DNA tests for family reunification
The most effective way to bring your family with you
The family reunification process is a legal procedure that allows non-European citizens who meet the conditions set by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to initiate proceedings with the Spanish authorities to bring their relatives from their country of origin, with full guarantees. Article 53.b of the immigration law regulation.
Through this process, it is possible to request the reunification of different family members, such as the spouse or partner, parents, fathers-in-law or mothers-in-law, provided they are dependents, as well as children (whether natural or adopted). Each of these cases has specific requirements, for example, a marriage certificate or registration of the domestic partnership may be required in the case of spouses, or a birth certificate in the case of the reunification of parents or children.
In situations where this documentation is not available or in cases where more than a year has passed since birth and registration in the Civil Registry has not been carried out, the embassy/consulate may request a paternity/maternity test through a DNA analysis. This test is considered legally valid and allows unequivocal demonstration of the family relationship. It is a reliable way to establish the family bond in the absence of other necessary documents.
Citogen is a member of CNUFADN, Spain’s National Commission for the Forensic Use of DNA, and we are an accredited laboratory for the performance of this DNA test. Additionally, we will assist you in the process with the embassy/consulate and send the report with the result.
How does a family reunification process work through genetic testing?
To apply for the reunification in Spain of your relatives from their country of origin, you must provide proof of kinship to demonstrate your family link. If you do not have a legally valid document for this, a DNA test can serve as proof. To do this, the following steps must be followed:
The steps to follow are:
1
Contact the Spanish embassy/consulate
Contact the Spanish embassy/consulate in the country of origin to carry out the family reunification procedures.
2
The embassy/consulate will reply
The consular office will respond, if the application is valid, offering the possibility of carrying out a DNA test to prove the family link. They will send an official communication.
3
SEND OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION AND REQUEST QUOTE
With that information in your possession, fill out the form below attaching the official communication sent by the consular office. With this request, our technicians, as laboratory personnel authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MAEC), will prepare a quote for the cost of the genetic study, which will be sent to you via email for your confirmation and payment.
4
ACCEPTANCE OF QUOTE AND PAYMENT
After your case is reviewed, you will receive an email with the quote for the genetic study and a link to pay it directly.
5
Sample Collection
Once the payment is received, we will proceed with the sample collection:
- We will contact the embassy to schedule an appointment for the relatives in the country of origin and inform them about this appointment at their facilities.
- We will give an appointment to the person seeking family reunification in Spain to take their sample in an approved laboratory (as close to their home as possible); we have laboratories in many parts of the peninsula, Balearic Islands, and Canary Islands.
6
Conducting the Study
Once we receive all the samples, we will carry out the requested study in our laboratory to determine the kinship relationship requested by the embassy.
7
Report of Results
The results report will be sent directly to the Spanish consular office, which will incorporate it into the family reunification application.
A copy of the report will also be sent to the applicant for reunification, and it will be the Embassy or Consular office that, once the information has been analyzed, will contact the applicants with the outcome of their family reunification request.
Have you already applied for your family reunification and do you have a file number?
How does a family reunification process work through genetic testing?
What are the basic requirements for family reunification in Spain?
As stated in Article 53.b of the immigration law regulation, to request the opening of a family reunification file applicants must:
- Be a legal resident in Spain, must have renewed their residence permit, and it must have a minimum validity of one year.
- Have appropriate accommodation for themselves and their family.
- Have sufficient economic resources for themselves and their family.
Why trust Citogen for your paternity and maternity studies?
The most reliable answer to many of the questions that keep us up at night lies in our genes, and at Citogen, we have been specialists in the processing, extraction, and analysis of DNA since 1998. More than 1000 annual paternity tests and numerous cases resolved in courts each year endorse us.
We are pioneers in clinical and forensic genetics in Spain, widely recognized internationally, and we have the most advanced and modern technologies and facilities in the market, so that anyone can benefit, at very reduced costs, from all the advances achieved in these years in the fields of genetics, genomics, and transcriptomics.
Our laboratory complies with the National Commission for the Forensic Use of DNA (CNUFADN) Agreement under the Spanish Ministry of Justice. Additionally, we hold UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation and are members of the International Society for Forensic Genetics (ISFG).
Frequently asked questions
- What type of sample is taken for a paternity/maternity study?
The biological sample can be taken with a swab, which is like a cotton swab used to rub the inside of the cheek for a few seconds, collecting not only saliva but also cells. An alternative method would be to take a blood sample; a small, virtually painless prick is made in the finger, allowing for sample collection.
In both cases, the cells provided will be the same; it does not vary whether one method or the other is used.
- I have already paid. When will I be given an appointment to take the sample?
Once we have the payment confirmed, a member of our team will contact you within a maximum of 2 days to indicate the address of the laboratory closest to your postal code and start the process to schedule your appointment. We will also contact the embassy/consulate for the appointment there.
- How will I receive the report?
We send the report to the embassy/consulate and to the email address you provide us at the time of sample collection.
- Will I understand the report?
The result of the study can be seen in the conclusion section.
You can see an example of the final report here:
If you have any doubts about interpreting your report once received, our team will provide the clarifications you need.
- What is chain of custody?
It is a legal term that means we ensure and guarantee that the person from whom the sample is taken is who they claim to be, and that their sample will not be changed or altered at any point in the process, from extraction to shipping and subsequent analysis.
It is a necessary requirement to include the identity of the donor in the final report of findings, and for it to have legal validity and be admissible in a judicial process.
- Is it necessary for the mother to participate in a paternity test?
It depends on what the embassy/consulate has requested. Our technicians will prepare the quote based on what has been specified on the embassy/consulate’s application form.
- I have already received my report by email. When will the embassy notify me?
We also send it to the embassy, and they are the ones responsible for contacting you to inform you about the rest of the procedure. If a significant amount of time has passed since you received the report, we will contact the embassy and ask them to notify you.
- They have given me a deadline to take the DNA test for family reunification.
That date doesn’t indicate when the test results need to be ready. It’s the deadline they give you to confirm that you agree to take the test. If you confirm that you will do it with us, we can take care of sending the consent to the embassy/consulate.
- I have paid for the DNA test for family reunification to Citogen. Why am I also paying for my child if he is in his own country?
You pay Citogen for the complete DNA test, which includes obtaining your sample and conducting all the requested genetic profiles because the entire test is conducted in Spain. Samples from your relatives are taken in the country of origin and are subsequently sent to Spain, so you need to pay for the sample collection there.
- I have already done a paternity test with your laboratory before. Do I need to buy a new kit and repeat the process, or can the existing profile be reused?
If a DNA test was done, as long as no more than 5 years have passed since the date, we can use the previous genetic profile.
We will carry out a continuation of the previous test, and in this case, we will need written authorization from you, as well as the samples from the other person.
- They have already taken my sample. When will I receive the result?
For the DNA test, we need both the sample from the father/mother and from the children, so even if we have your sample, we still need the samples from your children. We will notify you when we have the embassy/consulate appointment for the collection and when the samples arrive at our laboratory.