Pricing and Features

While navigating Viaguard’s website can be quite a headache due to its outdated and cluttered interface, you can find information regarding their paternity testing service via the Genetics tab. They offer both informative and legally admissible paternity testing at CAD $239 and $369 each. The test makes use of buccal swabs which can be obtained by swabbing both of your inner cheeks with the provided sterile cotton tips. If buccal swabs cannot be obtained, they also accept other DNA specimen, like blood, toothbrush, dental floss, toothpick, chewing gum, nail clippings, semen, and even used tissues are considered primary sources. Meanwhile urine, razors, cigarette butts, licked envelopes, hair with follicles attached, and intimate clothing are secondary sources.

The participants required for the exam would be the child and alleged father. Samples from the mother is not required for the test’s completion. For paternal inclusion, Viaguard guarantees 99.99% accuracy, while a strong 100% for exclusion.

Prenatal Paternal Test

Viaguard also offers prenatal paternity testing, although the mother will have to visit a laboratory to obtain a blood specimen from her arm. They can arrange for a clinic near you for convenience, since drawing the sample will take only a few moments. You can then send the father’s buccal swab and mother’s blood specimen back to their laboratory via the prepaid courier pouch and let them know about the completed specimen collection. A courier service will then pick up the package from your location and bring to their facility to initiate testing.

They also offer forensic tests like drug testing using hair, saliva, and urine and alcohol testing. For more information about these tests, you may want to visit their website.

Results

Results for DNA tests are already available 7 business days from the time customers receive the samples. Results can be sent over by snail mail, email, fax, or by a phone call. You don’t have to make an account in their website to get the results as it will be sent directly to your email, which is the opposite practice of most DNA testing services. It is a good idea to make sure that no one else has access to your email to maintain confidentiality of the results.

If you are somewhere near Toronto, they accept walk-in customers for the test- their office is open from Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM, Saturdays at 8 am to 5 PM, while Sundays can be arranged by appointment.

Keeping Up With the Standards

With accreditation from a handful of organizations like the American Association of Blood Banks and ISO 17025, Viaguard ensures that their laboratories and procedures are compliant with the latest standard of the industry. They are also recognized by the Citizenship and Immigration of Canada, meaning results are accepted by the Canadian Embassy. Moreover, their results are guaranteed to be 99.99% accurate for paternal inclusion and 100% exclusion, so there won’t be any doubt regarding the outcome of the test.

Customer Service

Viaguard’s pages are full of information about their service, although you may be overwhelmed at first because their website isn’t very organized, with walls of text piled up one after the other. They do give out a lot of details though, so setting aside some time reading them is worth the effort. If you want to contact their support team, you can call their office, or send them an email – they are open from Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM, and Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM.

What's the Verdict on Viaguard?

There Are Better Options

Viaguard Review 2020 – Conclusion

Viaguard doesn’t really offer anything out of the ordinary to justify the markup in their prices, which is almost thrice as expensive versus other DNA testing services. They make use of the same familiar buccal swab for the specimen, with other select specimens also acceptable. They do have prenatal paternity testing which can be done with a blood sample from the pregnant mother and the cheek swab specimen from the alleged father. Meanwhile, results are usually out in just 7 days, the same as with the regular DNA paternity test. They are also accredited by the AABB and ISO 17025, with the results recognized by the Canadian Embassy, so if the main purpose of the test is to fulfill requirements to submit to their office, then the high cost may be well worth it. Otherwise, there are better options out there.