. There are a small number of cases that may require additional alleged or known family members to be added to the case for a stronger result.

A case is considered completed and closed upon electronic posting of testing results, and the sending of an email notification the information may be viewed. Journey is not responsible for e-mail addresses that have been changed or are no longer valid to receive notification of results being completed. It is the sole responsibility of the ordering party to provide any updated information, along with proof of identify when requesting a change, as may be required at Journey’s sole discretion. Any changes must be submitted in writing through a support ticket for changes to personal information.

Results are available for thirty (30) days from the date of the results being posted, and are located in the secure client portal. All results are deleted from our system and are no longer available after that time, to ensure privacy of your information. We are unable to provide support to cases once the information is no longer in our system as we are unable to verify the information on the report.